East Penn Forge
The forge was established by Stephen Balliet (1781-1854) and Samuel Helffrich in 1828[1]. The land for the forge was purchased in East Penn, Carbon County, near Pennsville[2]. After Helffrich's death in 1830, Balliet purchased his share in 1832, bringing his land total to around seven hundred acres[3].
Samuel Lewis 1805-1897 was the manager of the forge and the Lehigh Furnace from 1828 to 1832[4]. Charles H. Nimson purchased the forge from the Balliet estate in 1847[5].
Forge Statements
In an 1850 survey of the ironworks in Eastern Pennsylvania, two forges were listed as being operational in Carbon County[6].
In 1866 it was reported that the "Pennsville" Forge had four forge fires (though only one was in use) and two hammers. The forge was driven by water[7]. In 1849 the forge made fifty tons of bars. In 1850 the forge employed twenty-four men and boys and a total of four oxen, horses, and mules[8]. In 1855, the forge made eighteen tons of blooms and twenty-seven tons of bars[9].
Notes
Reference List
- Convention of Iron Masters. 1850. Documents Relating to the Manufacture of Iron in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: General Committee. https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000958393.
- Lesley, Peter. 1866. The Iron Manufacturer’s Guide to the Furnaces, Forges and Rolling Mills of the United States; with Discussions of Iron, Etc. New York,: John Wiley [1].
- Mathews, Alfred, and Austin N. Hungerford. 1884. History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Everts & Richards.
- The Allentown Leader. 1897. The End Has Come. Samuel Lewis, Pioneer Iron Master, Passes Away, July 31, 1897.