Bethesda Privy - Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site - Elverson, PA - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site illustrates the adaptability of founder Mark Bird as he initially rebelled against the colonial government by refining cast iron into wrought iron, a process formerly completed by sending the cast iron to England for the refining. As the Revolutionary War began, Bird moved from making refined stove plates to cannons and shot. After the war, Bird was not able to recover financially from the role he played in promoting independence and he was forced to sell the plantation to the Brooke family. By 1816, a clever plantation manager by the name of Clement Brooke, succeeded in making iron products that became very popular along the East Coast until 1837. Again, the business began to flounder but picked up when the Civil War created a demand for pig iron, the product from which cast iron is made. With the end of the war and the development of the Bessemer steel production process, came the demise of the iron forge business. Hopewell remained a summer residence for descendants of the second owners, the Brookes, until 1935 when it was sold to the US government.

The Bethesda Privy is listed as a contributing building #25A to the Hopewell Village National Historic Site. Yes, it really is. I was surprised to see a privy but it is there!

The nomination form for the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site has not yet been digitized but I obtained a copy of it. From my copy, Bethesda Privy is described as: "Frame structure on fieldstone and concrete foundation. Located 41 feet from Church, and measures 44" x 42" on outside. Constructed ca. 1935. Extensively repaired, 1971. Frequently used as a privy.

So, there you have it!

The nomination form for the Hopewell Village National Historic Site has not yet been scanned and uploaded to the NRHP website. It you wish to view it, I have uploaded it to my blog at (visit link) .

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link] Address: Bethesda Road, Elverson, PA 19520 How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Other (Please explain in the Private Message field) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

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