Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is the first stop on a visit to Hopewell Furnace. Inside you'll find displays on ironmaking and the village, a short film about Hopewell and all the information you'll need to fully enjoy your day in the park.

Upon exiting the Visitor Center, look to the south at the village before you. Directly behind the Visitor Center, the roadway overlooking the furnace community is one of the first roads in the area. The road, built in 1757, led to Reading seventeen miles away, which was then one of the westernmost settlements in Pennsylvania. During the early years of Hopewell’s history, the iron made at the furnace was sent east by wagons along this road on a three-day journey to Philadelphia. Later, when the Schuylkill Canal and the Reading Railroad were built, wagon trips were much shorter, but it was always an important part of the business of making iron at Hopewell.

Next stop on your tour is the Anthracite Furnace.