One forgets how important iron ore was to the growth and development of eastern Pennsylvania.

Although the much larger and deeper deposits of iron ore that were later mined from the Iron Range of the upper Midwest and from the far West came to overshadow the iron ore in PA, the foundries across Berks, Lancaster, and Lebanon Counties were indispensable to the growth of the Commonwealth.

The Elizabeth Furnace, the Cornwall furnaces, the furnaces at Washington Boro, Hopewell, and many other places led to some of the earliest fortunes in the colonies and made possible Pennsylvania’s contributions to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

I was not familiar with the Sally Ann Furnace until finding this postcard in one of the antique malls in the greater Kutztown area – not far from the ruins of the mill.

The iron master’s mansion, pictured in this hand-colored photograph, still exists as a private estate and is registered as a National Historic Place.

The nearby mill structures, however, are in ruins and are largely on posted private property, so they cannot be visited.

The furnace, like the Elizabeth Furnace, was named for the wife of the iron master.

The postcard [photograph was made sometime around 1920.

The postcard was published by the Sabold-Herb Publishing Company of Philadelphia.