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Friends of Hopewell Furnace to Present Technological Advances at the Springfield Armory 

by Hopewell Furnace NHS

May 10, 2019

Union Township—On Sunday, May 19, armaments scholar and experienced re-enactor Ken Biles will present his program “Technological Developments at the Springfield Armory 1795-1968”.  Sponsored by the Friends of Hopewell Furnace, the free program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Hopewell Furnace Conference Room.

Using his private collection of period artifacts, Biles will demonstrate the extraordinary advances in technology that took place at Springfield Armory from its beginnings in 1795 to its final closing in 1968.

Like Hopewell Furnace, Springfield Armory is a unit of the National Park System and a National Historic Site. For nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world’s largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes. The park is open to the public during the winter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday and during the summer seven days a week. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/spar.

Established in 1994, the Friends of Hopewell Furnace is the official non-profit fundraising arm of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. A 501(c)3 citizen organization, its mission is to support the preservation, maintenance and programs of Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. Donations to the Friends may be tax deductible according to the rules set by the Internal Revenue Service.

While at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site visitors are encouraged to go into the village, tour the buildings, see Hopewell’s water wheel and learn about iron making and why Hopewell Furnace is important to our nation’s history.  Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday thru Sunday, the park is located five miles south of Birdsboro, PA, off  Route 345. For more information visit www.friendsofhopwellfurn.org.

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