Exploring the ABANDONED Thomas Iron Company Ruins (Hokendauqua, PA)
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- J-MASS INSTAGRAM: @jmassofficial
Nestled in the thick brush and foliage, in the woods just north of Allentown, sits the ruins of one of Lehigh Valley's best-kept secrets. Hokendauqua, an unincorporated community in eastern Pennsylvania, is home to the Thomas Iron Company ruins, dating back to the mid-19th century. Today, these ruins can be found by detouring from the Ironton Rail Trail and heading into the woods, and they stand as a testament to Lehigh Valley's rich industrial history and culture. The Thomas Iron Company was originally founded in 1854 by David Thomas, a Welsh immigrant and well-respected ironmaster. The company primarily operated in Hokendauqua, which served as a company town for its employees; however, the Thomas Iron Company had far-reaching operations throughout the area via railroad links, facilities, and mines. Throughout the following decades, the company would work with the manufacturing of anthracite iron (smelting of anthracite coal and iron ore), setting up several blast furnaces and facilities, and organizing an intricate railroad system for loading raw materials and distributing finished products. However, as the iron industry began to decline by the 1920s, the Thomas Iron Company would steadily decrease productivity, changing hands between several different companies and buyers. The nail in the coffin would be Bethlehem Steel's purchase in 1936, liquidating nearly all of the former iron company's assets and demolishing much of the Hokendauqua facilities; by 1942, the Thomas Iron Company was permanently closed and abandoned.
Today, all that remains of the Thomas Iron Company's Hokendauqua facilities are some miscellaneous scattered ruins and remnants, left to decay in obscurity in the overgrown forest next to a public pedestrian rail trail. While much of these ruins consist of random chunks of concrete, brick walls, and even some old furnaces, there are two massive structures left behind. Both of these structures are now covered with graffiti, standing as melancholic monuments to Pennsylvania's storied industrial past. At one time, Lehigh Valley was a leader in industry; today, many of these industrial plants and facilities sit in ruin and are completely abandoned. The Thomas Iron Company ruins are also located in a rather scenic location, sitting in the lush green forest alongside the Lehigh River, covered by brush, trees, and vines. The public Ironton Rail Trail is within a few feet as well, drawing numerous daily walkers and runners. In fact, this rail trail repurposes the railroad tracks of the former Ironton Railroad, which was once one of the primary railroad tracks utilized by the Thomas Iron Company. As my very first Pennsylvania urban exploration video on this channel, I can safely say that I had a great time exploring these historic ruins, and I would highly recommend checking them out for yourself! If you guys liked this video, make sure to stay tuned for more exploration videos all across New England and beyond!
www.atlasobscura.com/places/a...
00:00 Introduction to the Thomas Iron Company Ruins
02:06 The Big Building
06:17 Abandoned Walls
09:30 Miscellaneous Ruins
11:09 The Big Building, Continued
12:31 More Miscellaneous Ruins
13:19 Furnaces
15:04 Rubble and the Lehigh River
17:16 Another Big Building
20:47 Outro
jmass has to be one of the greatest guys in the world
I’m the #1 Masshole 😎🔥
Glad I discovered your channel.
Thanks so much!
Awesome video and such a cool place 😮😊, it would be so cool to meet you! You seem so awesome 🤩
Haha thank you so much, I appreciate that!
I’ve vacationed in Pennsylvania it’s very empty and creepy with it just being big fields and lots of places that look abandoned I was in this area that looked like something out of a horror movie when I went in the summer of 2023 almost the whole state looks abandoned
Great video man Rock on 😎
Thanks homie, much appreciated!
Pennsylvania, my second favorite state behind Massachusetts
Pennsylvania is cool! Lots of great historical sites there, plus I’m a big fan of philly cheesesteaks (I had like two of those during my trip 😂)
I love this man, he shows me new spots to rip my quad!
Haha have fun dude! This place looks sick for dirt biking / quad biking. There’s a bunch of trails there specifically for that.
Very cool
Thanks! Agreed, it was a very cool spot!
I wonder why Hokendauqua had the biggest presence with the iron industry compared with the rest of Whitehall Township which the rest also has iron ore deposits
I know that area is super rich in ironworks history; David Thomas originally immigrated to nearby Catasauqua, which already had a major iron industry. I think Thomas focused on building up Hokendauqua specifically as a major company town and a hub for ironworks facilities just so it was all centralized (that’s my guess).
Jmass or JPa??? Fun exploration
J-PENN 😂
I’ve found a good few mills that you haven’t made a visit on, let me know if you’d like to hear a few! Also this place looks pretty cool
Thanks dude! I’m always open to finding out about new spots, especially mills and factories! That’d be wicked cool!
@@j-mass alright! A few you may want to check out are: the international paper mill Erving MA, the Mohawk carpet mills/Fowney glove factory Amsterdam NY (largest mill I’ve ever seen) George Gilbert manufacturing co Gilbertville MA (mills are being redeveloped but power plant is still cool!)
Interesting, I’ll have to look into all of these. Thanks so much man!
@@j-mass no problem!
Where is this located?
It’s located in the woods right off the Ironton Rail Trail in Hokendauqua, PA!
@@j-mass thank you 🙏🏼