Ruins of the anthracite coal furnace at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

Historical Furnace Village Main Page

By the mid-1800s, charcoal-powered cold-blast furnaces such as Hopewell Furnace were becoming obsolete. Hot-blast furnaces that used anthracite coal came onto the scene in the 1830s. Anthracite burned hotter and longer than charcoal, and by heating the air before injecting it into the furnace, the hot-blast used less fuel and was more efficient at producing iron.

In an attempt to modernize, the owners of Hopewell Furnace built an anthracite hot-blast furnace in 1853. Unfortunately, it cost so much to ship in coal from northeastern Pennsylvania that the furnace was a money loser from the start, and it was shut down four years later in 1857. By that time the company had lost $100,000 on the project. While the cold-blast furnace was less efficient, the charcoal was made onsite and locally, so ultimately it was cheaper to run.

When the anthracite furnace was in operation, there was a cast house, coal house, and bridge house just like there was at the charcoal furnace. The main difference was that the hot-blast air bellows was powered by a steam engine and turbine instead of a water wheel. Today, however, all that remains is the ruins of the furnace stack. This is located a short ways down the walking path to the right of the charcoal house, the first building you see when leaving the Visitor Center to explore the furnace property. The rest of the equipment was sold to another anthracite furnace near Birdsboro, Pennsylvania.