Plan A Field Trip Hopewell Furnace

Hopewell Furnace as a Classroom

Welcome teachers and educators! Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site offers a hands-on learning environment where students can explore history, science, social studies, and the arts while connecting to real-world skills and community life.

On-site educational programming for Fall 2026 is available on Thursdays from 10 am – 1 pm, October through December. See below for currently available dates.

Program options are designed for a maximum of 50 students per day. Larger groups are welcome to self-guide.

There is no fee associated with these programs.

Educational Program Overview

• Guided Tour (1 hour) choose one:

  • The History of Hopewell Furnace and Its Community: Explore how natural resources, transportation, and community shaped Hopewell Furnace’s success, and consider what lessons this history holds for our communities today. OR

  • Through the Eyes of a Child: Students explore how children in the 19th century lived, worked, learned, and played, seeing the community from a youthful perspective while understanding the responsibilities and contributions that kept the village running.

• Hands-On Curriculum Activity (45 minutes) choose one:

  • Uncovering the Stories of Hopewell Furnace: Investigate replica artifacts and tools from the 19th-century iron-making village, learning about the vital jobs children and adults performed through observation, critical thinking, and teamwork. OR

  • Reading the Rings - Trees, Charcoal, and Preservation: Examine tree-ring “cookies” to uncover how forests recorded time, climate, and human activity. Students use observation and critical thinking to connect dendrochronology to Hopewell Furnace’s charcoal production, learning how 19th-century woodcutters managed forests and how Hopewell Furnace and other National Park sites preserve these landscapes today.

  • Molders Apprentice Program: Hands on Molding and Casting program bringing history to life as student learn the historic sand molding methods performed by molders at Hopewell Furnace and leave the program with a miniature plaster stove plate to take home (for groups smaller than 22 students only)

• Lunch Break (30 min) and time for restroom breaks, safety orientation, park film, and visitor center exploration
  

Additionally, a 15-minute window at the beginning and end of the visit allows for:

• Restroom breaks and transition time

• Safety talk and group expectations

• Optional 15-minute park film

• Exploration of the small visitor center

• Optional bookstore purchases (please notify us in advance so staff can assist; we encourage purchases at the end of the visit to avoid lost items or delays)

 

NPS

Available Field Trip Dates for Spring 2026

(Last updated 7/23/26)

October	November	December
1st 8th 15th 29th	5th 12th 19th	3rd 10th 17th

Booking a Field Trip

Review the information above, then e-mail us. Please provide your preferred dates from the above list, which program options interest you, and your contact information. We will be in touch to let you know if your requested date(s) are still available, get more information, and confirm your field trip.

Want more information or have any questions?
Please e-mail us.