Office-Store

If the furnace was the heart of the Hopewell community, then this building, the Office-Store, was the brain. Here, the company clerk worked, keeping account of the orders, production, sales and transportation of the new iron products. He did this by keeping records in large books called ledgers and journals. The clerk was also the paymaster. Workers were not paid with cash; instead the clerk made a record in the ledgers of how much money each worker earned. Whenever a worker needed cash, he would go to the clerk and "draw" on his account.

Workers at Hopewell had little opportunity to travel to the distant towns to shop for food, clothing or household items. Therefore, the furnace company set up a store in this building. Inside you can see many of the types of things that the workers bought. When an employee purchased an item, the company clerk would make note of it in the ledger and subtract the cost from the worker's account. There was seldom a need for the people at Hopewell to carry cash to the store.

Next stop on your tour is the Cast House.

This small building is where the company clerk worked, keeping the records which included the pay for the workers. The company store operated for the convenience of the furnace workers and at times had lower prices than local stores.

 

Inside the Office-Store, with various household items for sale. The workers at Hopewell could buy what they needed here rather than having to travel to a nearby town.