The Centre Furnace stands as a pile of ruins that serves as the namesake for Centre County. This was no ordinary furnace because it functioned as the first charcoal iron furnace erected west of the Susquehanna River.
During 1790 and 1791, war generals Samuel Miles and John Patton built the facility. They established the site in the Nittany Valley to manufacture iron, and the furnace was central to the development of the entire region.
You can still inspect the remains of the furnace today on East College Avenue. It is located across Porter Road from the Centre Furnace Mansion House.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Kyle McLonely
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