STATE COLLEGE — Restoration of the historic Centre Furnace Stack is under way, as a once-in-a-generation project was made possible by collective contributions and a major gift from Robert and Cynthia Dawso Van Druff of State College, longtime members and benefactors of the Centre County Historical Society.
Located at the intersection of East College Avenue and Porter Road across from Centre Furnace Mansion, the limestone stack marks the birthplace of the county’s ironmaking industry.
“They recognize that the furnace stack is of inestimable historical value, as it is the birthplace of Centre County’s first major industry — ironmaking,” CCHS President Roger Williams said. “Fortunately, they have stepped up to ensure it endures for generations to come.”
Built on the site where Revolutionary War colonels Samuel Miles and John Patton established Centre Furnace in 1791, the stack is among the region’s most visible reminders of early industry. The furnace went into blast in 1792 and “was an overnight success,” prompting rapid growth of furnaces and forges throughout central Pennsylvania. By 1810, Centre, Huntingdon and Blair counties produced more than half of the nation’s pig iron, according to Williams.
Smith Masonry Inc. of Hollidaysburg is leading the project after CCHS consulted with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to ensure the work follows preservation standards. The restoration includes gentle cleaning, spot repointing of cracked masonry joints and applying an elastomeric coating to seal the top against water damage.
“The 1963 restoration of the furnace stack has endured for six decades,” CCHS Executive Director Mary Sorensen said, noting the structure’s dolomitic limestone “is a very hard, less absorbent stone as compared with others.” The current work addresses accumulated grime and weathering while preserving the original fabric of the stack.
In interviews, Williams and Sorensen emphasized the project’s civic and educational value.
“It’s a point of pride,” Williams said, calling the region’s surviving furnaces “the pyramids of central Pennsylvania.” He added that Centre Furnace and the wealth generated by ironmasters helped pave the way for the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania — now Penn State — through a gift of land in the 1850s.
Sorensen said preserving the stack and other CCHS sites gives residents and visitors “a sense of place.” The Furnace Stack, Centre Furnace Mansion and the Boogersburg one-room school serve as “living history labs” where people can research, explore and imagine life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Going forward Sorensen added, community support remains essential.
“We depend on the support of our members and friends and granting agencies to accomplish every single thing we do. It shows us that people are engaged in these sites and that they care about them.”
CCHS last undertook major work on the stack in 1963, when inmates trained in masonry at Rockview Correctional Institution repaired the structure.
Williams called the current effort “once-in-a-generation,” noting it follows restoration of Centre Furnace Mansion and Boogersburg School. Together, those projects have drawn in donor funds and grant support, including gifts from leadership organizations such as the Hamer Foundation and PHMC.
“None of this would have been possible without their generous support,” he said.
Beyond stabilizing a landmark, CCHS leaders hope the work invites fresh attention to the county’s industrial roots. Williams said ironmaking did more than produce metal; it created jobs, markets for area farms and wealth that helped seed higher education in Nittany Valley. Sorensen said the organization intends to stay ahead of future maintenance needs so the stack “endures for generations,” and she hopes stewards who come after will share in that commitment.
