Cornwall Iron Furnace

Cornwall Iron Furnace is a Pennsylvania historical marker in W of Cornwall, Lebanon County, dedicated 2005.

Rts. 322 & 419, near Quentin, W of Cornwall

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Built in 1742 by Peter Grubb near an immensely rich ore deposit and acres of forest for making charcoal fuel. A self-sufficient community included the ironmaster's mansion and workers' houses. The furnace produced pig iron and cast goods, and cannons for the Revolutionary War. Sold in 1798 to entrepreneur Robert Coleman; operated until 1883. It survives fully intact a few miles east at Cornwall.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

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Princeton University Library

Historical maps covering this location

1708 · Carte Particuliere de Virginie, Maryland, Pennsilvanie. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1733 · A map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish settlements adjacent… (Princeton University Library)
1755 · North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1780 · A new and accurate map of the province of Pennsylvania in North America, from the best… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1792 · A Map Of The State Of Pennsylvania. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of…, 1755, covering the location of Cornwall Iron Furnace, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — North America from the French of Mr. D'Anville, improved with the back settlements of…, 1755, covering this location. Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

Cornwall Iron Furnace

Historical maps covering this location

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