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Rockland Furnace is one of the best preserved furnaces I have found anywhere. There are a few trees growing out of the stack and it would be great if the state could remove these before they damage the furnace.

The inner cupola is intact and you can crawl directly into the liner. This permits a complete view of the interior of the stack. There is a single tuyere on the LH side of the furnace and the access into the furnace can be clearly seen.

The furnace was powered by a waterwheel. This site has the most complete mill race I have ever encountered. A small sub channel diverted water from the stream to a rock lined entrance channel. This in turn feeds a main mill race. In the last two pictures you can see both lined races. The sub race is about 12 foot by 2-1/2 feet wide and 4-5 feet deep. The main race is 30 feet long and 3 feet wide. It starts out 5 feet deep and tapers to the wheel pit. I looked for physical evidence of the wheel mechanism (foundation stones, etc) but did not identify any features.

First Visited: 3Q 2003

History

Start of Operation: 1832

Blowout: 1854

Daily Tonnage:

Built By: Andrew McCaslin

Stack:

Blast: Cold

Type: Charcoal

Rockland Furnace is situated just below Freedom Falls. This site is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in not only Pennsylvania, but the world. I felt compelled to spend a little bandwidth on these pictures.

Freedom Falls	Freedom Falls

Directions

Take US322 east from Franklin to Salina. Turn south on PA 257 to Freedom. Follow T480 from Freedom to the end of the road at Rockland Station. Park and walk up Shulls Run about 1/4 mile. WARNING Several local residents warn that the area is frequented by motorcycle gangs during the summer. BE CAREFUL!

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