HistoricSiteMarkers
Early RepublicCivil War

Caledonia Furnace

Greene Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

Erected in 1837 by Thaddeus Stevens and James D. Paxton. Stevens' antislavery stand led to its destruction by Gen. Jubal Early, June 26, 1863, on his way to York during the early Gettysburg campaign.

Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Story

Thaddeus Stevens and James D. Paxton built the Caledonia iron furnace here in 1837, part of the charcoal-iron industry that fed early American growth. Stevens went on to become one of Congress's most uncompromising foes of slavery, and in June 1863 — as Robert E. Lee's army moved toward Gettysburg — Confederate Gen. Jubal Early singled out the works and destroyed them, in part as payback for the ironmaster's antislavery politics. Early burned the furnace on June 26 on his march toward York.

Why it matters

It ties Pennsylvania's early iron industry to the moral politics of the Civil War, showing how one man's antislavery convictions made even his furnace a target.

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Related people

  • · Thaddeus Stevens
  • · Jubal Early
  • · James D. Paxton

Related events

  • · Gettysburg Campaign

Themes & tags

Industry & InventionCivil WarMill / Factory

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