Pig Iron Fest!

Last Sunday we spent a fun afternoon enjoying the Pig Iron Fest in a little town across the river. Pig Iron is a type of iron that was made in huge furnaces in the late 1800's. (The name comes from the fact that the iron spilled out into a large mold with little molds coming off the sides of it, resembling a sow with her piglets laying beside her nursing.) Up and down the Susquehanna River of Pennsylvania were furnaces that created this iron - eight of them alone in this area. The furnace is now in ruins, but every year the historical society puts on free tours of the area - with archeologists who explain the process and re-enactors who teach the history of the specific furnace through their skits. Fun and fascinating!