Long Pond Ironworks
Long Pond Ironworks was founded in 1766 by German ironmaster Peter Hasenclever. Hasenclever brought 500 ironworkers and their families from Germany to build an ironworks “plantation,” including a furnace, forge, houses, shops and farms. A dam at “Long Pond” (Greenwood Lake) on the upper Wanaque River provided the hydropower to operate a blast for the furnace and a large forge. Two more furnaces were constructed in the 1860s. Operations at the site ceased in 1882 due to the industry-wide conversion to anthracite coal furnaces using Pennsylvania coal.
The remnants of the ironmaking industrial structures at this site date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Furnaces, casting house ruins, charging areas, ice houses, waterwheels and other structures are a part of the remains. The area is currently undergoing restoration: one waterwheel has been reconstructed and several houses stabilized. The “Old Country Store” has been renovated and now houses the Long Pond Ironworks Museum.
The original Village of Hewitt grew up around the 19th century iron enterprise. This settlement included a church, a store/post office, schoolhouses, dwellings and outbuildings for workers and managers. Many of these cultural resources remain intact or as ruins.
Long Pond Ironworks State Park is located in northern Passaic County and features something for all visitors: hiking, mountain biking, boating, hunting, fishing, historic interpretation and nature and wildlife watching. The historic district, located in the heart of the park next to the Wanaque River, contains the remnants of a formerly industrious ironworking community and includes old stone walls, furnaces and waterwheels. Mountain bikers will find miles of challenging trails winding through the Jungle Habitat section of the park. Anglers will want to test their skills on Monksville Reservoir, known for its trophy size muskellunge, walleye, bass and trout. Additionally, Green Turtle Pond is stocked in the spring with trout and both Monksville Reservoir and Green Turtle Pond have ample parking and boat ramps.