Hopewell Furnace
Located in Yellow Creek Park, the historic site of the Hopewell Furnace is accessible by trail when Yellow Creek levels are low. Built in 1802 by Daniel and James Eaton (Heaton), the Hopewell Furnace was the first blast furnace in Ohio and the first west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Hopewell Furnace remained in operation until 1808. A depletion of available hardwood, the result of timbering for charcoal, was one of the reasons that production from the furnace stopped.
In 1975, more than 160 years after the closing of the Hopewell Furnace, John R. White, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Youngstown State University, led three seasons of excavations at the site. His crews consisted of Struthers High School seniors, volunteers, and YSU archaeology students and graduates. Archaeological and metallurgical findings suggest that the Hopewell Furnace is the earliest blast furnace in North America to have used a combination of bituminous coal and charcoal for fuel in iron making.
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Dr. John White at excavation site
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