HOPEWELL FURNACE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE HISTORIC RESOURCE STUDY FINAL Prepared for the National Park Service by Robinson & Associates, Inc. in association with architrave p.c. architects December 1, 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS …………………………………………………………….1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………... 2 NPS ADMINISTRATIVE BACKGROUND ……………………………………………2 National Register Status …………………………………………………………...2 List of Classified Structures Status ………………………………………………..3 Cultural Landscape Report Status …………………………………………………3 Archeological Overview Status …………………………………………………... 3 Status of Resource Management Planning ……………………………………...... 3 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………….. 4 Location and History ……………………………………………………………... 4 Purpose of Study ………………………………………………………………….. 7 Methodology ……………………………………………………………………… 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ……………………………………………………………… 10 CHAPTER I: REGIONAL HISTORY PRIOR TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF HOPEWELL FURNACE …………………………………………………………… 13 Prehistoric Southeastern Pennsylvania …………………………………………… 13 European Settlement and the Departure of the Lenni Lenape ……………………. 14 Berks and Chester Counties ………………………………………………………. 17 Early Pennsylvania Iron Industry ………………………………………………… 19 CHAPTER II: CONSTRUCTION, GROWTH, AND DECLINE OF THE FURNACE, 1771-1883 …………………………………………………………………………………. 22 Establishment by Mark Bird ……………………………………………………… 22 Hopewell Furnace and the American Revolution …………………………………26 Bird’s Debts and the Loss of Hopewell Furnace …………………………………. 28 The Struggle to Become Profitable ………………………………………………..30 Prosperity …………………………………………………………………………. 33 From Stove Plates to Pig Iron …………………………………………………….. 35 CHAPTER III: WORKERS, HOUSING, AND COMMUNITY AT HOPEWELL FURNACE, 1771-1883…………………………………….. ……………..40 The Work Force and Its Housing ………………………………………………….40 Mount Frisby African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Underground Railroad ……………………………………………………………………………56 CHAPTER IV: TRANSITION FROM INDUSTRIAL TO AGRICULTURAL USE, 1883-1934 …………………………………………………………………………………. 59 CHAPTER V: THE NEW DEAL AND THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, 1934-1946…………………………………………………………….. 64 French Creek Recreational Demonstration Area …………………………………. 64 From RDA to National Historic Site ……………………………………………... 69 The Work of New Deal Relief Programs at Hopewell Village …………………... 71 The National Historic Site during World War II …………………………………. 81 CHAPTER VI: THE EVOLUTION OF HOPEWELL VILLAGE/HOPEWELL FURNACE, 1947-PRESENT ……………………………………………………………. 85 Repair and Debate in the Post-War Park …………………………………………. 85 Mission 66 Planning at Hopewell………………………………………………….90 The Mission 66 Visitor Center …………………………………………………….92 Restoration under Mission 66 ……………………………………………………..99 After Mission 66 ………………………………………………………………….. 107 Collections at Hopewell Furnace………………………………………………….. 111 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH …………………………….. 116 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………… 118 REPOSITORIES CONSULTED ……………………………………………………….. 127 APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………………. 128 Appendix A: List of Classified Structures…………………………………………129 Appendix B: Cultural Landscape Report Resources List ………………………… 133 Appendix C: List of Contributing and Noncontributing Resources………………. 134 Appendix D: Corrections to Historic Base Maps…………………………………. 142 Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Historic Resources Study – Final Robinson & Associates, Inc. December 1, 2004 Page 1 ______________________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site 5 Figure 2 A typical cold-blast furnace 20 Figure 3 The reconstructed West Head Race, originally built circa 1805 31 Figure 4 The reconstructed furnace complex at Hopewell, including the Cleaning Shed, Cast House, Furnace Stack, Bridge House, Connecting Shed, and Charcoal House 35 Figure 5 The Wheel House, Bridge House, and Connecting Shed, reconstructed to their appearance in 1879 39 Figure 6 Evolution of the north elevation of the Ironmaster’s House 43 Figure 7 Spring House on the grounds of the Ironmaster’s House 45 Figure 8 Tenant housing along the Birdsboro-Warwick Road 48 Figure 9 Ruins of the Woodlot House, a furnace-owned tenant house outside the village 52 Figure 10 The Thomas Lloyd House, now used as a residence for a park Employee 54 Figure 11 The Wamsher House in French Creek State Park, once part of an independent farm whose residents appear in furnace records 56 Figure 12 Mount Frisby African Methodist Episcopal Church, now a garage, which served the needs of African Americans living in the Six Penny Creek area 58 Figure 13 The modern dairy barn, as seen beyond the ruins of the furnace stack in 1935 60 Figure 14 The furnace complex in 1887, showing the location of the Wheelwright-Carpenter’s Shop and the Ore Roaster. 62 Figure 15 From the 1937 Base Map for Hopewell Village National Historic Site, showing location of CCC Camp SP-7 north of the furnace and proposed locations of the parking area (inset) and bypass road 67 Figure 16 Civilian Conservation Corps Pump House 68 Figure 17 Parking area near the Baptism Creek Picnic Area, circa 1940 73 Figure 18 Baptism Creek Picnic Shelter and Concession Building, circa 1940 74 Figure 19 CCC-constructed vehicle bridge foundations near Baptism Creek Picnic Area, now supporting a 1998 pedestrian bridge 76 Figure 20 CCC-constructed springhouse near Baptism Creek Picnic Area 77 Figure 21 Furnace stack during CCC stabilization 79 Figure 22 Blast machinery and water wheel, 1951 89 Figure 23 Quarters 99, constructed during the Mission 66 program 96 Figure 24 Archeological work at the Cast House site, 1962 103 Figure 25 Stone steps (foreground) north of the Ironmaster’s House 105 Figure 26 The Ironmaster’s House, rehabilitated in 1980-81 109 Figure 27 Bethesda Church, restored in 1982 110 Figure 28 The Bally Building, location of Hopewell’s artifacts and archives 113 Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Historic Resources Study – Final Robinson & Associates, Inc. December 1, 2004 Page 2 ______________________________________________________________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous people contributed to this project, lending their time and expertise to Robinson & Associates’ efforts. We would like to thank Superintendent William Sanders and his staff for their assistance during two research visits to the park. Especially to be commended are Cultural Resource Manager Rebecca Ross and Chief Ranger Jeffrey Collins. Ross provided photocopies of numerous documents held in Hopewell’s library, facilitated the review of hundreds of documents and photographs held in the park’s library and archives, and answered a constant stream of questions. Collins efficiently guided a tour of resources outside the historic site’s core, as well as outside the park, that communicated important aspects of park history in their appropriate setting, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps era. Seasonal employee John Cole acted as guide for a visit to an important resource outside the park, Mount Frisby Church, which is owned by his family. Staff at the National Park Service’s Northeast Regional Office in Philadelphia provided valuable assistance, especially Project Manager Dr. Clifford Tobias, who offered insightful input throughout the term of the study; facilitated communication between the park, the regional office, and the consultants; and reviewed monthly reports and draft submissions. He also consolidated reviewers’ comments on drafts of this study, which greatly aided the revision of the HRS. Robinson & Associates would like to thank all the reviewers of the study’s drafts for their close attention to the text and thoughtful guidance, especially Ross, Collins, Tobias, Paul Weinbaum, Jed Levin, and Nancy Brown. Their special attention to previously unanalyzed resources – CCC-era archeological sites, Mission 66 construction, and Hopewell Furnace’s collections of artifacts and documents – enabled Robinson & Associates to provide an informed evaluation of their significance. Historical Architect Stephen Clark allowed the consultants access to Hopewell’s List of Classified Structures, provided photocopies of several drawings from the park’s Mission 66-era construction, and perceptively reviewed early drafts of the HRS. Archives Specialist Gail Farr of the Northeast Branch of the National Archives in Philadelphia conducted research in the branch’s internal database prior to a research visit that facilitated efficient review of the numerous documents held at the repository. Thanks should also be accorded to Dr. Leah Glaser, who shared research experience gained in compiling the administrative history of Hopewell Furnace. NPS ADMINISTRATIVE BACKGROUND National Register Status Hopewell Village National Historic Site was documented in the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1985. (The site’s name was changed to Hopewell Furnace in November 1985.) The National Register documentation cited architecture, industry, and military (American Revolution) as the site’s areas of significance. The designated periods of significance were 1700- 1799 and 1800-1899, with 1771-1883 – the furnace’s entire period of operation – noted as the specific dates of significance. Fifty contributing resources were singled out in the National Register documentation. Twenty-one other resources were described as “nonconforming intrusions.” In 1994, the Baptism Creek Picnic Shelter and Concession Building was determined to be eligible for inclusion as a contributing resource in Hopewell Furnace’s