News Release

Hopewell Furnace Seeks Submissions for Independence Day Writing Contest

News Release Date: March 14, 2025

Students in grades 6-12 have a chance to shine—and to win a cash award—in this year’s Independence Day Writing Contest. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, in collaboration with the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, will accept essay submissions from now through April 20, 2025. Winners will get the chance to read their essays aloud at Hopewell Furnace’s Independence Day public program on July 4.

The contest is open to all students in grades 6 – 12 who attend public or private schools, or who attend home school, within the boundaries of the following local school districts: Antietam, Boyertown, Coatesville, Daniel Boone, Downingtown, Exeter, Governor Mifflin, Oley Valley, Owen J Roberts, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Reading, Spring-Ford, Twin Valley, Wyomissing.

This year, students will answer the following prompt: what is your pursuit of happiness? Students in grades 9 – 12 may submit essays of 500 words or fewer. Students in grades 6 – 8 may submit essays of 300 words or fewer:

Students should submit their essays via email to: [e-mail] If you do not have access to email, you may either hand-deliver or mail a paper copy of your essay to the address below in c/o “Writing Contest.”

A panel of judges will review the essays, with the top three from each grade group receiving cash awards of $125 for first place, $100 for second place and $75 for third place. The top three selectees from each grade group (6-8 and 9-12) will also be invited to participate in the park’s Independence Day public program on July 4. Submissions are due by April 20. More information is available on the Independence Day Writing Challenge on the park's website. 

Hopewell Furnace was established as a National Historic Site on August 3, 1938. The National Park Service site 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 by Ironmaster Mark Bird in 1771. It operated as a furnace for the next 112 years. 

The park is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 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.