BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — The North Fork Chapter 29 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology will present “The Legacy of Shade Furnace” on Friday, May 19.
At the beginning of the 1800’s western Pennsylvania was little more than a forest with patches of fledgling farmsteads connected by rutted brindle paths.
The earliest formal industry that rose up among the farms was the production of iron from locally mined ore.
Brian L. Fritz is a native of Somerset County with roots laid down on a farm near Stoystown. He is the owner and Principal Archaeological Investigator of Quemahoning LLC, a cultural resources consulting firm based in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
His program “The Legacy of Shade Furnace” will be presented at the Friday, May 19th meeting of the North Fork Chapter 29 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology. The presentation will be an overview of Fritz’s recent research and publication about operation of a charcoal blast furnace, a forge for refining pig iron, and how this iron plantation of more than 5,000 acres functioned for more than 50 years.
Chapter 29 meets at 7:00 p.m. at the Heritage House, located at 4 Sylvania Street in Brookville.
The program is free and the public is invited to attend.
For more information contact Ken Burkett at 814-849-0077 or email kburkett-jchc@windstream.net.
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