Cornwall, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

is a small historical spot on the map.  It's also a delightful place for a family outing, particularly if the day is a balmy one in early spring.


It was the HM's idea, "Why not meet the kids at Cornwall Furnace and hike on the trail?" 
You see, Reader Dear, at Cornwall there is Cornwall Furnace, built in the seventeen-hundreds (1742).  Nearby is a hiking trail, formed where there once was a railroad bed. I'll show you the pics, Viewer Dear.

"Cornwall April 7, 2019" was inscribed on the hiking trail by a blogger who wanted a photo. The inscription had a history of mere seconds when the photo was taken, in sharp contrast to the age of the town.

We drove through the town of Cornwall with it's eighteenth century homes, built specifically to house the workers of this iron smelting furnace. They were constructed when the mass usage of fossil fuels was relatively young and building a whole town of large stone residences as an employee benefit was possibly not as shocking as one might think of it today.  (However, with a [beautiful red stone] corner on the market, one must consider the employer toting up the rental rates)

As it turns out, Reader Dear, this site is the only intact charcoal-burning iron blast furnace in its original plantation in the western hemisphere.   Just so happens, out of all the sites in the entire western hemisphere where we could have chosen to make our home, the HM and I live within an hour's drive of this place.  How handy that makes it for us to assemble here with our descendants, stroll around the grounds of the furnace, and then drive a short distance to the nearby hiking trail!

Someone in our group spotted this small fellow creature of the western hemisphere.  I was pleased that this resident of Cornwall  paused long enough for a photo!
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If you reside in the Eastern Hemisphere, Reader Dear, a visit to Cornwall Furnace may seem a bit anticlimactic considering the travel time and expense to arrive at the spot.  However, I highly recommend a visit if you can make the trip to Cornwall and back in the space of one fine spring day!