April 16 - 22, 2025
On Thursday, April 17 we drove to Fayetteville, PA to Chinquapin Hill Campground. It was full hookups for $48 per night but since we were only staying one night we only hooked up the electric.
We went there to have dinner with John's late sister's husband and his new wife. We had a great time visiting and ate some yummy Mexican food!
On the 18th we drove to Pinch Pond Family Campground in Manheim, PA for two nights. It was full hookups for $58 per night.
While there we went to the Cornwall Iron Furnace. It's the only surviving intact charcoal cold blast furnace in the western hemisphere. In the 1730s, Peter Grubb, a stonemason, began mining iron ore nearby. In 1742 he established the furnace, naming Cornwall after his father's birthplace in England. This furnace remained in operation until 1883. When Peter died in 1754, the property passed to his sons, Curttis and Peter. By 1798, the Grubb family sold out to Robert Coleman. Coleman was so successful in the business that he became one of Pennsylvania's first millionaires. The Coleman Furnace remained in operation until 1883. Newer furnace operations fueled by anthracite coal (instead of charcoal), and after the Civil War steel mills in Bethlehem and Pittsburg made it obsolete. It was abandoned leaving the building virtually untouched until it was donated to the state in 1932 by the great-granddaughter of Robert Coleman.
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| Cornwall Iron Furnace Information |
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More from the information board.
We started in the visitor center and watched a short film on the history of the furnace and surrounding area. |
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| These cannonballs were made at the furnace. |
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| This shows how the iron was made. They went across the charging bridge and dumped in charcoal first, then iron ore, and then limestone down the charge. Everything had to be in the right amounts to make the iron ore. The melted iron ore came out the bottom. |
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| This is the charging bridge where the wagons of charcoal, iron ore, and limestone were brought in. |
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| This is the opposite side of the room where the charge is. |
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| This is the "great wheel" that is 24 feet around and weighs 4 tons. The wheel is original and was put in place during the mid 1800s expansion. It still works (although powered by electricity and it goes much slower than it would have back then). |
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| The wheel powers the wheel in this room, which creates power for the furnace. It was powered by a steam engine and pumped air into the furnace to increase the temperature inside. |
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| The molten iron would come out here. If it was going to be made into stove plates, cannon balls or cannons it would flow into molds (on the left) and be left to cool. |
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| If not it would flow into these troughs to harden into bars called pig iron. (The workers thought the cooling pink iron looked like piglets lined up in a trough and called it pig iron). This iron would be taken to other refineries to be made into a variety of items necessary for daily life. |
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| Pig iron bars |
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| Part of Cornwall Furnace |
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| The paymaster's office. |
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| Robert Coleman was very rich and build a mansion across the street and up a hill from the furnace. |
It was built around 1773, and in 1865 extensive remodeling added the Italianate architectural elements. The mansion is not open to the public because there are apartments for a few residents.
It was all very interesting and worth a trip if you're in the area. It was only $7 for seniors for the tour.
On Sunday we drove to Allentown KOA for seven nights. It's 50 amp full hookups for $66 per night. They had a deal - six nights get the seventh free. I figured we'd been going pretty fast and it would be nice to just sit in one place for a few days.
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Our site. It's kind of off the beaten path, but much quieter than the last few campgrounds that were by highways or toll thruways.
Tuesday we went to Ironton Rail Trail to ride our e-bikes. John did great but unfortunately my balance isn't what it used to be and I didn't get far. I really did try but I think I'm going to sell it. Anyone want to buy a Lectric e-bike?
We still have time here to see some other things before we start...
Roving on...
For this is what the LORD says, He who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and not create if as a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited): "I am the LORD, and there is no one else." Isaiah 45:1 |
