Research

Ledgers

Access Hopewell Furnace's historic ledgers at NPGallary.

Reports

The Furnace Group HSR(2008) (compressed)

Contains systematic account of individual components of Furnace Group, discusses character-defining features and provides historical background.

Research Narative

African Americans Who Worked at or Lived Nearby to Hopewell Furnace

Researched and written by students and the professor in English 472: Current Theories of Writing and Reading in Spring 2021 at Penn State Berks.

Scholarly Research

Evolution of the Hopewell Furnace Blast Machiner by Brian Schmult

Abstract

The design of the blast machinery for Hopewell Furnace (Elverson, PA) over its smelting lifetime (ca. 1771 to 1883) is estimated by re-evaluation of existing evidence and prior historian claims. The estimated design evolution is not conclusive, but is tighter than, and partially different from, previous conjectures. Two significant components of the re-evaluation are a careful analysis of spring terminology to establish the meaning of the phrase “elastic piston spring,” and a crude statistical analysis of “bellows dressing” work, which helps delineate changes in the blast machinery. The late period design is a double-acting wood cylinder blast, based on its existence to the present. It is found to be likely, although not proven, that the current blast was converted from a prior single-acting wood cylinder blast ca. 1838. This single-acting blast is found to be likely, although not proven, to have existed by 1800. Insufficient evidence was found to warrant a conclusion that a leather bellows blast was originally installed, as has been previously conjectured, although circumstantial evidence gives preference to a ground-mounted blast over an over-wheel single-acting cylinder blast as original equipment. Related to this, the conversion from a north-south to an east-west water wheel is deemed most likely to have been done prior to 1800, and the date of the relocation of the west headrace is deemed to not be relevant to wheel or blast changes.

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Note on the Meaning of the Term “Bellows”
3. Brief History of Blast Machinery
4. Blast Statements from Hopewell Furnace Reports
5. Water Wheels and Headraces
6. Furnace Work Records
7. Final/Current Blast
8. Blacksmith Bellows
9. Discussion of Springs and “Patent Elastic Piston Springs”
10. Leather Purchases and Finishing
11. Dressing the Bellows
12. Interpretation of Terminology
13. Discussion of Millwright and Other Work
14. Comparison of Conjectures to Production Data
15. Discussion of Period Blasts
16. General Discussion and Conclusions
17. Acknowledgements
18. References
19. Tables, Appendices and Drawings