BEAVER COUNTY
in Western Pennsylvania had three furnaces only one of which has existing remains. This furnace, Bassenheim, is a very interesting and easy to find site. A sign greets you at the road junction. There is a small parking area and a short path leading to the furnace ruins, which appear below you and to the right, down the hill. The ruins reveal portions of the inner stack, and a walk down to the creek will reveal much furnace slag.
Bassenheim Furnace
Beaver Falls (aka Brighton, Breighton) - Was near the "Middle Falls" on the Beaver River in Beaver Falls. It was built in 1808 by Hoopes, Townsend and Company. In 1812 Frederick Rapp of the Harmony Society at Economy was supposed to have tried to purchase the property for $32,000 but was unsuccessful. Dr. Lawrence Thurman, Curator at Old Economy, says he never has found anything in the records of the Harmony Society to verify this statement. In 1826 the furnace was blown out(s&t). No trace remains.
Beaver Falls Furnace was on the north side of Walnut Run where it enters the Beaver River in Beaver Falls, Brighton Township. See Beaver Falls map for location.
Beaver county Special Sources:
A Guide to the Old Stone Blast Furnaces in Western Pennsylvania, Myron B. Sharp and William H. Thomas The Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, 1966 (s&t)
Pat & Michael Hom. San Diego, Ca. (ph)