National parks have many stories to tell about events that happened at or near them in the days before they became parks. Some of those stories appear below.
Did You Know?
Hardwood trees produced the highest quality and quantity of charcoal to fuel early ironworks. Chestnut was the principal tree of the forest surrounding Hopewell Furnace, and along with Oak, Hickory, Maple and Walnut trees, were harvested by the thousands each year to fuel the furnace.