Centre Furnace Mansion Tour

The first floor of the Mansion is what we think of as the 19th-century public area. Centre Furnace stopped producing iron in 1809, and started again in1826. The Mansion was rebuilt as a large brick Georgian (very plain and symmetrical) home sometime between 1826 and 1832. By 1832 James Irvin had bought an interest in the furnace; within 10 years his brother-in-law, Moses Thompson, had joined him in the business and moved into the Centre Furnace Mansion as resident ironmaster.

Kitchen

This is the "modern" kitchen, built in 1846. Mary Thompson must have been delighted to have her own kitchen where she wasn't competing with all the dirty furnace workers!

The Kitchen in the 1980s


The Kitchen today

The other side of the kitchen shows the original back of the house before the 1846 kitchen addition. When the Historical Society restored the house, it removed plaster and wallpaper to show the original brick. You can see the outlines of a door and a window. If you visit the Mansion, you can also see the saved signatures of two young Thompson girls who wrote on the kitchen wall.

Dining Room

The dining room is decorated to the 1840s when the Thompsons first moved in. The dining room mantel was built in the "federal" style, popular in the early 1800s when America was still a new country. Much of the furniture in the Mansion now was originally in the house (the silver is an example); others, like the sideboard, were from other Centre County homes.

The Dining Room during 1980s restoration


The Dining Room today

Southeast Parlor (Founder's Room)

This east front parlor is often called the Founder's Room. In 1855 James Irvin and Moses Thompson donated 200 acres of their land, as well as money, in the hopes that the proposed Farmers High School would come to Centre County. It did, and that "high school" is now Penn State. The story is that the founding papers were signed in this room.

First Floor Hallway

Moses and Mary were great hosts, and did quite a bit of entertaining. A wide front hall was a necessary staging point for visitors, and the Thompsons would have furnished it to show off.

Moses and Mary Parlors

Across the hall from the dining room and founders room are two parlors that are separated by pocket doors, which open to create one large room. These rooms have been restored to the 1860s and 1870s, after the Thompsons "Victorianized" the Mansion in the early 1860s. It was important to them to continue to show their wealth and social standing, so they made drastic changes to the house.