A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
History
A guide book of art, architecture, and historic interests in Pennsylvania
Architecture -- Pennsylvania; Art -- Pennsylvania; Historic buildings -- Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania -- Guidebooks; Pennsylvania -- History
Not until William Penn came was any effort made to manufacture iron in
Pennsylvania. Having iron furnaces of his own at Hawkhurst, England, he
was interested to encourage the industry here. Thomas Rutter, Bailiff of
Germantown from 1705-06, after Pastorius, moved up the Schuylkill on
patent of land from William Penn, deed still in the family, and
established in 1717, the “Pool Forge,” on Manatawny Creek, three miles
above Pottstown; he was first in Pennsylvania to manufacture iron; ore
is still being mined from the same beds. Among the great names in our
early iron industry, Rutter and Potts stand pre-eminent; the list of
forges and furnaces on the Manatawny and its branches, owned by their
intermarried families, before the Revolution, include Mount Pleasant
furnace and forge; Spring forge; Colebrookdale furnace and forge; Amity
forge; Rutter’s forge; Pool forges; Pine forge and Little Pine forge.
Near Boyertown is Ringing Rocks, a natural curiosity; they make a
complete octave. Michael Schlatter preached at Manatawny in 1748, also
in the Reformed Church, built in 1743. McCalls, or Glasgow Forge, on
Manatawny Creek, still in operation, was erected in 1725, on land
conveyed by William Penn to his son, John, in 1701; 14,600 acres; sold
to George McCall of Glasgow, Scotland, in 1735; who also had interest in
Colebrookdale furnace managed by Thomas Potts, Jr., which supplied
McCall’s forge with pig iron. Green Lane Forge, on Perkiomen Creek,
notable for its excellent blooms, was built in 1733 by Thomas Mayberry;
earliest settler in Marlborough township, who bought 1210 acres,
supplied with pig iron from Durham Furnace, Bucks County; equipment,
water wheel, huge bellows, tuyere pipe, open hearth forge, melting pots,
and conelike charcoal kilns.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY AUTOMOBILE TRIP TO VALLEY FORGE
(Return by Schuylkill River Drive to Philadelphia)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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