Pine Grove Furnace State Park

The state park's historic place on the national register is the Pine Grove Iron Works of about with structures associated with the 1764 Pine Grove Furnace, which ended production in 1895. The 1870 South Mountain RR and the subsequent 1891 Hunter's Run and Slate Belt Railroad provided the railway lines to the industrial areas of the state park. Laurel Forge Laurel Forge manufactured wrought iron from Pine Grove Furnace pig iron and was built by Peter Ege in 1830. The Laurel Forge Pond (now Laurel Lake) was created by a dam below the Sage Run confluence at Mountain Creek to provide waterwheel power via the forge's water race. By 1873 the forge area included a boarding house, coal house, several dwellings, 2 railroad spurs, and a train depot; and in 1884 "Laurel Station" was added as a stop for excursions of the Gettysburg and Harrisburg Railroad. Laurel Dam was breached by flooding in 1889 and the lake is of the state park. Fuller Brick and Slate Company The Fuller Brick and Slate Company's operations that began in 1892 were developed by J. W. Ivery at the "Pine Grove works" until . By 1921, Park lifeguards were eliminated for the 2008 season but were restored to Fuller Lake in 2009 after a July 2008 Fuller Lake drowning, the 1st at a state park beach since 1999. ==Recreation==

, abandoned iron ore quarry Fuller Lake is in the area and is filled, abandoned quarry of the Pine Grove Iron Works. Boating is not permitted. Laurel Lake is a body of water that was created to supply water power for Laurel Forge. Boaters are limited to using electric-powered and non-powered watercraft, gas-powered boats are not permitted. All electric-powered boats must have valid registration from any state, unpowered boats must have a launch permit from PA DCNR or PA Fish and Boat Commission. In-season archery hunting is permitted in most of the state park, while small areas for seasonal firearms hunting are on the west and south and thru-hikers completing the store's half-gallon ice cream challenge receive a commemorative wooden spoon. The trails are open to cross-country skiing and some trails and roads are open to snowmobiling during the winter months. • Creek Trail is a trail that begins at the park amphitheater and follows Mountain Creek as it passes vernal pools and a stand of white pine trees. • Mountain Creek Trail is a trail that passes through wetlands and forests as it follows Mountain Creek. Hikers may get the opportunity to see white-tail deer, heron, beavers and waterfowl. • Koppenhaver Trail is in length and passes through a stand of mature hemlock and white pine. • Swamp Trail is in length and, quite naturally, passes through a swamp. Camping and lodging Charcoal Hearth Campground along Bendersville Rd is south of the park's store and has 71 sites for travel trailers and tenting, and across the road is a wooded "organized group tenting" area around an open playing field (a YMCA camp is near Laurel Lake). The Paymasters Cabin has central heating and is available for rent. The Ironmaster's Mansion is a youth hostel commonly used by Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. ==Geography and ecology==

The park's portions of the Mountain Creek valley and the neighboring mountain slopes (Piney Mountain, Pole Steeple, & South Mountain) are part of the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests ecoregion and are predominately wooded. In addition to the typical mammals, birds, insects, and other fauna of the northeastern US ecoregion, the park's Laurel Lake attracts migratory waterfowl of the Atlantic Flyway (butterflies reach their peak in the summer months.) The lakes have pickerel, trout and perch; while Mountain Creek has brook, brown and rainbow trout. ==References==