I once worked for the NPS Denver Service Center on some of the
archaeology of Hopewell NHS in Pennsylvania in 1978. It's (or was) an
active history interpretative center so there was a charcoal maker's
hut and active charcoal production explained (a conical built of small
to larger logs I seem to recall, banked with earth and a controlled
burning embers without flame preferred. The worker slept in a hut next
to it to make sure it didn't go out. The Parks employee had quite a
black face form the charcoal!) and some casting done in the old stove
molds from the restored foundry (in aluminum on Sundays), which had
locals produce authentic clay tile roof replacements (good thing to
have in a foundry) where once cannon were cast and sent to Valley
Forge. The founder created his own small band of troops to see service
in the Continental Army, there not far from Valley Forge and
Philadelphia. We stayed in a youth hostel in Geigertown, the old
Danial Boone Homestead is nearby.

There is(was) one cold blast double "barrel" bellows powered
historically by a very long raceway of water (only a small spring
house on site) that came from far away, the wood harvested over the
winter snow, sleds to carry the logs. I have always wondered, the
other stone masonry, or stack, ruins, does anyone know what that was
for? Was that the cannon foundry works? It was a long time ago. I
should just look it up. I excavated in the basement of the later 19th
century Ironmasters house basement and under the porch, they were
looking for the original structures "footprint" before the 19th
century and the summer kitchen. There was (is) a wonderful wagon
collection in the barn, half in the hillside. "The Conestoga wagon was
named for the valley in Lancaster Co., " Pennsylvania, and became the
main mode of travel to the West in the 19th century.

George Myers