{"nrhp_refnum":"80003426","name":"Joanna Furnace Complex","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"N of Morgantown on PA 10, Robeson Township","address_restricted":false,"city":"Morgantown","county":"Berks County","state":"PA","lat":40.19056083150005,"lon":-75.8887697402157,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-04-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Historic - Non-Aboriginal"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An iron-making complex in Morgantown, Berks County, Pennsylvania, centered on the Joanna Furnace and its associated buildings along Hay Creek. It was a self-contained community in the 18th and 19th centuries, with tenant houses, barns, shops and an ironmasters' mansion.","why_significant":"The nomination argues that the complex is one of the very few surviving furnaces erected by the Potts and Rutter families and that its industrial features remain largely intact. It is presented as one of the most industrially significant sites in Berks County, and it played a major role in the development of Robeson Township.","narrative":"Built in 1792 by Samuel Potts and Thomas Rutter III along Hay Creek in Morgantown, Berks County, Joanna Furnace was an iron-making works that operated under several companies, including Thomas Bull & Co., Darling & Smith Co. and Levi B. Smith & Sons. The furnace was rebuilt in 1847, raised from 28 to 40 feet and, according to the nomination, converted from cold blast to hot blast. Its surviving stack stands 40 feet high from a 28-foot square base, with a huge stone arch at the blowing entrance. Nearby are the blower/engine house, a sandstone building with Gothic-arched openings, and a two-and-a-half-story office and store with a slate gable roof. The complex is significant for its industrial features, which remain largely intact. The furnace is one of the few surviving works erected by the Potts and Rutter families, and it contributed to iron production in Berks County, then a leading center of American iron manufacture.","period_of_significance":"1700-1899","architect_builder":"Samuel Potts & Thomas Rutter","architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The furnace stack, blower/engine house and store/office survive; the casting house, charcoal house and blacksmith shop survive as walls or foundations; the mansion and barn are now foundations; the furnace, store/office and blower/engine house are basically intact but need repair.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:32.190943-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/80003426.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003426/f7b8f703a8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003426/f7b8f703a8-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joanna_Furnace.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joanna_Furnace.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996620","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Furnace_Complex","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12060880"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/berks-county/joanna-furnace-complex-80003426/"}