News Release

Hopewell Furnace to Commemorate the Fourth of July

The Ironmaster's Mansion

NPS Photo

News Release Date: June 30, 2023

Contact: Crystal Williams, Acting Site Manager, 484-219-2392

Elverson, Pa. – The National Park Service and the Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite you to join in commemorating the 247^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site on July 4, 2023. The annual formal commemoration ceremony will take place at 2:00 p.m. from the steps of Ironmaster’s House 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 Molly Herman and Amelia Shelgren, both from The Music Studio of Patricia Keith; presentation of colors by Girl Scouts of the Daniel Boone Service Unit 763 and Boy Scouts of Pack and Troop 595, and; the reading of winning essay submissions from local middle school and high school students. The ceremony will conclude with the public taking part in a reading of the Declaration of Independence.   

In addition, throughout the day from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., a variety of programming will be offered onsite including: orientation talks, molding and aluminum casting demonstrations, modern and period Junior Ranger activities, blacksmithing demonstrations and more.

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

The park’s facilities are currently open seven days a week, 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. 

-NPS-