Ryan Moore

rkm5052@psu.edu
131 W Park Ave #12
State College, PA 16801
Ms. Jeanette Novakovich
256 Burrows Building
University Park, PA 16802

Dear Mr. Jalowitz

Subject

The topic that I have picked to write about is the iron industry. In the article I intend to focus
more on a few of the more major iron furnaces that had the greatest historical impact in
Pennsylvania.

Introduction

Iron is an industry that dates back to as far as 1800 BC. Early iron working was mainly used to
make tools for agricultural use as well as to make weapons. The use of iron tools helped make
early agriculturally based societies more efficient in the production of food for the people that
lived in farming communities (Fig. 1). Over hundreds of years the process of making iron has
changed with the advancements in technology. But for a long time iron furnaces were ideal
structures for the manufacturing of large amounts of iron for distribution. Iron made a large
impact in complex societies for a long time, but along with technological advancements comes
better, stronger, and lighter metals such as steel. But it is important to note that without the
further refinement of iron, we would not have steel.
 Fig. 1

Credentials

I am currently majoring in security and risk analysis in the IST College at the Pennsylvania State
University. Although my focus is more on computer technology, I have lived in Pennsylvania all
of my life and have been to numerous iron furnaces in the area, as well as gone on tours of the
furnace itself. I have also taken a class that went over the history of the Iron Age in detail as well
as another class that described how iron is made and some major application for its use.

Research

Pennsylvania played a major role in the manufacturing of steel and steel products, so finding
information on early iron industries is difficult. This is why I decided to focus on some of the
more important iron furnaces in Pennsylvania rather than the industry as a whole. There are
many sources of information on the specific furnaces that I have chosen which include the
history behind each furnace. Since there is some science to how iron is made, there are many
documents that give the chemical reactions that take place when iron is being made. I am also
able to acquire actual images of a local furnace that can be used to show just how common it was
for iron furnaces to be used.

Technical Description

An iron furnace is simply a large structure where iron ore is added and heated to high
temperatures in order to melt and separate the pure iron from other impurities that are present in
the ore. Some of the most important iron furnaces during the late 1700’s and early 1800’s were
located in Pennsylvania. Furnaces were typically shaped like this one (Fig. 2) and were
constructed out of stone blocks. The inside of the furnace is made out of sandstone in order to
withstand temperatures of up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. The openings that are on the outside
faces of the furnace are actually parts that make the inside shape of the furnace so that the heat
can be concentrated in one spot to get the highest temperature possible.

Fig. 2

Smelting is a process of extractive metallurgy, usually used to extract pure metal from ore. The
process of iron making is actually quite simple. First iron ore, limestone, and charcoal or coke is
added to the top of the furnace (Fig. 3). The limestone is added because the iron ore is not yet
pure iron. And if only ore was added, it would not melt at the burning temperature of the furnace.
Limestone is added to produce a chemical reaction, converting what is not iron into slag, which
can be removed later. The charcoal or coke is added simply to help generate more heat for the
melting process. After all of the ingredients are added, hot air is forced into the furnace area
which is also going to help generate the proper temperatures to cause the reaction to occur. Once
the reaction is over, at the bottom of the blast furnace, molten iron and slag are ready to be
removed. Typically the slag will float on top of the iron making it easy for the slag to run out a
spout in one direction and the molten iron in the other. Usually this liquid iron is poured into bar
shaped casts that are made of sand, (Fig. 4) this allows for the iron to easily be used in other
industries.
Fig. 3 Fig. 4

After the smelting process is complete you will end up with what is know as pig iron. This pig
iron can be used to make many things in other industries. Another optinon is to further refine the
iron and make steel, which again is used to make other products in many other industries.

Conclusion

I would like your permission to continue my research on important iron furnaces in Pennsylvania
so that I may submit an article to the PA Center for the Book. The iron industry in Pennsylvania
has played a big part in shaping not just Pennsylvania but the entire nation. I believe that this
could be an interesting topic and could add something different to an already outstanding
collection of articles in the PA Center for the Book.
Thank You,

Ryan Moore

Bibliography
Cornwall Iron Furnace History. 19 May 2010
<http://www.cornwallironfurnace.org/history.htm>.

This is a high quality source.

This source provides information and history on the Cornwall Iron Furnace.
This is useful because it is one of the major Iron furnaces that will be focused on in
the article

Greenwood Furnace State Park. 20 May 2010

<http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/greenwoodfurnace.aspx>.

This is a good quality source.

This source provides some information about the Greenwood furnace
This useful because this is another furnace that will be discussed in my article.

History, Explore PA. Historical Markers. 2010. 20 May 2010

<http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=895>.

This is a high quality source.

This source provides general information on iron furnaces and the Colebrookdale
Furnace
This is useful because it provides vital information on how iron furnaces work.

Hopewell Furnace. 17 April 2009. 20 May 2010

<http://www.nps.gov/hofu/index.htm>.

This is a good quality source.

This source provides some historical information about the Hopewell Furnace.
This is useful because it is another major furnace that will be discussed in my
article.

Loomis, Carol J. The Sinking Of Bethlehem Steel A hundred years ago one of the
500's legendary names was born. Its decline and ultimate death took nearly half
that long. A FORTUNE autopsy. 5 April 2004. 19 May 2010
<http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/04/05/366339/ind
ex.htm>.

This is an average source.

This source has a little information about iron history and its effects.
This is useful because it provides insight to how the iron industry effected PA.

Niemi, Ryan. topoquest. 2010. 20 May 2010 <http://www.topoquest.com/map.php?

lat=40.27060&lon=-76.40610&datum=nad27&zoom=4>.

This is an average source

This source provides a topographical image of the Cornwall Furnace.
This is useful because it will make the article look better.

Parks, Richard. Western Pennsylvania Old Stone Iron Furnaces. April 2008. 19 May
2010 <http://home.earthlink.net/~r2parks/iron.html>.

This is an average source.

This source has a good photo of an old iron furnace and some general information.
This is useful because it will help make the article look more appealing.

Quay, Michael. Humble Beginnings/Promising Future: Beginning with a village called

Manavon. 21 December 2000. 19 May 2010
<http://phoenixvillerickgro11.spaces.live.com/>.

This is an average source.

This source has some good pictures and some information on one of the first iron
furnaces in PA.
This is useful because it gives some deeper PA history

SCRANTON IRON FURNACES. 20 May 2010 <http://www.anthracitemuseum.org/iron

%20furnaces.htm>.

This is a high quality source.

This source has a lot of historical information as well as photos.
This will help add structure to my article.

The Village Of Homewood Function Village History.

<http://www.homewoodjunction.net/village-history.html>.

This is a high quality source.

This source provides information on the Homewood iron furnace.
This is useful because this is another furnace that will be talked about in the article.

Washlaski, Raymond A. Washlaski, Ryan P. Birth of the Iron Industry in

Pennsylvania:. 7 December 2004. 18 May 2010
<http://paironworks.rootsweb.ancestry.com/berbirth.html>.

This is a very high quality source.

This source provides a lot of information on almost all of the iron and steel furnaces
in PA
This is useful because it will add in-depth information to what has already been
gathered.

• Brain, Marshall, and Robert Lamb. "How Iron and Steel Work." 01 April
2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/iron.htm>
18 May 2010.
○ This is a good quality source
○ It provides detailed instructions to how iron is made.
○ This is useful because it will add a technical aspect to the article.