Hopewell Forge Mansion and Historical Marker in Brickerville

As a family we enjoy taking day trips all across Pennsylvania, especially to visit and tour historical sites. For the past 7 years...we like to go out and hunt down historical markers and photograph them. Once we get back home, we research out information on the internet to better educate ourselves on what we saw.

Millions of people every day drive by these markers and never give them a second thought. We're hoping to change that by bringing attention to them here on our travel blog. The majority of these historical markers teach us about our forgotten past and play an important part in our history as Pennsylvanians and as Americans.

On a recent day trip down to Lancaster County, we passed through the lovely little town Brickerville. US route 322 (a major route through Pennsylvania) passes right through this town and gives you a beautiful and scenic drive if you're driving down to Lancaster from Hershey. In our honest opinion, it takes longer to get there (as compared to the interstate), but you'll see what the countryside really has to offer...beautiful!

The Hopewell Forge Mansion and Historical Marker is on U.S. Route 322, just east of Speedwell Forge Road in Brickerville. It's just minutes from downtown Lititz. Here's the inscription on the historical marker:

Built c. 1740 by Peter Grubb, pioneer ironmaster at nearby Cornwall Furnace, and named for the Upper and Lower Hopewell Forges located on Hammer Creek near the house. Remnants of the forge dams may still be seen in the creek.

By: 1959 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

The Hopewell Forge Mansion sits just to the right of the marker and up on a hill. It's a private residence now, so you don't want to be pulling into their driveway or walking up to the house. We were able to easily pull alongside the road, park and get out to take our photographs.

On our little day trip we started off in Lititz, visited Cornwall, then into Brickerville to eat & shop and then headed down to Ephrata. Each of these towns have their own unique vibe and offer something different to travelers and visitors. If you're going to visit the Cornwall Iron Furnace in Cornwall, you'll want to make a brief stop to check out the outside of the mansion and to read this historical marker which sits a few miles away.

Looking for more things to see and do in central Pennsylvania, especially along the eastern corridor? You can find some of personal recommendations right here on the blog in our Pennsylvania section or you can visit our Lancaster County board on Pinterest to find even more!