Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club

The Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC) will be holding volunteer days to restore the Ironmaster’s Mansion at Pine Grove Furnace State Park.  This building, a longstanding historical structure, is an important landmark in our local history and through volunteer efforts will remain a viable community center into the future.  For years it has served as a hostel and has been frequented by many Appalachian Trail hikers as a famed half-way resting area.  Due to economic constraints, the previous operators of the hostel, Delaware Valley Council of Hostel International, were no longer able to maintain the property and it was forced to close on May 1^st of this year.  It is our intention to re-open this historical structure as a hostel for scout groups and hikers while also restoring it for use as an outdoor educational facility for the community.

Volunteer work days will be held June 19^th, June 26^th, and July 24^th, all beginning at 9am.  Local high school students, boy scouts, girl scouts, Appalachian Trail hikers, and community members will be landscaping, doing prep work, and painting the interior and exterior of the building. Anyone interested in assisting with this project is encouraged to contact David Heath at dph5031@psu.edu or 717-386-8192. Currently the project is being managed by three Penn State Students, David Heath (Senior, Energy Engineering), Jordan Gleim (Sophomore, Turf Grass Science), and Ashley Roe (Second Year Masters student in Education).  The project is being overseen by Debra Bowman, Executive Director of the CPC.

The Ironmaster’s Mansion, registered in 1977 with the National Register of Historical Places, holds stories tracing back to 1827 when the bricks to construct the building were made on site.  It is the location of not only the Pine Grove Furnace, but an Underground Railroad site, the half way point of the Appalachian Trail, and home to many famous families in Pennsylvania’s history. 

The Pine Grove Furnace dates back to 1764 when George Stevenson, Robert Thornburg, and John Arthur built an iron plantation along Mountain Creek.  Michael Ege, the local iron mogul eventually purchased the deed to the Pine Grove Furnace to add to his growing business which included ownership of Cumberland, Holly and Carlisle iron works.

Peter Ege, Michael’s oldest son, inherited the property from his father in 1816.  During Peter Ege’s ownership the furnace thrived and contained the furnace, a bloomery (a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides), 80 worker houses, 3 farms, a store and storehouses, a gristmill, a railroad, and the Ironmaster’s Mansion.

Between the years of 1827-1829, Peter Ege built the English Tudor mansion for his wife, Jane Arthur Ege.  The house still embodies almost all the features from its original construction. An “I” house, it is one room deep with a center hall, and 2.5 stories in height. The section used as the ironmaster’s residence is the ell that extends to the north. The larger wing with the one-story open porch was the servants’ and services quarters.  The rear of the structure features a double-galleried open porch. The house, which was of English design, was not typical at this time in the area. Peter Ege’s wife (of English descent) influenced the design and opted for an English Tudor rather than a Germanic Georgian plan, which was typical of this time.  It is said to be one of the finest structures of its type in central Pennsylvania.

Other notable residents of the Mansion include Fredrick Watts, founder of Penn State University, Jay Cooke known as the financer of the Civil War, and Jackson Fuller, the namesake for Fuller Lake.

The mansion, a certified stop on the Underground Railroad is steeped in history.  Once restored, CPC plans to dedicate each room in the mansion to a theme that reflects our area and the mansion’s rich history. With the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp nearby, the Appalachian Trail halfway marker, the Mansion being a location on the Underground Railroad, the Furnace itself, the hunting heritage, and the State Park, the Ironmaster’s Mansion holds a story of our region’s history that is well worth preserving.

The CPC is a small non-profit land trust, operating solely on the kind donations of the community. 97% of our funding comes from donations made by individuals and businesses, allowing us to employ only one full-time staff person. Many hands make for light work, so please consider joining us for a work day, donating tools or construction supplies, or making a monetary donation to help restore this beloved structure.

Materials Needed
These are the materials we will need to get started!Dust Masks (50)
Wide Blue Painter's Tape
Joint Compound
Putty Knives
Paintable Latex Caulking (36 tubes)
Metal sanding wheel
Sand paper
Sanding blocks
Light Fixtures
Light Bulbs
Outlet & Light Switch Covers
GravelCeiling Fans /lights - 23
Water Sealer (1 gallon)
Black Rustoleum Paint (1gallon)
Sherwin William Duration Exterior Paint (20 gallons)
Sherwin Williams Tread Plex Enamel Paint (16 gallons)
White Rustoleum Paint (5 gallons)
Also needed: Professional Masonry Assistance

Please also consider making a monetary donation to help purchase the above materials.