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The Pine Grove Iron Works was a southcentral Pennsylvania smelting facility during the Industrial Revolution. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1977 for its significance in architecture and industry. It includes seven 
similarly-worded Franklin Institute journal of 1899)
/ref> Notable geographic points near the works include the
/ref> A local store provide goods. (Rose cites the 1911 Ege genealogy.)
The Pine Grove Furnace facilities were identified as "Pine Grove Iron-Works" by 1782 ("Mr. iron-works" in 1783
and in addition to mill race, water raceways and charcoal hearths (traces of which are still visible), support facilities were built near the works, e.g., the 1829 L-shaped iron master mansio
(named "office" in 1872). A saw mill was built
and the Pine Grove No. 1 bank was used for
The
and the engine house(s) continued pumping the ore pit (now Fuller Lake) to keep reduced water levels. The cold blast furnace had been converted to hot blast by 1877, and remodelling in the 1877-8 winter including changes to allow alternate fuels. Connellsville coke was first used on March 22/23, 1879; and
west of Pine Grove, was considered in 1880 but not completed. Net iron output in the peak year of 1883 was . NOTE: The 2005 Frigm webpage is transcribed and augmented by the DCNR for thei
"History" webpage
which adds "''In 1764, partners George Stevenson, Robert Thornburgh and John Arthur built an iron furnace along Mountain Creek.''" (both Ege, 1911,
Mercer, 1914, p. 90
identify Stevenson as "owner of the site" but the furnace was "built by Thornburg & Arthur".) The SMRR-succeeding 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad and 1910 Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway operated to the Pine Grove Railroad Station and the nearby Pine Grove Park. Iron production ended in 1895, and the Pine Grove Iron Works was sold on September 12, 1913, as part of 3 tracts which became the majority of the Pine Grove Division of the South Mountain Forest and, by 1931, the Pine Grove Furnace State Parkbr>
The ownership chain of the Pine Grove Iron Works was published in 1886, and a history by one of the superintendents was published in 1934. The Ironmaster's Mansion was restored by 1985 and renovated from 2010 until April 5, 201
In 1991, ''Railroads to Pine Grove Furnace'' was published.
Internet Archive version)
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Ironworks and steel mills in Pennsylvania Blast furnaces in the United States Buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Companies established in 1764 1764 establishments in Pennsylvania South Mountain Range (Maryland−Pennsylvania) Tourist attractions in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 1764 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Colonization history of the United States European colonization of North America History of the Thirteen Colonies Province of Pennsylvania Foundries in the United States
contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...
, two structures, fourteen sites, and two objects.
Geography
The works occupied the small area around the furnace stack a "''quarter of a mile from the''" quarry.similarly-worded Franklin Institute journal of 1899)
/ref> Notable geographic points near the works include the
Mountain Creek
Mountain Creek is a ski resort in Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located on New Jersey Route 94, from the George Washington Bridge.
Mountain Creek contains of skiing area, night skiing, snowboardin ...
distributary point for the furnace water race on the west, the wash race distributary point from Tom's Run (north), and the confluence of the furnace's water race with the creek (east). Also to the east and southeast were the railroad bridge over the creek and the "east workings" with the limestone quarry ("flux ... pit 250'x75'x50' deep" in 1891) and Pine Grove bank No. 1. (cites "report on the iron ore mines and limestone quarries of the Cumberland-Lebanon Valley, by E. B. d'Invilliers, in the An. Rept. Geol. Surv. of Pennsylvania")
Pine Grove
Pine Grove was the village/town associated with the iron works (designated the "Pine Grove Furnace" populated place in 1979), and village structures included the Methodist Episcopal Church and residences north of the east-west road through the area. By 1886 the village had a post office, and the schoolhouse and Pine Grove Cemetery () were south of the village and the iron works. NOTE: "'' Penn Township ... included Cook ' Township until it was formed from the southern part of Penn on June 18, 1872.'/ref> A local store provide goods. (Rose cites the 1911 Ege genealogy.)
History
Pine Grove Furnace was built about 1770, the second of nine Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Cumberland County furnaces. per year. p. 12: p. 14: It was built and operated by Robert Thornburg and John Arthur, in the interest of George Stevenson, who already owned Laurel Forge downstream on Mountain Creek. The furnace smelted iron ore to produce colonial cast iron products such as wagon wheel iron, fireplace backs, iron kettles, ten plate stoves, and in the late 19th century, Baldwin Locomotive part
The Pine Grove Furnace facilities were identified as "Pine Grove Iron-Works" by 1782 ("Mr. iron-works" in 1783and in addition to mill race, water raceways and charcoal hearths (traces of which are still visible), support facilities were built near the works, e.g., the 1829 L-shaped iron master mansio
(named "office" in 1872). A saw mill was built
and the Pine Grove No. 1 bank was used for
limonite
Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO(OH)·H2O, although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxid ...
iron ore while two quarries provided limestone. The 1870 South Mountain RR, with offices at Pine Grove, connected the furnace to limestone pits and three operating ore mines.
The charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
-fired furnace was deactivated in 187and the engine house(s) continued pumping the ore pit (now Fuller Lake) to keep reduced water levels. The cold blast furnace had been converted to hot blast by 1877, and remodelling in the 1877-8 winter including changes to allow alternate fuels. Connellsville coke was first used on March 22/23, 1879; and
anthracite
Anthracite, also known as hard coal, and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic luster. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the hig ...
was first used shortly afterward. A rail extension to the Wild Cat pits,2.5 mileswest of Pine Grove, was considered in 1880 but not completed. Net iron output in the peak year of 1883 was . NOTE: The 2005 Frigm webpage is transcribed and augmented by the DCNR for thei
"History" webpage
which adds "''In 1764, partners George Stevenson, Robert Thornburgh and John Arthur built an iron furnace along Mountain Creek.''" (both Ege, 1911,
Mercer, 1914, p. 90
identify Stevenson as "owner of the site" but the furnace was "built by Thornburg & Arthur".) The SMRR-succeeding 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad and 1910 Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway operated to the Pine Grove Railroad Station and the nearby Pine Grove Park. Iron production ended in 1895, and the Pine Grove Iron Works was sold on September 12, 1913, as part of 3 tracts which became the majority of the Pine Grove Division of the South Mountain Forest and, by 1931, the Pine Grove Furnace State Parkbr>
The ownership chain of the Pine Grove Iron Works was published in 1886, and a history by one of the superintendents was published in 1934. The Ironmaster's Mansion was restored by 1985 and renovated from 2010 until April 5, 201
In 1991, ''Railroads to Pine Grove Furnace'' was published.
References
External links
*Internet Archive version)
{{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Ironworks and steel mills in Pennsylvania Blast furnaces in the United States Buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Companies established in 1764 1764 establishments in Pennsylvania South Mountain Range (Maryland−Pennsylvania) Tourist attractions in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania 1764 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Colonization history of the United States European colonization of North America History of the Thirteen Colonies Province of Pennsylvania Foundries in the United States