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Teach PA History
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Vanished Occupations: Life on an Iron Plantation
Further Reading

Bining, Arthur. Pennsylvania Iron Manufacture in the Eighteenth Century. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical Commission, 1938.

Originally published in 1938, and republished in 1973 with minor revisions, this work is a detailed account of the eighteenth century iron industry.

Dieffenbach, Susan. Cornwall Iron Furnace: Pennsylvania Trail of History Guide. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2003.

This brief guide (48 pages) offers an introduction on ironmaking in Pennsylvania, the history of Cornwall Furnace, and information about visiting this National Historic Landmark. Administered by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, Cornwall Furnace is an excellent example of an early charcoal-fueled furnace.

Eggert, Gerald G. The Iron Industry in Pennsylvania: With a Listing of National, State, and Private Sites Related to the Pennsylvania Iron Industry and Open to the Public. Harrisburg: Pennsylvania Historical Association, 1994.

This excellent overview of the Pennsylvania iron industry from its inception until the Great Depression includes social, economic, and labor aspects of the industry's history in a very readable few pages.

Walker, Joseph E. A Social and Economic History of an Iron-Making Community.. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1966.

An outstanding history of this iron plantation, with excellent detail on the lives of ironmasters, workers, and their families.


Web Sites

Centre County Historical Society http://www.centrecountyhistory.org

This offers a virtual tour of the Centre Furnace Mansion once owned by Moses Thompson. There are many rooms to view showing the architectural elements as well as period furniture. It also offers extensive information about the iron making process which students could use for research. Under mansion tour, there is a list or iron products organized by the dates they were made.

Cornwall Iron Furnace http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/ppet/cornwall/page1.asp?secid=31

This site gives the history behind Cornwall Iron Furnace.

Hopewell Furnace-NHS-Virtual Tour http://www.nps.gov/archive/hofu/tour/index.html

This National Park Service website offers a virtual tour of Hopewell Iron Plantation. You can experience the complete tour by starting with the visitor's center and exploring buildings by order, or you can investigate a specific building by using a map which identifies the various buildings. [Click on the orange dot.] The images and accompanying text are replete with helpful information for understanding an iron plantation.

Pottsgrove Manor Historic Site http://www.montcopa.org/historicsites

This website shows the Pottsgrove Manor mansion once owned by ironmaster John Potts. It has pictures of the interior of the house.


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