Pine Grove Iron Works
Encyclopedia
The Pine Grove Iron Works was a southcentral Pennsylvania smelting
facility during the Industrial Revolution
. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park
, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace.
distributary point for the furnace water race on the west, the wash race
distributary point from Tom's Run (north), and the confluence of the furnace's water race
with the creek (east). Also to the east and southeast were the railroad bridge over the creek and the "east workings" with the limestone quarry ("flux … pit 250'x75'x50' deep" in 1891) and Pine Grove bank No. 1.
and residences north of the east-west road through the area. By 1886 the village had a post office, and the schoolhouse and Pine Grove Cemetery (40.02804°N 77.29983°W) were south of the village and the iron works. A local store provide goods.
furnaces
. It was built and operated by Robert Thornburg and John Arthur, in the interest of George Stevenson, who already owned Laurel Forge downstream on Mountain Creek. The furnace smelted iron ore to produce colonial cast iron
products such as wagon wheel iron, fireplace backs, iron kettles, ten plate stoves, and in the late 19th century, Baldwin Locomotive
parts.http://smu.edu/cul/degolyer/pdfs/BLW-DDWG-Class.pdf
The Pine Grove Furnace facilities were identified as "Pine Grove Iron-Works" by 1782 ("Mr. iron-works" in 1783),http://www.hsp.org/sites/www.hsp.org/files/migrated/findingaid212forgesandfurnaces.pdf and in addition to water raceways
and charcoal hearths (traces of which are still visible), support facilities were built near the works, e.g., the 1829 L-shaped iron master mansionhttp://www.centralpaconservancy.org/node/335 (named "office" in 1872). A saw mill was built ,http://www.hsp.org/sites/www.hsp.org/files/migrated/findingaid212forgesandfurnaces.pdf and the Pine Grove No. 1 bank was used for limonite
iron ore while two quarries provided limestone. The 1870 South Mountain RR
, with offices at Pine Grove, connected the furnace to limestone pits and three operating ore mines.
The charcoal
-fired furnace was deactivated in 1874,http://books.google.com/books?id=TL9LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA174 and the engine house(s) continued pumping the ore pit (now Fuller Lake
) to keep reduced water levels. The cold blast
furnace had been converted to hot blast
by 1877, and remodelling in the 1877-8 winter including changes to allow alternate fuels. Connellsville coke
was first used on March 22/23, 1879; and anthracite was first used shortly afterward. A rail extension to the Wild Cat pits, 2.5 miles west of Pine Grove, was considered in 1880 but not completed. Net iron output in the peak year of 1883 was 6000 short tons (5,357.1 LT). The SMRR-succeeding 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
and 1910 Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway
operated to the Pine Grove Railroad Station
and the nearby Pine Grove Park.
Iron production ended in 1895, and the Pine Grove Iron Works was sold on September 12, 1913, as part of 3 tracts which became the majority of the Pine Grove Division of the South Mountain Forest and, by 1931, the Pine Grove Furnace State Park
.http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx
on April 13, 1977; and "Pine Grove Furnace" was recorded as a "populated place" by the U. S. Geological Survey on August 2, 1979, during the Geographic Names Phase I data compilation. The Ironmaster's Mansion was restored by 1985 and renovated from 2010 until April 5, 2011.http://www.centralpaconservancy.org/node/335 In 1991, Railroads to Pine Grove Furnace was published.
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
facility during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
. The works is notable for remaining structures that are historical visitor attractions of Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an...
, including the furnace stack of the Pine Grove Furnace.
Geography
The works occupied the small area around the furnace stack a "quarter of a mile from the" quarry. Notable geographic points near the works include the Mountain CreekMountain Creek (Yellow Breeches Creek)
Mountain Creek is a tributary of Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Mountain Creek joins Yellow Breeches Creek near the borough of Mount Holly Springs.-References:...
distributary point for the furnace water race on the west, the wash race
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
distributary point from Tom's Run (north), and the confluence of the furnace's water race
Sluice
A sluice is a water channel that is controlled at its head by a gate . For example, a millrace is a sluice that channels water toward a water mill...
with the creek (east). Also to the east and southeast were the railroad bridge over the creek and the "east workings" with the limestone quarry ("flux … pit 250'x75'x50' deep" in 1891) and Pine Grove bank No. 1.
Pine Grove
Pine Grove was the village/town associated with the iron works (designated the "Pine Grove Furnace" populated place in 1979), and village structures included the Methodist Episcopal ChurchMethodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
and residences north of the east-west road through the area. By 1886 the village had a post office, and the schoolhouse and Pine Grove Cemetery (40.02804°N 77.29983°W) were south of the village and the iron works. A local store provide goods.
History
Pine Grove Furnace was built about 1770, the second of nine Cumberland CountyCumberland County, Pennsylvania
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
furnaces
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
. It was built and operated by Robert Thornburg and John Arthur, in the interest of George Stevenson, who already owned Laurel Forge downstream on Mountain Creek. The furnace smelted iron ore to produce colonial cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
products such as wagon wheel iron, fireplace backs, iron kettles, ten plate stoves, and in the late 19th century, Baldwin Locomotive
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
parts.http://smu.edu/cul/degolyer/pdfs/BLW-DDWG-Class.pdf
The Pine Grove Furnace facilities were identified as "Pine Grove Iron-Works" by 1782 ("Mr. iron-works" in 1783),http://www.hsp.org/sites/www.hsp.org/files/migrated/findingaid212forgesandfurnaces.pdf and in addition to water raceways
Mill race
A mill race, raceway or mill lade is the current or channel of a stream, especially one for conducting water to or from a water wheel or other device for utilizing its energy...
and charcoal hearths (traces of which are still visible), support facilities were built near the works, e.g., the 1829 L-shaped iron master mansionhttp://www.centralpaconservancy.org/node/335 (named "office" in 1872). A saw mill was built ,http://www.hsp.org/sites/www.hsp.org/files/migrated/findingaid212forgesandfurnaces.pdf and the Pine Grove No. 1 bank was used for limonite
Limonite
Limonite is an ore consisting in a mixture of hydrated iron oxide-hydroxide of varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO·nH2O, although this is not entirely accurate as limonite often contains a varying amount of oxide compared to hydroxide.Together with hematite, it has...
iron ore while two quarries provided limestone. The 1870 South Mountain RR
South Mountain Railroad (Cumberland)
The South Mountain Railroad was a southcentral Pennsylvania railway line for "connecting the Pine Grove works to the Cumberland Valley R. R." and which provided mining and passenger services via a southwest section from Hunter's Run, Pennsylvania, and a northern section from Hunter's Run to the...
, with offices at Pine Grove, connected the furnace to limestone pits and three operating ore mines.
The charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
-fired furnace was deactivated in 1874,http://books.google.com/books?id=TL9LAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA174 and the engine house(s) continued pumping the ore pit (now Fuller Lake
Fuller Lake
Fuller Lake is the body of water with of surface area in the former Pine Grove Quarry in Pennsylvania. During the period of iron ore excavation when the pit depth had sufficiently increased, mountain springs that filled the quarry required pumping...
) to keep reduced water levels. The cold blast
Cold blast
Cold blast, in ironmaking, refers to a furnace where air is not preheated before being blown into the furnace. This represents the earliest stage in the development of ironmaking...
furnace had been converted to hot blast
Hot blast
Hot blast refers to the preheating of air blown into a blast furnace or other metallurgical process. This has the result of considerably reducing the fuel consumed in the process...
by 1877, and remodelling in the 1877-8 winter including changes to allow alternate fuels. Connellsville coke
Connellsville coalfield
The Connellsville Coalfield is located in Fayette County and Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, between the city of Latrobe and the small borough of Smithfield, and is sometimes known as the Connellsville Coke Field. This is because the section of the Pittsburgh coal seam here was famous as one of...
was first used on March 22/23, 1879; and anthracite was first used shortly afterward. A rail extension to the Wild Cat pits, 2.5 miles west of Pine Grove, was considered in 1880 but not completed. Net iron output in the peak year of 1883 was 6000 short tons (5,357.1 LT). The SMRR-succeeding 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad
The Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad was a railway line from the Hunter's Run junction of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway that ran southwestward along the south side of Mountain Creek to the Pine Grove Iron Works...
and 1910 Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway
Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway
The Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railway was a Pennsylvania line from near Carlisle southward to Gettysburg operated by a of the Reading Company...
operated to the Pine Grove Railroad Station
Pine Grove Railroad Station
The Pine Grove Railroad Station was the end of the line for the 1870 South Mountain Railroad, which transported materials from limestone pits and three operating ore mines for the Pine Grove Iron Works...
and the nearby Pine Grove Park.
Iron production ended in 1895, and the Pine Grove Iron Works was sold on September 12, 1913, as part of 3 tracts which became the majority of the Pine Grove Division of the South Mountain Forest and, by 1931, the Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an...
.http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/history/shorthistory.aspx
Historiography
The ownership chain of the Pine Grove Iron Works was published in 1886, and a history by one of the superintendents was published in 1934. After Flower's 1975 history was published, the "Pine Grove Iron Works" was listed on the National Register of Historical PlacesNational Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on National Register of Historic Places in the Cumberland County, Pennsylvania...
on April 13, 1977; and "Pine Grove Furnace" was recorded as a "populated place" by the U. S. Geological Survey on August 2, 1979, during the Geographic Names Phase I data compilation. The Ironmaster's Mansion was restored by 1985 and renovated from 2010 until April 5, 2011.http://www.centralpaconservancy.org/node/335 In 1991, Railroads to Pine Grove Furnace was published.