The National Park Service invites the public to celebrate Mother’s Day at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site.
On Sunday, May 10th, park staff, volunteers and professional sheep shearer Randy Stitzel will demonstrate the process of shearing sheep and explain the importance of the farm operations at historic Hopewell Furnace. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe both the modern method of harvesting the wool with electric powered clippers and the 19th century method using hand shears. This popular and informative program will begin at 12:00 noon and continue until 4:00 p.m. rain or shine.
Returning this year will be costumed park volunteers who will explain and demonstrate some of the historic uses of the sheep and other animals on the farm. Along with the farm related demonstrations, historic charcoal making, blacksmithing, cooking and other historic crafts will be demonstrated. The village store will be open for business throughout the event.
Hopewell is one of the most thoroughly preserved examples of a 19th century iron-making community. Park visitors can walk its pathways of history, exploring structures such as the cast house, ironmaster’s mansion, blacksmith shop and barn. Livestock at the park’s farm include horses, cattle, chickens and sheep reminiscent of the types that were used to support the work force when the furnace was an active business and community.
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site preserves and interprets an early American industrial landscape from natural resource extraction to enlightened conservation. The site is surrounded by the 73,000-acre Hopewell Big Woods, all the park’s facilities are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday including Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. It is closed on other Federal Holidays.
Hopewell Furnace is located five miles south of Birdsboro, on Route 345. No entrance fees are 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_superintendent@nps.gov. Visitors with specific needs may contact the park for assistance in advance of their visit.
