News Release

Hopewell Furnace Commemorates Independence Day

Date: June 24, 2025
Contact: Jeff Jones, 484-326-9365

The National Park Service and the Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite you to join in commemorating the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2025. The annual formal commemoration ceremony will take place at 2:00 pm from the steps of Ironmaster’s Mansion on site. Other programming will be offered throughout the day and is open and free to the public.

This year’s ceremony will include: musical performances by Amanda Spotts and Amelia Shelgren, the presenting of colors by local scout troops, and the readings of winning essay submissions from this year’s Independence Day Writing Challenge. The ceremony will conclude with the public being invited to take part in a shared reading of the Declaration of Independence. The winning essays from this year and previous years can be found on the park’s website.

In addition to the 2:00 pm ceremony, throughout the day from 11:00 am until 3:00 pm, a variety of programming will be offered onsite including: Aluminum casting demonstrations, wool dyeing, flax spinning, blacksmithing demonstrations, and more!

Hopewell Furnace was established as a National Historic Site on August 3, 1938 and preserves the late 18th and early 19th century setting of an iron-making community, including the charcoal-fueled furnace, and its natural and cultural resources. This community illustrates the essential role of industrialization in the growth of the early United States. The furnace was established in 1771 by Ironmaster Mark Bird and operated as a furnace for the next 112 years.

The mission of the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is to support the preservation, maintenance and activities of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.

The park’s facilities are open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hopewell Furnace is located at 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, PA 19520 about five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. Admission to the park is free. For more information, call 610-582-8773 or visit the park's web site at www.nps.gov/hofu.