Lock Ridge Furnace History & Preservation

Lock Ridge Furnace History & Preservation to provide funding for preservation of Lock Ridge and to collect and preserve documents, photographs

Friends of Lock Ridge Furnace does not just include the Alburtis/Lockridge properties, but all former holdings of David & Samuel Thomas. This includes the Lehigh Crane Iron works in Catasauqua, The Hockendauqua Iron Works in Hockendauqua and the Catasauqua & Fogelsville Railroad that connected these Iron Works along with all the Ore & Limestone Mines.

04/11/2026

Plan ahead and sign up for a historic walking tour of Hokendauqua on Saturday, April 25, with our friends at Whitehall Historical Preservation Society.

The village of Hokendauqua was established in 1854 to house the workers of the Thomas Iron Company, which played a pivotal role in igniting the American industrial revolution. Stroll through the neighborhood, see the workers' housing and learn which homes were once occupied by the Thomas Family. Find out what other businesses were operating at that time. What connection did the Thomas Iron Company have with the First Presbyterian Church and the building currently occupied by Growing Tree Child Care Center?

HISTORIC WALKING TOUR OF HOKENDAUQUA
Whitehall Historical Preservation Society – Historic Walking Tour of
Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (Rain Date: April 26)
$5 per person, free for WHPS members
Reservations are required. Please call 610 776-7280 (leave a message) to reserve your spot for this fantastic journey into the past. Further instructions will be given upon booking.

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If the board of directors approved of modernizing, maybe the Thomas works would have lasted a few more years.
08/21/2025

If the board of directors approved of modernizing, maybe the Thomas works would have lasted a few more years.

Born Aug. 21, 1811 in Pittsburgh, William Kelly was renowned inventor who created a process used in modern steel production. By injecting air into molten iron, Kelly discovered a reduction of carbon content in the finished product, making the material stronger. However, the same process was simultaneously discovered by Henry Bessemer in England. Both Kelly and Bessemer eventually sold their patents, and the process was subsequently known as the Bessemer process. Pictured here is a State images of a Bessemer converters.

Not a Thomas entity, but a interesting read…
10/02/2024

Not a Thomas entity, but a interesting read…

07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July! On this day in 1840 David Thomas produced the first iron smelted with anthracite coal right here in the Lehigh Valley. We'll be featuring him along with other industrial revolutionaries in our 2026 exhibition, celebrating America's semiquincentennial!

06/21/2024
06/18/2024
05/20/2024

Not Lockridge or Thomas, but definitely related. A very interesting read..

04/23/2024
04/18/2024

Address

407 Franklin Street
Alburtis, PA
18011

Telephone

(484) 366-9987

Website

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