Awesome History ~ Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

[@patriciacole8717]

I am related to Isaac Cole, a laborer at the furnace. A portrayal of Isaac is in the visitor center.

[@susanorr7535]

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. This village speaks volumes of past history and yet it's not outdated. It's quite modern with every need satisfied. All the desires are met. After the pig iron is melted it's poured into molds from the bottom upside down. The molds are knocked off leaving a line called a gate mark. Very desirable today. Modern cast iron is poured on the side so these lines are ground off smooth. Lodge cast iron is forged in Tennessee today. Keep iron seasoned to avoid rust.

[@wby340]

Was just there yesterday. I grew up on Black Matt Road about 5 miles from there! My friends and I would ride our bikes there and to St Pete's very often as kids. Live in Maryland now but every time I'm up home visiting my mom and sister I check out my old stomping grounds. Certainly miss the area!

[@wby340]

BTW, I believe the wooden troughs leading to the water wheel were called raceways. I think there were 2 of them. There were remnants of another on the other side of Route 345 when I was young, back in the 70's. It is quite the sight and sound when they have the water wheel in operation! I have a cannon ball that was made there as well. During the Agnes flood of 1972, the creek that ran through my grandparents' farm was overrun and churned up a lot of debris. June 10, 1972, I was walking along the creek after it had subsided and saw what I thought was a snapping turtle. I grabbed a large stick to try and get it out but realized it wasn't a turtle, but a large iron ball caked in clay and mud. My grandfather helped me clean it off and realized it was a 12lb cannon ball. I remember that dated like yesterday because it was 2 days before my 10th birthday. My mom and I took the ball to Hopewell to see if it was made there. They confirmed it was and immediately asked where it came from. Since it was found on private property we were allowed to keep it. There were still wagon trails throughout the woods behind the farm, and a couple would lead to Hopewell. We surmised it fell of a wagon heading to Valley Forge, as Route 724 is a mile from the farm and it leads into Valley Forge in 22 or so miles. Was it really heading that way? Who knows, but why else would a cannonball be in a farm creek in the middle of nowhere that saw no Revolutionary or Civil War battles!

[@TheCynthiaRice]

What a trip down memory lane. I grew up in Berks County.

[@56kicki]

Catching up on all of your wonderful videos. You are truly an 'old soul' and make history interesting.

[@HaleMoana]

That archway the tree took over is for firewood. across from the outdoor oven.

[@rockmack7343]

If you follow the stream that feeds the sluice that feeds the waterwheel up stream it will take you to Hopewell lake. There is a trail, it is a nice walk, about a mile I think if I remember correctly.

[@davebitler5559]

Hopewell is one of my favorite places. My grandfather was one of the contractors that helped restore the buildings in the early 50s. My father helped rebuild the water wheel and belows when he was home from Penn State in the summer of 1953. And my uncle was a ranger there during weekends and summers. (He also taught school)

[@willardtaylor6249]

In 2005 I had the privilege of finding 9 letters addressed to Clement Brooke of Hopewell Furnace dated between 1822-1836. These letters were orders from customers for stoves and stove parts. It turned out, after I looked into it, that Clement Brooke was Hopewell’s most successful iron master. After he retired in 1848, Hopewell could never again flourish like it had under Clement Brooke’s direction. I showed the letters to Hopewell’s museum curator. She made copies which she said would be on exhibit.

[@garnetbarton3313]

When I saw you on that porch in a rocking chair I just knew you could live there! lol I could do the same thing. Really cool place.

[@catherineengle4196]

Wow I am really loving this place. How awesome! If I ever come up that way I will have to visit. I am a total history buff. I am so amazed how well preserved this place is. I would have to spend an entire day there. Love it.

[@kateclark7250]

Such an awesome place! I can so see you there with a fire in the fireplace, a book in your hands, your animals in the pasture...

[@jwcinc12]

That horse has an amazing winter coat. I always like how whooly they get that time of year. Makes them look rustic and ancient. Local to me are folks that raise and sell Scottish Highland cows/bulls. They are amazing and ancient to look on too.

[@anewman1]

Love your show! No need to apologise for your mentioning of how much you love things periodically. Thank you 🍻 The Newms

[@dillonhall9317]

Awesome! I wish the iron furnace down the road from me ( NC) still had all the original structures. The mind can only imagine what time has erased. If only youtube was around in the late 1700's and 1800's.

[@jonsymmonds1120]

Cliff, in my opinion...your best ever explore! You have shown me what I would never find on my own. I never watch an almost hour long video, that should tell you how cool I think what you do is. I am in my 50's and hated history in school, these days I cant get enough of it. Your video was very informative, I just wish you would have paused a little longer on stuff for us to read. The cannon was amazing! Also the charcoal that was produced was likely a possible component of black powder used in the day for guns. There was a Pennsylvania long rifle next to the grandfather clock that was beautiful. On the hand pump for water, we still have them in Illinois. There are many that are abandoned but still work like a charm. I thank you so much for the video!

[@karenpacker8862]

What an awesome step in time! Really enjoyed this..thanks Cliff.

[@tamarakoontz5003]

We are new to your videos but have been binge watching. This is an AMAZING ....to quote you....video. Excellent work Sir

[@SueGirling68]

I think it's awesome that places like this survive, it's a good way to educate the younger generations as to what life was like back then. Thank you for showing us around. x

[@lynnmaupin-simpson1215]

Last week my neighbors, twenty somethings, did not know what a side saddle was, a clothes pin, or a thimble was. Frightening!

[@SueGirling68]

@@lynnmaupin-simpson1215 education nowadays just doesn't teach kids anything worth knowing that would help them look after a home 😟 x

[@sharondelaney5346]

Really Enjoyed the tour if this truly Awesome place Cliff..makes me miss the farm... love seeing the animals too...Thanks so much!!😊👍

[@elizabethmeehan2017]

We loved your video! My son has always been interested in just this...the historic way of life. Like you, he would live in the smaller house in a heartbeat! Thank you & your narration is a wealth of information. I am still teachable.

[@donnaklingbeil4468]

That was awesome!!! Reminds me of Colonial Williamsburg. I love history!!! I was as excited as you were touring this location. You did a great job making me feel as though I was there with you. I would love to visit there in person. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@elnabjelland-hughes8172]

Wow - that house is beautiful !! Amazing waterwheel and those furnaces - this is a place I have to visit ! Thanks for sharing this awesome video- I love anything that deals with historic places and this video is the best 😁👍💕

[@deskennett4808]

Amazing place great to see so much history preserved Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺

[@wilfredomendez3450]

I'm impress by the tour and how well preserved the place is, definitively worth to visit one day. Thanks for sharing.

[@AJOCONNELLNEWPORT]

Loved when you were eating the plastic food.. made me chuckle... Video was great.. Thank you.

[@LeeF945]

You are adorable. I love your tours and how much you love history and old things of all sorts.

[@ruthgoebel723]

Our parents used to take us to visit these places when we were growing up. I too admired the simple beauty of plain, useful things. It's probably why I enjoy history so much. 😉 I love that house too. So quiet! Really enjoyed this video....well done!

[@tommiefisher9525]

Cliff you should of told me you were in my area. Me and my wife made a good meal and would of invited you!!!

[@conniegoldthwait1463]

A beautiful business and farm area! ,I love the history 💙

[@carlavision6143]

Cliff, what an awesome and cool place! Thank you for taking me along with you! Absolutely beautiful buildings and scenery and horse and sheep! Love history and that's really interesting.

[@steel5886]

Cliff, Great history to share . Couldn't agree more this place is ,awesome,amazing a million times over . Thanks

[@willardtaylor6249]

Thank you for your tour of this beautiful place. I much appreciate your love of history which you show in your videos. They have truly done a wonderful job of restoration, when you realize that after Hopewell shut down in 1883, it was allowed to fall into disrepair. My parents used to bring me to Hopewell ,as a young child in the 1950’s when many of restorations were going on. In 2005, I had the privilege of finding 9 orders for stoves and stove parts addressed to Clement Brooke

[@WesAllen]

This is one of my favorite spots. They actually found all the records for every tine they ran the furnace above the store. That building was rented out as a residence, so the elements didn’t get them!

[@littlebooks4760]

The stone home reminds me of an Irish cottage loved the big fire place, great to see the chickens wonderful adventure thank you

[@suzanjournagan1112]

Wow Beauty... Love them there chickens🤗🐓🐔🐥🌽

[@tommiefisher9525]

And the hopewell furnace has workings that extend out towards st Pete's as well. There's and 83 page historical document of the "Kristeen furnace" that was the precursor to Coventry and reading furnace!!!

[@didgitt1]

There's also an Iron furnace at whats called Curtin Village at Howard Pa. It's just a bit South West of Bald Eagle State Park.

[@charliepc56]

Awesome does describe that place, and Coffee is great!! Thanks for the trip back time!!

[@user-David-Alan]

Your right! That place is super cool. Thanks for the video.

[@JamesScott-lc8md]

Thanks for the tour. Very much a part of history, glad it is preserved. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[@pagodaracingmountpennreadi8915]

Love your videos. We live in a nearby village,, a couple miles from Hopewell. Our home was originally built for the book keeper at Hopewell. His "office" would have been in the store.

[@catpatrick3838]

I love the larder on the left side of the first two worker houses. Awesome place, a whole lot of history. Thanks for the tour and the history lesson.

[@MyChannel-rf8ic]

Thanks Cliff really enjoyed that video. Looks like you had a great time there too. Like you said, tthe animals really add to the authenticity of the place. Looking forward to the next video.

[@JA51711]

Great place, history and tour. Thank you

[@jeniw8586]

I will gladly be your neighbor here and help tend the animals! Thanks for sharing this wonderful place.

[@pheeshankar6216]

Beautiful..luv the history.... your best vlog yet.. in my opinion....stay safe..!!👍🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦👍!@

[@davidcassidy5868]

Love Hopewell Village. French Creek is cool too. Neat A/V explanation points at the furnace. @5:25 - My house built in 1810 is small (1800 sq ft), but not that small. ANOTHER EXCELLENT POST, by the way !

[@thomaskipphorn4729]

This place is still awesome some 50+ years after I was last there. Same with St. Peter's Village. You ought to be there when the water wheel is running. It's spectacular. Didn't know about the blacksmith shop and workers houses at the time I was there. I was only a kid and had to follow the adults. Oh, and another thing...You have to try their homemade apple butter on their homemade bread from the bake ovens, seen at the beginning of the video.

[@randallschutt5033]

When you where at the outdoor oven, turn around to the house there's a basement door, that's where the kitchen is

[@angelpurcell3156]

So beautiful home it's like its saying come and make yourself at home

[@lynnmaupin-simpson1215]

Beautiful chickens. Love your videos.

[@karendworschack756]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing!

[@orionschild7178]

I miss home :( Thanks for all of the videos. :)))) So cool to see all of that amazing history....

[@prozakpixie]

thank you for taking us to this wonderful place... awesome.. Pennsylvania has so many beautiful landscape and historical places to offer.. great video and educational..keep it coming.. God bless and stay safe.. from your fan in Germany...... peace

[@martyjones9374]

Cliff you said it "AMAZING"!!! Beautiful property, animals, and such awesome history. Always learn so much from you! Let me know which house you choose, I will pick another & meet you on the porch for coffee neighbor. Thank you so much just AMAZING!! :)

[@MrTaylorfenoglio]

If you are ever down in Pensacola FL there is a newly discovered ish cemetery with an awesome history of the abandoned town of also muscogee Mills FL. It was a logging town that went abandoned and mostly all that's left was a cemetery that was recently discovered and fixed up.

[@Redgonetogray]

Cool place. Reminds me of our Hancock Shaker Village. I should film that someday.

[@zeevon9]

Love this place too! When I was a kid we would camp at French Creek State Park a couple times a year. Hopewell Village/Furnace was close by.

[@flyacow]

I love that place it's not far from me Just a few miles down the road I live in Morgantown Pennsylvania.

[@davebitler5559]

In the Manor House, the tall clock (grandfathers clock) was donated by grandfather. The cattle are Dexters, a breed that is rare. They are on the farm animal conservancy watch list.

[@jwon5614]

I completely agree with you about living there- that would be a life's dream🤗😤

[@johnrodgers9877]

Hi Cliff . Your love of history is contagious . I very much enjoyed this video . You put so much effort into what you do . I do believe you mentioned some time ago , that you are a teacher , and I truly hope you teach history . If so , your students , are truly blessed . I lived on a farm once , and loved the chickens and sheep , as much as you obviously do . Wishing you the very best Cliff . John from Canada .

[@nateshon3eastbroadtoprailr448]

I LOVE PA and American history!

[@reneereb6499]

The side rooms adjacent to the kitchen areas of the smaller homes, may have been the larder or pantry. I remember that from Williamsburg.

[@ryanwolf6174]

Great video as always! Cool place

[@janromer6401]

Hopewell Furnace is just one of the great places to see in the Hopewell Big Woods. Come check us out!!!!

[@saigenrose1032]

Cool place Cliff, thank you for the share. 🙂👍

[@hankfacer7098]

That place was truly AWESOME.All jokes aside, it really was something to really appreciate from Australia, just love seeing this stuff, as I have two DNA cousins in Philly..

[@carmengarner4781]

You are right..this place is Amazing and Awesome!

[@albonnenfant3902]

Wow! Love everything you do! So interesting, keep on hiking!

[@nancyford4536]

Love the history so interesting. Catching up on all your videos.

[@cdbunnerfamilyspookyyardha9041]

Thank you for the awesome video.

[@1meandeeresbaby]

This site was Awesome! I Loved the animals!

[@illupgravengaard9275]

Across the street through the the field into the woods was a home of a former slave. the ruins are still there.

[@tommiefisher9525]

There's a few ruins of homes in the area.

[@577buttfan]

Any old iron mines?

[@jwon5614]

Wow that's interesting!!!!!

[@susanneberglund3723]

🤗 Awesome plays, I move in immediateliy 😍

[@jsfnnyc]

Great video. I visited Hopewell Village as a kid. Crazy to think I can revisit it on youtube thanks to your video.

[@chrisgray8774]

Beautiful sky, especially early in the video

[@debbyharrison9198]

You look pretty young..for an old soul,😄 love your videos

[@Royaltyblue1212]

amazing video thanks for the history lesson

[@davidcassidy5868]

@11:26 - The John Chadd house in Chadds Ford has an excellent working beehive oven. If You have not seen it, its very cool.

[@edithdavis2848]

Jogging cart and black sled. Beautiful place. A lot like Old Mo. Town in Blue Springs. Sluice trough. Don't think they had much time to hang out. Your potato looked like a pawpaw to me..l Loved all of it. I miss having the live stock to.untill I remember wading threw snow drifts and chopping holes in the pond ice in winter. Then dont miss them so much.

[@fluffyotter1601]

Thoroughly enjoy these longer videos:).

[@lorrainekrauss5140]

Thanks for a great history lesson. I love watching and seeing places like this!

[@brandondzia]

I go there quite a bit its neat. And its also cool to see the ruins of the ironor mines at saint peters village

[@mikearmstead8358]

So much I like to say about this video, RJ Production showed a video about a mine that was used for pouring medal. He explained by a drawing how the medal got poured from the ground down to the pin rails I think you call it. First time I seen a pin rail before, I worked at a Foundry before back in 1998 to 2001. Now they have big furnaces that's run on electric not coal; I bet the guys worked harder those days then the days like now. Thanks for showing

[@crystalfabulous]

Beautiful video

[@1meandeeresbaby]

At the 19:13 time, if you didn't notice, the horseshoe (on the fence to the right side) was upside down. Not a good sign, unless it was just misplaced.

[@flyacow]

When its warmer they have classes there on the weekends. If you're there at the right time there's an archeologist there as well. When you walk back to that small hut there was an old man used to live in there and apparently you keep walking passed down the trail he goes to French Creek state park. If you go there walk towards the left you can walk towards the right but at for a few a walk towards the left you go over a little bridge before that you will see a newer type dam and overflow but there's and much much older one towards the left. I really neat place to walk around as well have you ever gone to Danny boom Homestead outside Birdsboro Pennsylvania that's really cool as well?

[@St.FighterZ]

So its near french creek?

[@St.FighterZ]

So its near french creek?

[@bdickinson6751]

@@St.FighterZ It adjoins French Creek State Park.

[@flyacow]

@@St.FighterZ yes you can walk to it.

[@jenniferbutcher8393]

So interesting! Thank you! 😊

[@dianaallen892]

Super cool site :)

[@jameyarnold9382]

I’m from Lebanon County I’m looking forward to exploring more of Lebanon Co due to your videos do you live in Lebanon.

[@jimastro67]

You crack me up. You started saying you wanted to live in the big house. Then you would settle for the spring house. By the end you were willing to live in that wooden teepee hut! Easy to please! Very informative & entertaining.

[@wolfy1987]

Was reading that at one time there was a "sheep craze" hundreds of years ago where many farmers started raising sheep for wool. And apparently that's why there are so many abandoned stone walls built in parts of the US. Something to do with stone walls being better for keeping sheep penned

[@MillerMeteor74]

It seems to me my parents went there 25-30 years ago. I live in the Pinelands National Reserve, in New Jersey. There were charcoal furnaces all over what is now the Reserve, but they all were shut down by the 1840s. Way up in the far north of New Jersey there were also furnaces, but I'm not sure if they were charcoal or anthracite furnaces, or if both existed. Some of them remain to this day. Great explore.

[@johnmclaughlin6672]

If you go to hibernia park outside of coatesville you will find the mansion of the owner of the original hopewell furnace. Whom would help the owners of lukens steel. The hibernia mansion.

[@Jeffsanythingoutdoors]

You should check out chimney rocks lookout in Hollidaysburg. Do a review on some the historical facts id love watch it.

[@raynonabohrer5624]

You can make butter in a blender.I used to buy whole Milk from a farmer. Great video. A lot of history God's blessing to you..

[@Warren_Farms]

awesome place

[@walterglowacki2185]

I was there in 1976!

[@janromer6401]

Time to come back!

[@walterglowacki2185]

@@janromer6401 Sorry retired, moved out of Taxavania now live in Eastern Tennessee WE ARE PENN STATE !!!!