Bellefonte Forge House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bellefonte Forge House
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Bellefonte Forge House, Spring Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 110 Forge Rd Spring Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania |
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| Built | 1803 |
| Architect | Lowry, John G.; Patterson, John |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001020 |
| Added to NRHP | August 20, 1999 |
The Bellefonte Forge House is an old house near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. It's also called the John Dunlop House. This house is special because important people from the iron industry lived there. It's also a great example of the Federal style of building. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Building the Bellefonte Forge House
This house was built in 1803 by a man named John Dunlop. He was an ironmaster, which means he ran businesses that made iron. John Dunlop lived here with his wife and four daughters. Sadly, he passed away in 1814 in an iron mine accident.
What the House Looks Like
The Bellefonte Forge House is made of limestone. It has two and a half stories. The ceilings inside are very tall, about ten and a half feet high! The house was built in a style that mixes Federal and Georgian designs.
It originally had nine fireplaces to keep it warm. In the 1930s, two of these fireplaces were removed to make space for a modern kitchen.
Who Designed It?
People think that John G. Lowry might have been the architect, or person who designed the house. He was the only registered architect in the area at that time. He also worked for John Dunlop, who was his cousin. We know that John Patterson was the finish carpenter, the person who did the detailed wood work. His building receipts can still be found in a local museum!
The House and the Iron Industry
In the late 1700s and early 1800s, the town of Bellefonte became a very important place for making iron. John Dunlop was one of the most successful people in this business. He built several ironworks, including:
- Harmony Forge (in 1795)
- Belle Font Forge (in 1797)
- Logan Furnace (in 1797)
- Washington Forge (in 1810)
John Dunlop's father, Lt. Col. James Dunlop, and his brother-in-law, James Dunlop Harris, helped plan the town of Bellefonte. They used land that John Dunlop owned to create the town.
After John Dunlop
After John Dunlop passed away, his iron businesses were first rented out. Later, a family named Valentine bought them. The Valentine family were also ironmasters. They owned the businesses from 1815 to 1879.
The Bellefonte Forge House shows how wealthy these ironmasters were. The Valentine family even added Victorian porches to the house in the 1860s.
Bringing the House Back to Life
The Bellefonte Forge House was lived in continuously until 1994. After that, it was empty for a while and got damaged. But after 2001, a person named Michael C. Immel worked to restore it. He brought the house back to its beautiful original condition.
Today, the Bellefonte Forge House still stands proudly. It looks out over Logan's Branch, the same water where John Dunlop started his Belle Font Forge way back in 1797.
