Farrandsville Iron Furnace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Farrandsville Iron Furnace
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The Farrandsville Furnace in August 2012
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 Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jct. of Graham and Old Carrier Rds., Farrandsville, Colebrook Township, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | 1836 |
| Architectural style | Iron furnace |
| MPS | Iron and Steel Resources of Pennsylvania MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 91001137 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 1991 |
The Farrandsville Iron Furnace, also called Lycoming Coal Co., is a very old and important building in Colebrook Township, Pennsylvania. It's about 6 miles northwest of Lock Haven. This furnace was built a long time ago, between 1836 and 1837. It's quite big, measuring 43 feet wide and 54 feet tall!
This furnace is special because it was one of the first places in America to try using a new type of fuel called coke to make iron. Coke is a special fuel made from coal. Using coke in a blast furnace was a big step forward in making iron more efficiently. The Farrandsville Iron Furnace was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, which means it's a protected historical site.
Contents
History of the Iron Furnace
Building a New Iron Furnace
The construction of the Farrandsville Iron Furnace began in 1836. Rich business people, sometimes called capitalists, from Boston helped pay for it. A person named John Thomas probably oversaw the building work. John P. Salmon was the main builder who worked with stone.
How the Furnace Worked
The furnace used special machines from Scotland, installed by a Scot named James Ralston. It could make about fifty tons of pig iron every week. Pig iron is a basic type of iron that needs more processing to become useful.
Getting Materials to the Furnace
To make iron, the furnace needed a few key things:
- Coal: Soft coal, called bituminous coal, was dug up nearby in Minersville. It was then moved to the furnace using a special sloped track.
- Iron Ore: The iron ore, which is the rock containing iron, had to travel over 100 miles! It came by canal, which was a difficult journey.
- Flux: Another material called flux, used to help melt the iron, came from the Nittany Valley. Getting this material to the furnace was also hard.
The Furnace Closes Down
Sadly, the Farrandsville Iron Furnace had to close in 1838. This happened because of a big economic crisis in the country called the Panic of 1837. It was a tough time for many businesses.
Later, another brick furnace was built on the same land. In 1951, a company called Harbison-Walker Refractories Company gave this furnace to the Clinton County Historical Society. This helps make sure that this important piece of history is preserved for everyone to learn about.
