Harmony Forge Inn

The Harmony Forge property dates back to the 1790s.  Originally the site of the Harmony Forge/Milesburg Iron Works, the site is a landmark of the charcoal iron industry that prospered in Central Pennsylvania following the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.  The iron forge was constructed in 1795, on property purchased by Colonel Samuel Miles. Construction was supervised by ironmaster John Dunlop and the firm of Miles, Patton and Miles.  The construction of the mansion followed sometime thereafter, and can be dated to sometime between 1796 and 1820.  Colonel Miles never settled in Centre County, instead sending his sons John and Joseph to manage the forge and lay out the town of "Milesborough", now Milesburg, circa 1793.

 

While the iron forge no longer exists, the mansion itself harkens back to the era of prosperity driven by the iron industry.  At various times throughout history, the property was home to an iron furnace, a rolling and slitting mill, a grist mill, a saw mill, a nail factory, a wire mill, and a chain mill. 

 

Because early Centre County was so isolated from the eastern markets in Philadelphia, New York and New England, a canal system was developed to link Bellefonte with the West Branch (Susquehanna River) Division of the Pennsylvania Canal.  Remnants of the canal system survive to this day, serving as the most accessible reminder of the canal system that was inundated following the construction of the Foster Joseph Sayers Dam and Reservoir.