The Scranton Iron Furnaces is an historic, American manufacturing site that preserves the rich heritage of iron making in Pennsylvania . It is located in Scranton , near the Steamtown National Historic Site .
7-673: The site has been managed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission since 1971 and is part of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum complex. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, as the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company Furnace. This historic site preserves the remains of four stone blast furnaces that were built between 1848 and 1857. Iron production on
14-666: The 2000 U.S. presidential election campaign, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore held a campaign rally at the site. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission ( PHMC ) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , responsible for the collection, conservation, and interpretation of Pennsylvania's heritage. The commission cares for historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historical interest; museums; archeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and
21-653: The PHMC. The PHMC has posted criteria for inclusion for new markers and accepts marker proposals from the public. PHMC also publishes Pennsylvania Heritage magazine in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation . The commission is organized as an independent administrative board, including nine citizens of the Commonwealth appointed by the Governor , the state's Secretary of Education , two members of
28-433: The main uses of which was the manufacture of t-rails . The plant was closed in 1902, when production was shifted to Lackawanna, New York . The site has been managed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission since 1971 and is part of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum complex. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, as the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company Furnace. During
35-647: The promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history. PHMC was established on June 6, 1945, by state Act No. 446, merging the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (PHC) , The State Museum of Pennsylvania , and Pennsylvania State Archives . The PHMC administers the Historical Marker Program, which, when it began in 1914, installed metal plaques onto large rocks and boulders to commemorate individuals, events, and landmarks throughout
42-603: The site was started by Scranton, Grant & Company in 1840. Later, the furnaces were operated by the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company . In 1847, iron rails for the Erie Railroad were made at the site. By 1865, Scranton, Grant & Company had the largest iron production capacity in the United States. In 1875, steel production was initiated at the site. By 1880, the furnaces produced 125,000 tons of pig iron , one of
49-425: The state. The Pennsylvania Historical Commission, the predecessor to the PHMC, launched the program. The markers were redesigned in 1945–46 to make them easier to read from a passing car. Large cast aluminum markers were mounted on poles along a street or road, close to where a landmark was located, a person lived or worked, or an event occurred. By 2020, more than 2,000 markers were in place and were being maintained by
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