Paradise Furnace
Also known as: Trough Creek State Park; Mary Anne Furnace
Why it's listed
Paradise Furnace is an iron-making site in Trough Creek State Park, in south-central Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. Iron interests began there around 1798, when a bloomery was established near the mouth of Trough Creek, and the site operated intermittently until 1867 under several owners, including Reuben Trexler and Horatio Trexler & Co. In the 1840s the furnace was renamed from Mary Ann to Paradise Furnace under manager P.P. Dewees. The surviving buildings are a coursed rubble stone furnace stack from the 1830s, a Georgian plan stone ironmaster's mansion built in the 1830s, and a two-story hewn log house dating to the late 1700s that served as worker housing. The district is significant for its industrial history: it was the first furnace in the county to use coke made from Broad Top coal, and its remaining buildings represent the iron plantation type. Its later use by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s shaped the site's present form.
Significance in brief: The district is nominated under Criterion A for its role in the county's iron industry. It is described as the first site in Huntingdon County to fuel a furnace with coke made from Broad Top coal, and as one of the few remaining examples of an once extensive industry. Its surviving buildings are presented as good representatives of the iron plantation type.
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 90000403, listed March 20, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5 mi. SE of Entriken in Trough Creek State Park, Entriken |
|---|---|
| County | Huntingdon County |
| Listed | March 20, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000403 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1798-1867 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The ironmaster's mansion is presently empty; the log house was converted to a park visitors center/museum in 1982. |
| Acreage | 3 |
| Coordinates | 40.31101, -78.12572 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 90000403.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7134275
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.