The National Park Service (NPS) invites the public to celebrate an “Iron Plantation Christmas” and to stroll through 100 years of American Christmas traditions at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. This free event will take place on Saturday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature Christmas as celebrated from 1771-1883 at Hopewell Furnace.
Hopewell Furnace Superintendent Edie Shean-Hammond encourages visitors to experience the simple elegance of Christmas through the years during the event. “This is an opportunity to travel back in time and experience Christmas the American way!” Shean-Hammond said. “The Belsnickel will be on hand to reward and also scold deserving youngsters. The furnace store and our visitor center bookstore will be open for visitors to purchase books and period gifts for the holidays. And, don’t forget the Hopewell charcoal for stocking stuffers, ” she added.
Visitors will find a century of Christmas illustrated through a series of recreated holiday scenes inside the park’s historic buildings. Costumed guides will help people discover the variety of holiday customs, foods, and traditions of the holiday season from different times in the furnace community’s history.
Participants include versions of the St. Nicholas character, including Der Belsnickel, a mischievous version of Santa Claus with a commitment to justice. He rewards good children with candy and naughty children with switches.
Live holiday musical performances at the park’s beautiful Bethesda Church will be held at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.. The church is located on Bethesda Road,one mile east of the main iron furnace community.
“This is one of the few times a year that we are able to open the church, one of the oldest buildings in the park. The program is not to be missed!” Shean-Hammond commented.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site preserves and interprets and early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. The 848-acre park is surrounded by the 73,000-acre Hopewell Big Woods, the largest forest in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Showcasing an iron plantation and its surrounding countryside, all of the park’s facilities, are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day. It is closed other Federal Holidays. On Mondays and Tuesdays, while the visitor center and historic buildings are closed, the park’s grounds, trails and restrooms remain open. Hopewell Furnace is located five miles south of Birdsboro, Pa. off Route 345. No entrance fee is charged. For more information stop by the park’s visitor center, call 610-582-8773, visit the park’s web site at: www.nps.gov/hofu, or contact us by e-mail at: hofu_superintendant@nps.gov. Visitors with specific needs may contact the park for assistance before their visit.
From Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
