ELVERSON, PA — The National Park Service and the Friends of Hopewell Furnace invite you to join in commemorating the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2023. The annual formal commemoration ceremony will take place at 2:00 pm from the steps of Ironmaster’s House on site. Other programming will be offered throughout the day and is open and free to the public.
This year’s ceremony will include Musical performances by Molly Herman and Amelia Shelgren of The Music Studio of Patricia Keith. Presenting of colors by Girl Scouts of the Daniel Boone Service Unit 763 and Boy Scouts of Pack and Troop 595. The reading of winning essay submissions from local middle school and high school students. The ceremony will conclude with the public being invited to take part in a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
In addition to the 2 pm ceremony, throughout the day from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, a variety of programming will be offered onsite including orientation talks, molding and aluminum casting demonstrations, modern and period Junior Ranger activities, blacksmithing demonstrations, and more!
Hopewell Furnace was established as a National Historic Site on August 3, 1938, and preserves the late 18th and early 19th-century setting of an iron-making community, including the charcoal-fueled furnace, and its natural and cultural resources. This community illustrates the essential role of industrialization in the growth of the early United States. The furnace was established in 1771 by Ironmaster Mark Bird and operated as a furnace for the next 112 years.
The park’s facilities are currently open seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hopewell Furnace is located at 2 Mark Bird Lane, Elverson, PA 19520 about five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off Route 345. Admission to the park is free. For more information, call 610-582-8773 or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/hofu.
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