The Scranton Iron Furnaces is a historic site that preserves the heritage of iron making in the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and is located in

Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. It protects the remains of four stone blast furnaces which were built between 1848 and 1857. Iron production on 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 The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Er ...

were made at the site. In 1865, Scranton, Grant & Company had the largest iron production capacity in the United States. In 1875, steel production started at the site. In 1880, the furnaces produced 125,000 tons of pig iron, one of the main uses of which was in the making of t-rails. The plant was closed in 1902, when production was shifted to

Lackawanna, New York Lackawanna is a city in Erie County, New York, United States, just south of the city of Buffalo in western New York State. The population was 19,949 at the 2020 census. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in New York, growing in populat ...

. ''Note:'' This includes The site has been managed by the

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 historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

since 1971 and is part of the

Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum The Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum preserves the heritage of anthracite coal mining in the U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, e ...

complex. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1991, as the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company Furnace. During the 2000 U.S. presidential election campaign, former U.S. Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic no ...

held a campaign rally at the site.

References

Official Scranton Iron Furnaces website

Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Industrial buildings completed in 1848 Industrial buildings completed in 1857 Museums in Scranton, Pennsylvania Industry museums in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania 1857 establishments in Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-museum-stub