The Lukens National Historic District consists of several industrial steel buildings, gracious homes, and corporate headquarters. In 1794 Isaac Pennock established a sawmill and foundry utilizing the power of the Brandywine River. The Brandywine Iron Works and Nail factory was established. Pennsylvania is rich in iron ore and coal. Isaac Pennock’s daughter Rebecca, married Dr. Charles Lukens in 1813 and he joined the family business. He saw new potential products and manufacturing techniques especially plate steel for boilers. Unfortunately, both Rebecca's father and husband passed and left her to run the business. As a woman in the 1800's, this was unheard of, but Rebecca became known as one of the first woman industrialists in US history. Rebecca understood the importance of an efficient supply chain. She built a railroad spur connecting the foundry to the main freight line in Coatesville.
Lukens Steel evolved with the demand for new products and technology. They supplied steel for tanks, trains, nuclear submarines, the World Trade Center beams, bridges, and many other structures. To this day, the "206" is one of the widest plate rolling machines in the world and is still in operation. Lukens Steel has been sold many times to Bethlehem Steel, Arcelor Mittal, and Cleveland-Cliffs.
The historic district is open from dawn until dusk. You can stroll the property for free. There are gardens, picnic areas, trains, stately homes, and industrial buildings in the historic district. You can also visit the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum. Check their website for hours of operation and fees. https://steelmuseum.org/
In order to log this Virtual cache, you need to find the Trident and take a picture of it and include in your log. The information board near the Trident is very interesting.
Congrats to Hornbaker for FTF and BPP_PICNIC for STF!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.