The historic park contains the ruins of furnaces from the Revolutionary War era, as well as the War of 1812 and the Civil War. There also the remains of buildings that were used at the site during each of these eras. The stone double house pictured above dates to pre-Revolutionary times. The visitor's center also functions as a museums, which contains artifacts from the site.
There are many hiking trails thou gout the site, include the Hasenclever trail which contains historical markers along the trail. Trail pamphlets are available at the visitor's center.
The sign near the entrance reads: "Founded in 1766 by Peter Hasenclever, the Long Pond Ironworks was run by a succession of famous iron masters, including Robert Erskine, Martin J. Ryerson and Abram S. Hewitt. The Long Pond furnace, forge and supporting village contributed to the war efforts during the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. As at may other iron-producing Sites in the Highlands, the furnace operation at Long Pond ended in the 1800's when the iron industry's western migration was complete.
Long Pond was the colonial name for Greenwood Lake, the source of waterpower for the 18th and 19th -century iron-smelting complex." [1]
A sign at the Revolutionary War furnace reads:
"The First Furnace - The stone foundation before you is all that remains of the original iron furnace at Long Pond Ironworks. Built in 1766 by Peter Hasenclever, it was 25 feet tall and could produce 25 tons of iron a week. During the Revolutionary War iron from this furnace was used to make equipment for the Colonial Army. The low stone walls at the left and right are the foundations for the furnace's casting and wheelhouse, respectively. " [2]
Sources:
1.^ Historic marker erected by the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks, the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, and the Hackensack Water Co.
