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seen the end of its glory: after 1890, its population, heretofore steadily growing, would decline for the next thirty years. Nor did
Gephart's empire long survive him; little more than a decade after his death, the furnaces were demolished, the mines shut down, and one railroad scrapped. Only the Central Railroad remained, staggering to a pauper's grave in 1918, sold for the wartime price its scrap could bring. The era of Nittany Furnace was the twilight of ironmaking in Bellefonte. Though not fully apparent at the time, neither the rising lime industry nor any other would replace ironmaking as the guarantor of the town's prosperity. The fall of the furnaces marked the beginning of a long decline which would see Bellefonte supplanted by
20:
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300:. As a result of that crisis, it was idle for most of 1908 and half of 1909. It was operated in 1910 largely to use up its inventory of local ore, and went out of blast on January 23, 1911. Bellefonte Furnace had closed in December. The shutdown of the furnaces was to be temporary, but both facilities were no longer remunerative to operate, and no buyer willing to operate them could be found. Leftover
72:
256:). Other organizers included Lorenzo Terbal Munson, Gephart's brother-in-law (who was associated with Bellefonte Glass and the Bellefonte Iron and Nail Works), Archer Brown, and William Sampson. However, prosperity did not return to the ironmaking business. The furnace was idle for two months in 1904. As steel production in
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in 1895, and the furnace was forced to remove its traffic from the
Central Railroad of Pennsylvania. Due to this serious setback, Gephart was compelled to step down as president of Valentine Iron and the Nittany Valley, and thereafter devoted himself to the management of the Central Railroad. He was
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Passing through the hands of four owners during its troubled 23-year history, Nittany
Furnace never fulfilled the expectations developed when it replaced the antiquated (charcoal) Bellefonte Furnace. It should arguably never have been built: by the time it went into blast in 1888, the price per ton
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Wes
Gephart, though his personal brilliance and ability to attract investment, was able to cover the decline to some extent. By his death in 1905, he had assembled a seemingly puissant empire of two iron furnaces, extensive ore mines, and two railroads. But even during his lifetime, Bellefonte had
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purchased $ 75,000 worth of bonds in exchange for exclusive rights to rail traffic to and from the furnace. The first load of ore was delivered by the
Nittany Valley on February 28, 1888, and the furnace went into blast on March 4, 1888. The company was originally headed by Jamison, but by 1890,
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did the same. With the construction of the new railroad, the furnace's traffic was rapidly diverted over that line, prompting a lawsuit from the
Pennsylvania Railroad to enforce the contract made with the Centre Iron Company. While a lower court initially held the contract not to be binding on
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When in operation, the furnace continued to receive ore over the
Nittany Valley RR, but the Nigh and Taylor ore banks served by that road had begun to play out. Most Lake Superior ore was delivered directly by the PRR, but some was routed from the PRR onto the Central RR of Pennsylvania at
75:
Nittany
Furnace around the time of its purchase by the Nittany Iron Company, looking towards the northwest. The building on the left is the stock house, the furnace lies to the center of the photo, connected by a hoist to the stock house, and the three stoves for the
226:, along with the Nittany Valley RR and the associated ore lands. Empire Steel renamed the plant "Nittany Furnace," and sent Walter Kennedy, vice-president of engineering, to survey the local ore resources in March 1899. Empire decided to use a mixture of local and
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functioned best with Centre County ore), Nittany
Furnace found it increasingly difficult to operate at a profit. The death of Gephart on February 14, 1905, also dealt a blow to the company, which thereafter shared management with the Bellefonte Furnace Company.
330:
ore, could produce iron more cheaply than the furnaces at
Bellefonte ever could. The principal advantage of a Bellefonte location — proximity to local ore deposits — was negated by the availability of easily mined, high-grade Mesabi ore, hauled by rail.
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James B. Coryell was president and Jamison vice-president. At this time, the furnace had one 70-foot (21-meter) stack and three hot-blast stoves, with a capacity of 30,000 tons (27,200 tonnes) of iron per year. Ore was supplied from local
281:, the Bellefonte Central responded by delivering the cars directly to the Central RR of Pennsylvania at Bellefonte Furnace, whence they could travel over the Central and Nittany Valley to Nittany Furnace. In 1905, the furnace began to receive
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from Nittany Furnace were shipped out over the Nittany Valley RR in 1912–1913. The furnace and railroad were put up for sale in 1914 and the furnace demolished. The furnace site was later used by the Titan Metal and Manufacturing Company.
167:, Bellefonte lawyer and industrialist, and the treasurer and manager was Robert Valentine, of the original ironmaking family. A report just prior to the charter records the permanent board of directors as James H. Campbell, of
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ores, and relit the furnace in May 1899. However, Empire shut down the furnace again in April 1900, closing it indefinitely. The furnace and railroad were bought at a sheriff's sale on December 21, 1900, by a
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and New York investors, he formed the Nittany Iron Company, which bought and rehabilitated the furnace, returning it to blast on June 5, 1902, under Frank H. Clemson (former chief of mining at Gephart's
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400,000, by the Valentine Ore Land Association, whose principals organized the Centre Iron Company to erect a new iron furnace on the site of Bellefonte Furnace, which was to be torn down. A $ 600,000
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Gephart was not only president of the iron company (and the Nittany Valley Railroad, still an affiliate), but an active railroad promoter in another direction. He became president of the
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The Valentine Iron Company was organized by the bondholders of the Centre Iron Company to take over the furnace, and was incorporated on January 28, 1891. The president was
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replaced at Valentine Iron by John P. Harris, and by Mortimer O'Donoghue at the Nittany Valley. O'Donoghue also became superintendent of Valentine Iron the next year.
151:. In the same year, however, the failure of Jamison's bank precipitated the closure of the furnace by the sheriff on November 15, 1890. It was subsequently sold under
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293:; a partner in the quarries was Noah H. Swayne II, who had been made general manager of the furnace the previous year when Gephart resigned on grounds of health.
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179:, Daniel Rhoades, Valentine, and Gephart. (Reighard was connected with another Valentine Iron Company, later the Williamsport Iron and Nail Works.)
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was immediately raised on the properties, to supply the purchase money and funds for rebuilding the furnace. The leaders of the company included
277:, which was originally delivered to the PRR at Bellefonte. When the PRR raised rates in fall 1906, trying to collect Scotia ore traffic via its
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Eleventh Census of the Population of the United States Published by Boroughs and Townships, in Connection with a Business Directory of the Same
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At the beginning of this year, the iron furnace had "re-opened", presumably the result of an upswing in the depressed iron market as the rival
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Detail of the Nittany Furnace, with the hoist and furnace (tallest) in back, then three stoves, and in front of them the boiler house.
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of iron had already been driven below $ 22, a historic low, and it would almost never rise above that figure until the onset of
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to Bellefonte, crossing and connecting with the Nittany Valley about a mile east of Bellefonte. The new line connected with the
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88:, an old ironmaking firm of Bellefonte, decided to sell off its properties. These then consisted of Bellefonte Forge, on
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The furnace operated only intermittently under Valentine Iron management, and in early 1899, it was bought by the
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Bellefonte, hauled up to Nittany Valley Junction, and delivered over the Nittany Valley. Other local ore from
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59:, United States. Placed in operation in 1888 on the site of an older furnace, it was an important feature of
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became increasingly commonplace (a method better suited for iron made from Lake Superior ore, while
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economic life until it closed in 1911, no longer able to compete with more modern steel producers.
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was built to supply it with ore. It became necessary to raise additional funds, and in 1887, the
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furnace lying about a mile south of the town, also on Logan Branch, as well as holdings in local
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798:: discusses the furnace as a consumer of lime from the White Rock Quarries at Pleasant Gap
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810:: portions digitized by the Hagley Library, including two images of Nittany Furnace
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Once again, Gephart appeared on the scene to save the furnace. With the backing of
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Institute, American Iron and Steel; Association, American Iron and Steel (1890).
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The preliminaries to the furnace's construction began in 1885, when
792:: mentions Nittany Furnace as a source of traffic for the railroad.
511:. Democratic Watchman. February 27, 1891. p. 8. Archived from
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Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, August 1887
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111:. The ironworks and ore lands were bought on August 2, 1886, for
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657:. Democratic Watchman. April 4, 1902. p. 8. Archived from
598:. Keystone Gazette. November 8, 1895. p. 4. Archived from
573:. Keystone Gazette. October 11, 1895. p. 1. Archived from
705:. Democratic Watchman. July 1, 1904. p. 8. Archived from
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Centre County: From its earliest settlement to the year 1915
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Buildings and structures in Centre County, Pennsylvania
202:, controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad's rival, the
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Directory of Iron and Steel Works of the United States
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Defunct manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania
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American Iron and Steel Institute: Keller Collection
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just south of Bellefonte, and Bellefonte Furnace, a
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Industrial buildings and structures in Pennsylvania
194:, which, on December 2, 1893, opened its line from
753:Annals of the Association of American Geographers
296:The furnace continued in anemic health until the
214:Valentine Iron, the ruling was overturned by the
427:. American Iron and Steel Institute. pp.
131:banker. The plant was built in 1887, and the
8:
289:, about 2 miles (3.2 km) along the PRR
57:Spring Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania
751:(June 1972). "Small Town in Pennsylvania".
790:History of the Bellefonte Central Railroad
555:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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873:Ironworks and steel mills in Pennsylvania
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144:deposits, and the furnace was fuelled by
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624:. Stackpole Books. pp. 62, 64, 70.
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804:: mentions construction of the furnace.
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105:Bellefonte, Nittany and Lemont Railroad
863:1911 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
858:Industrial buildings completed in 1888
620:Bezilla, Mike; Rudnicki, Jack (2007).
548:
450:"The Iron Industries of Centre County"
398:"The Iron Industries of Centre County"
103:mines. Both plants were served by the
16:Hot iron blast furnace in Pennsylvania
452:. Democratic Watchman. Archived from
30:furnaces, Bellefonte and Nittany, in
7:
680:"Mineral Resources of Centre County"
80:are visible in front of the furnace.
893:1888 establishments in Pennsylvania
888:Blast furnaces in the United States
765:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1972.tb00867.x
571:"Supreme Court's Latest Decisions"
14:
726:Bezilla & Rudnicki, pp. 85–88
655:"The Valentine Iron Works Resume"
703:"New Management for the Nittany"
192:Central Railroad of Pennsylvania
322:. The sprawling steel works of
285:from the Whiterock Quarries in
802:Iron Industry in Centre County
777:Bezilla & Rudnicki, p. 123
735:Bezilla & Rudnicki, p. 200
1:
644:Bezilla & Rudnicki, p. 70
224:Empire Steel and Iron Company
216:Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
171:, Oliver Hazard Reighard, of
448:Mitchell, J. Thomas (1936).
396:Mitchell, J. Thomas (1936).
339:as the nexus of activity in
372:"Bellefonte Academy Alumni"
275:Bellefonte Central Railroad
32:Centre County, Pennsylvania
914:
254:Bellefonte Furnace Company
273:arrived from pits on the
204:New York Central Railroad
175:, Charles W. Wilhelm, of
796:History of Pleasant Gap
596:"J.W. Gephart Resigned"
133:Nittany Valley Railroad
878:Mining in Pennsylvania
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159:Valentine Iron Company
107:, a subsidiary of the
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832:40.90229°N 77.77741°W
661:on September 29, 2011
509:"Centre Iron Company"
479:Mitchell, J. Thomas.
400:. Democratic Watchman
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137:Pennsylvania Railroad
123:, W. M. Stewart, and
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258:open hearth furnaces
243:Nittany Iron Company
200:Beech Creek Railroad
86:Valentine and Thomas
23:Location of the two
837:40.90229; -77.77741
828: /
622:Rails to Penn State
262:Bessemer converters
67:Centre Iron Company
41:, known earlier as
602:on January 4, 2013
577:on January 4, 2013
538:. Bellefonte. 1890
515:on January 4, 2013
211:Bellefonte Furnace
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709:on March 21, 2005
631:978-0-8117-0231-7
291:Bellefonte Branch
239:on the property.
165:J. Wesley Gephart
43:Valentine Furnace
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376:the original
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328:Mesabi Range
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304:and furnace
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287:Pleasant Gap
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249:Philadelphia
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235:bank with a
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173:Williamsport
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129:Philadelphia
90:Logan Branch
83:
42:
38:
37:
835: /
320:World War I
153:foreclosure
55:located in
852:Categories
823:77°46′39″W
820:40°54′08″N
713:2008-05-14
688:2007-12-21
665:2007-12-21
606:2007-02-09
581:2007-02-09
542:2007-02-09
519:2007-02-08
491:2007-02-08
460:2007-01-28
434:2007-02-08
404:2007-01-28
382:2007-02-08
347:References
324:Pittsburgh
233:Harrisburg
94:cold blast
61:Bellefonte
551:cite book
326:, fed by
196:Mill Hall
78:hot blast
47:hot blast
25:hot blast
302:pig iron
142:hematite
117:mortgage
101:iron ore
45:, was a
177:Reading
53:furnace
628:
313:Legacy
271:Scotia
683:(PDF)
486:(PDF)
169:Wayne
626:ISBN
557:link
306:slag
283:lime
237:lien
149:coke
127:, a
50:iron
28:coke
761:doi
109:PRR
854::
757:62
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