Havingimage-04 learned a little bit about the beginnings we started down towards the reconstructed village. The buildings, other than the ironmaster's mansion and blacksmith shop, were replicas of the buildings that might have been on the working plantation. The iron workers actually lived on the property, along with their wives and children and traded at the company store. There was a barn there in which the livestock was kept. This livestock provided milk, and dairy products as well as meat for all the people living on the plantation. There was also the blacksmith shop.image-05 The very special thing about Hopewell was that it wasn't just buildings but there were docents (lecturers in costume) there re-enacting every aspect of the plantation living. The first building we entered was the blast furnace where we met two gentlemen who were demonstrating how the furnace operated (using aluminum instead of iron). These men, Dave Tatum and Dennis Bukovsky, had volunteered at Hopewell for 20 and 17 years respectively. After the demonstration we talked with them and found out that they were teachers at a local school, who enjoyed making history come alive for the children and adults who visited. After this we walked around looking at the various buildings. In one of the cottagesimage-06 we saw a lady, Colleen Schulze, portraying the character of Mrs. Dunwoody. She was demonstrating how to cook on an open hearth. (I have a hard enough time cooking on a modern stove-God help anyone who'd have to eat my cooking on an open hearth). Bob tried to talk them into letting him have a taste, but one of the rangers nearby said that the health department would not allow them to feed anyone except park employees. At least Bob got to pose with some of the food. After we left there we met a man who tended the livestock on the property. His name was Jim Boyce. Jim, like Colleen, was dressed in period costume. The company store was particularly interesting. The books indicated that everything the employees bought was charged against credits for work. Everything they needed to live on was there. We have to remember that in those days they didn't have a Wal-mart down the road to get their necessities for living. Also, if anyone needed anything that wasn't carried by the store they could request it, it would be ordered and they would be notified when it came in. There was also a large display of the stoves that had been made on the property.
The ironmaster's house was really lovely. It served as residence for the ironmaster and his family as well as his office. In addition, it served as a type of boarding house for anyone who came to do business with the ironmaster. The table was often set for many more people than just the ironmaster and his family. The house was furnished with some of the furnishings from the original families but lot of the furniture inside were pieces that were used during that time (but not necessarily exact pieces that had been there). You were allowed to go through on your own. Again, the audio boxes gave you information on the various rooms.
image-08In addition to the live characters they had throughout the property, each building had an audio program that you could activate by pushing a button and listening at your leisure. Each audio program was done in a different voice, by someone speaking as though they were a person who had worked in that building during the time that the plantation was in operation. For example: in the spring house, the voice was that of a young woman who talked about how many hours they worked doing the chores that needed to be done in that place. It made me feel as though I had stepped back in time and was talking to one of the serving girls from "the big house."
There are numerous activities that are held during the year. For further information about Hopewell Furnace you can check their website.


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Good Luck! Have Fun! and Stay Safe!

Laura

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