#106 Cornwall Iron Furnace
1742
Typical 19th-century US charcoal-fueled blast furnace, fully intact
When erected by Peter Grubb to smelt the rich iron ore of the nearby Cornwall ore banks, this stone-built blast furnace was typical for its time, producing about 20 tons of pig-iron and cast-iron products a week. A major reconstruction in 1856 to 1857 produced important changes: the furnace itself was enlarged; the blast-air bellows were replaced by a pair of wooden cylinder "blowing tubs"; the waterwheel that had powered them was replaced by a 20-horsepower steam engine; and a pair of waste-heat boilers to supply the engine was built into the open stack of the furnace. Cornwall is one of hundreds of nineteenth-century charcoal-fueled blast furnaces in the United States to survive fully intact.
Main building at Cornwall Iron Furnace.
Landmark Location
Pa. Historical & Museum Commission
PO Box 241
Cornwall, PA 17016
Visiting Info
Regular hours, Closed Mon, Tues-Thurs 10am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 12-5pm
Ceremony Notes
June 1985