The National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum
Colebrookdale Furnace — 1720
Site Name: Colebrookdale Furnace

Location: Colebrookdale Township, Berks County

Dates of Operation: 1720 to 1752 

Owners: Thomas Rutter; Thomas Potts

Historical Significance: Colebrookdale Furnace was Pennsylvania’s first cold blast furnace. Blast funaces replaced  earlier furnaces and forges in iron production because they produced better quality and larger quantities of iron. The site helped start the Pennsylvania iron industry and played a significant role in the state’s early development of iron production.