Carrick Furnace
Why it's listed
Carrick Furnace is a limestone iron furnace in Metal Township, Franklin County, set in a grassy field west of Route 75. Samuel Dunn built it around 1828 on 204 acres he had bought in 1826, naming it after his ancestral homestead in Ireland. The furnace produced about thirty-five tons of pig iron a week and was briefly suspended after the panic of 1837. In 1879 its water-driven bellows were replaced by a steam-powered blowing engine made by Weimer Brothers of Lebanon, converting the furnace to hot blast. The blowing engine, inscribed with the 1879 date, retains its cylinders and flywheels and is regarded as the only one of its kind still in place in Pennsylvania. The furnace operated intermittently until 1884. In 1935 the furnace and just over an acre were given to the Kittochtinny Historical Society by the heirs of Hugh M. North.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the furnace is significant under Criterion A for industry, as part of the North Mountain iron producing area and the westward movement of the industry in Pennsylvania. It is significant under Criterion C for engineering because of its well-preserved furnace and its example of converting a charcoal furnace to hot blast, with the Weimer blowing engine described as the only one extant in Pennsylvania.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 91001133, listed September 6, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | PA 75 N of Metal, Metal Township, Metal |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | September 6, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91001133 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1828-1884 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The furnace went out of blast in 1884; the hot blast stove fell from the stack in 1948 and was apparently sold for scrap; the steam engine is not extant. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 40.01890, -77.87629 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 91001133.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5046140
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.