Cornwall Iron Furnace

The Cornwall Iron Furnace is a historic charcoal-fired blast furnace located in Cornwall, Pennsylvania. Today, it operates as a designated National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a museum managed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The facility was originally constructed by Peter Grubb in 1742, an early American ironmaster. Grubb recognized the incredibly rich iron ore deposits in the surrounding Cornwall hills, which became the foundation for one of the most important ironmaking operations in colonial America.

The furnace utilized water power from a nearby creek to drive its massive wooden bellows, which supplied a continuous, pressurized stream of air to the fire. This watermill technology was essential for reaching the extreme temperatures required to smelt iron ore into usable pig iron.

The site played a highly significant role in the American Revolution by supplying cannons, shot, and pig iron to the Continental Army and the colonial navy. It remained in active iron production well into the 19th century before eventually being shut down and preserved as a historical relic.