Curtin Village Set to Host Final Tour of 2026

This story originally appeared in the Centre County Gazette.

HOWARD — Looking for something to do on the first weekend of autumn?

Don’t miss an opportunity to visit Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village before cold weather settles into the Bald Eagle Valley.

On Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m., visitors are invited to journey into Pennsylvania’s ironmaking past during the 2026 season’s final guided tour of Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village, 251 Curtin Village Road, Howard.

The tour begins with an orientation video and continues with a “show-and-tell” explanation of the ironmaking process, an introduction to Eagle Iron Works founder Roland Curtin, and interior tours of the Curtin Mansion and the Eagle Furnace complex. 

Curtin Volunteer Renea Nichols said 2026 has been a good year for Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village, with a notable increase in visitors. She attributed the growth in visitors to the addition of a former Chesapeake & Ohio caboose car No. 90861 to the Roland Curtin Foundation, an all-volunteer non-profit organization, in early August.

John and Joyce Gummo of Lock Haven, who are historical railroad enthusiasts, donated the caboose to the foundation. The caboose was unveiled to the public as part of the foundation’s Heritage Day celebration on Aug. 9.

“Heritage Day had a lot of people realizing what we had to offer,” Nichols said. “People will come just to see the caboose. We have a whole new audience of people.”

She said the foundation’s tours have always had a good response, but they have seen an increase in visitors this year despite shortened hours post-COVID-19.

“Before COVID-19, we were open many more hours, and eventually we’d like to return to that,” Nichols said. “We have a steady core of 10 volunteers, but we definitely need more.”

Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village are currently open twice a month for guided tours on every other Sunday. They are also open for special events, such as an upcoming Fall Festival scheduled in mid-October.

Nichols said the property is always open for self-guided tours, allowing visitors to walk the grounds and learn about the various structures and history.

A visit is a journey back in time to the 19^th century heyday of the longest operating charcoal iron plantation in central Pennsylvania’s renowned Juniata Iron District. With its array of restored and replicated buildings, this expansive historic site is uniquely equipped to tell the story of the rise of the region’s leading industry before the Civil War, and its fitful post-war decline.

The tours teach about people who forged a century of history in the Commonwealth’s heartland — from affluent ironmasters at one end of the social spectrum to hardscrabble laborers at the other. The tour includes hands-on demonstrations and walking tours of the furnace complex. The Curtin Mansion is a Federal-era ironmaster’s mansion, furnished in the American Empire and Victorian styles favored by five generations of Curtins, including the birth family of Pennsylvania’s “Civil War Governor,” Andrew Gregg Curtin.

Visitors should wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. The tour will be held rain or shine. Admission is by donation.

For more information, visit curtinvillage.com or follow the Foundation on Facebook. Donations support the organizational mission to preserve, maintain and interpret Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village.