Park Planning

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is currently in the process of planning the future course of the park. A General Management Plan to guide the park's efforts for the next several years is in development. To learn more about this management plan and how it is formed, continue in this section and review the developmental process and draft documents now under consideration.

 

Learn the possibilities for improving ease of access and circulation to Hopewell Furnace from the best Transportation Designers in the United States. The Volpe Center:
The John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Research and Innovative Technology Administration- provides an analysis of existing conditions with thoughtful recommendations on improving the park's visitor experience. See what they say:
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Alternative Transportation Study [pdf - 4.76mb)

Discover the breath and depth of Hopewell Furnace's Landscape and Buildings. Learn about the stuff that makes Hopewell Furnace nationally and internationally important. Check out Robinson & Associates Inc. Hopewell Furnace Historic Resources Study. [pdf - 18.2mb]
*Note the maps for the study are found here. [pdf - 1.44mb]

Learn what the National Park Service Science Program has found out about Hopewell Furnace. Find inventories of birds, vegetation, species, water quality and air quality. Check it out at http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/tracking/InventorySearch.aspx

 

Find out what a Cultural Landscape is. It results from the changes industry and mankind makes to the natural landscape. The National Park Service has created its own designed landscape through historic restorations of buildings, roads and other aspects of the historic scene. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site's Cultural Landscape Report [Vol 1 (large pdf - 197mb), Vol 2 (pdf - 32mb)] and Cultural Landscape Inventory (pdf - 23mb) articulate these changes.

*Note the maps for these studies are found here:
1800M100 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 902kb)
1800Map (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 1.04mb)
1845M100 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 98kb)
1845Map (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 1.04mb)
1883M100 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 1mb)
1883Map (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 1.15mb)
1938M100 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 607kb)
1938Map (JSedit)Layout1 (pdf - 1.15mb)
1995M100 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 361kb)
1995Map-400 (JSedit) Layout1 (pdf - 1.15mb)
Field Numbers Map (pdf - 316kb)

Ever wonder why a visitor comes to Hopewell?
The Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Visitor Study [Vol 1 (pdf - 2.86mb), Vol 2, (pdf - 11.7mb)]conducted in the summer of 2002 speaks to visitors' perceptions and opinions about topics including safety, fees and crowding. It also gives information on demographics and insights into subjects such as travel routes used and primary reason for visiting the area.

 

 

International Dark Sky Reserve Application The Schuylkill Highlands, Hopewell Big Woods, and the Pennsylvania Lighting Council encourage you to take part in the International Dark-Sky Reserve Program. Click on the link above for more information and an application for proposed Hopewell Big Woods Dark-Sky Reserve.

 

Click on here to see an Inventory of the Herpetofauna at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.

 

Click here to see Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site's Strategic Plan for Managing Invasive Exotic Vegetation. Below are Appendices for this plan.

Treatment Protocol Examples

Invasive Plant Ranking Analysis

Monitoring Protocols

Maps