Field Trips

Hopewell Furnace offers free curriculum-based education programs for students in grades 3-12. Reservations are required and are made by contacting the park, and in order of receipt. School programs are offered the last week of September through the first week of June. Requests must be made at least 3 weeks in advance and are approved based on date and staff availability.

Call 610-582-8773 to schedule your field trip!

Before visiting the park with your school group, please make sure to read over our Field Trip Guidelines.

Questions? Please call 610-582-8773 and ask to speak with the Education Coordinator.

 

Ranger-Led Tour

Grade: 3rd through 12th (maximum 30 students)
Length: 1 hour

Learn the history of this early American iron-making community. Join a Ranger for a guided tour of the village and grounds. Students will learn about the industrial history of the 19th century iron furnace, diversified workforce, economic decline and its transformation into a National Historic Site.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standards: 4.3 Natural Resources; 6.2 Market and Economic Systems; 8.2 Pennsylvania History; 8.3 United States History

Molder's Apprentice Tour

Grade: 3rd through 12th (10-30 students)
Length: 2 hours 30 minutes

Learn the skills needed to be a molder in the 1830s. Join a Ranger for a guied tour emphasizing the materials and skills needed to make iron. Students will then participate in a molding and casting exercise - using a sand mold, pattern, and safe iron substitute - to produce their own stove plate as a souvenir.

Meets Pennyslvania State Standards: 3.4 Technology and Engineering; 4.3 Natural Resources; 8.2 Pennsylvania History; 8.3 United States History

Self-Guided Tour

Grade: All Levels
Length: Varies

Start at the Visitor Center where you can watch A Place of Opportunity, the park's 16-minute introductory film. From there make sure to grab our Educational Worksheet to help guide students throughout the park. Several additional short films detailing charcoal making, molding, casting, and blacksmithing area also available in the museum area of the Visitor Center.

Meets Pennsylvania State Standards: 4.3 Natural Resources; 6.2 Market and Economic Systems; 7.4 Interactions between People and the Environment; 8.2 Pennsylvania History; 8.3 United States History

 

Eating Lunch in the Park
If your group is planning to visit Hopewell Furnace over the lunch hour, we suggest packing a picnic lunch, as there are no full-service concessions or indoor dining facilities. Open air picnic tables are available.

Make Your Field Trip a Green Field Trip
Use reusable bottles, lunch bags/boxes, and food containers. Water filling stations and water fountains are available at the Visitor Center. Print visit materials double-sided or use electronic copies - recycle whenever possible. Review and share the seven principles of Leave No Trace with students. Reminder: Bus idling is prohibited.