Tenant houses at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Historical Furnace Village Main Page
When Hopewell Furnace was in operation, employees had an option to live onsite by renting company-owned houses or rooms in the houses. Nobody was required to live on the furnace property, and most people lived elsewhere. The employees who rented the tenant houses were typically managers and those who had to work 12-hour shifts when the furnace was running, such as fillers and moulders.
Single-family tenant house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
There were fourteen tenant houses when Hopewell Furnace was in operation, but only four stand today. The two smaller houses were for single families. The mid-size house is a duplex, and the largest house is thought to have been a boarding house for single men. All of these were built between 1820 and 1870.
Single-family tenant house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Duplex tenant house and barn at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Boarding house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
The two single-family houses are open. The first one you come to has only a few chairs inside, but the second single-family house is fully furnished as it might have been in the mid-1800s (entry level floor only). The other two houses, at least when I visited, were closed.
Interior of a single-family tenant house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Kitchen of a single-family tenant house with a Hopewell Furnace 10-plate stove at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Interior of a single-family tenant house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Bed inside a single-family tenant house at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on March 20, 2025
