Valley Furnace
New Philadelphia, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
First furnace to use only anthracite for fuel, 1836. Built by Dr. F.W. Geissenhainer, who patented the method in 1833. Process in use continuously by the Pottsville or Pioneer Furnace, 1839 and after.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1836 the Valley Furnace became the first ironworks to smelt using anthracite alone, drawing on the hard coal that lay all around Schuylkill County. The method had been patented three years earlier by Dr. F.W. Geissenhainer, and it soon proved itself in continuous use at the nearby Pottsville, or Pioneer, Furnace. It was a breakthrough that married Pennsylvania's coal to its iron.
Why it matters
Anthracite smelting helped ignite America's industrial revolution, freeing ironmaking from charcoal and forests and turning the coal region into an engine of national growth.
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Related people
- · F.W. Geissenhainer
Themes & tags
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