America’s Second Revolution

Fifty years after the American Revolution, a second revolution began stirring in eastern Pennsylvania. For the first time, canals made it possible to deliver tons of anthracite quickly, efficiently, and cheaply from the coal regions to the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, and beyond.  

The region was no longer dependent on scarce, costly, and inefficient wood for energy. 

Iron furnaces began to experiment with anthracite to smelt iron, but the early efforts were unsuccessful. Then, in 1840, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company hired a Welsh iron master named David Thomas to build the first commercially and technically successful anthracite-fired iron furnace along the Lehigh Canal at what is now Catasauqua. 

On July 4, 1840, America’s Second Revolution began when Thomas’ first cast produced more iron than a charcoal-fired furnace could make in a week. The nation’s birthday became the birthday of its industrial revolution, which continues to this day. 

The exhibition will be available until June, during the museum’s spring schedule.