Iron Master's Mansion
The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) is restoring the Ironmaster’s Mansion at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This building, a longstanding historical structure, is an important landmark in our local history and through volunteer efforts will remain a viable community center into the future. For years it has served as a hostel and has been frequented by many Appalachian Trail hikers as a famed half-way resting area. Due to economic constraints, the previous operators of the hostel, were no longer able to maintain the property and it was forced to close on May 1st of this year. It is CPC's intention to re-open this historical structure as a hostel for scout groups and hikers while also restoring it for use as an educational facility and a facility for the community.
The Ironmaster’s Mansion, registered in 1977 with the National Register of Historical Places, holds stories tracing back to 1827 when the bricks to construct the building were made on site. It is the location of not only the Pine Grove Furnace, but an Underground Railroad site, the half way point of the Appalachian Trail, and home to many famous families in Pennsylvania’s history.
The Pine Grove Furnace dates back to 1764 when George Stevenson, Robert Thornburg, and John Arthur built an iron plantation along Mountain Creek. Michael Ege, the local iron mogul eventually purchased the deed to the Pine Grove Furnace to add to his growing business which included ownership of Cumberland, Holly and Carlisle iron works.
Peter Ege, Michael’s oldest son, inherited the property from his father in 1816. During Peter Ege’s ownership the furnace thrived and contained the furnace, a bloomery (a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides), 80 worker houses, 3 farms, a store and storehouses, a gristmill, a railroad, and the Ironmaster’s Mansion.
Between the years of 1827-1829, Peter Ege built the English Tudor mansion for his wife, Jane Arthur Ege. The house still embodies almost all the features from its original construction. An “I” house, it is one room deep with a center hall, and 2.5 stories in height. The section used as the ironmaster’s residence is the ell that extends to the north. The larger wing with the one-story open porch was the servants’ and services quarters. The rear of the structure features a double-galleried open porch. The house, which was of English design, was not typical at this time in the area. Peter Ege’s wife (of English descent) influenced the design and opted for an English Tudor rather than a Germanic Georgian plan, which was typical of this time. It is said to be one of the finest structures of its type in central Pennsylvania.
Other notable residents of the Mansion include Fredrick Watts, founder of Penn State University, Jay Cooke known as the financer of the Civil War, and Jackson Fuller, the namesake for Fuller Lake.
The mansion, reputed to be a stop on the Underground Railroad is steeped in history. Once restored, CPC plans to dedicate each room in the mansion to a theme that reflects our area and the mansion’s rich history. With the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp nearby, the Appalachian Trail halfway marker, the Mansion being a location on the Underground Railroad, the Furnace itself, the hunting heritage, and the State Park, the Ironmaster’s Mansion holds a story of our region’s history that is well worth preserving.
Please plan to join the Ironmaster's Challenge - a 24-mile hike or the March for the Mansion 8.7 mile hike to help rasie funds for the mansion. More information can be found at http://mysite.verizon.net/vzezchws/index.html
