Explore the unique Catoctin Furnace living history village. The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc. commemorates, studies, and preserves the rich history of this historic industrial village, including the architecture, cultural landscapes, lifeways and foodways of the enslaved Africans, free African Americans, and European immigrant laborers and families.
Museum of the Ironworker
The Museum of the Ironworker is open Saturday & Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm.
Museum hours will change to the Summer schedule after Memorial Day, 2025.
We are an all-volunteer organization, so if you would like to request to visit another day/time please send us a message by filling out our “Contact Us” form ahead of time so that we may see if a volunteer can meet you. We look forward to seeing you!
The kitchen garden and trails open dawn to dusk.
General admission to the museum is free but a donation is suggested.
Important Notice: Temporary Closure for Maintenance – January 2025
Dear Visitors,
Our museum will be closed for painting and cleaning throughout the month of January 2025. During this time, we will be open by appointment on weekends only. If you’d like to schedule a visit, please reach out to us in advance, and we’ll be happy to arrange a time.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you back in February with a refreshed space.
Thank you for your continued support.
Level 2 Electric Car Charging Station
First Energy and DNR worked with CFHS to install the EV station. While you step back in time at Catoctin Furnace, your electric vehicle can charge up at our brand new Level 2 charging station located in the furnace parking lot, 12698 Catoctin Furnace Road.
The charging station is located in the parking lot in front of the furnace. From the parking lot you will need to proceed down the African American Cemetery Interpretive Trail and follow the signs leading to the Museum of Ironworker.
The Forgeman’s House is not a typical overnight destination. While it has a lovely modern bathroom with a shower, a gas fireplace, and the kitchen even boasts a dishwasher, as soon as you walk through the doorway and leave the modern amenities, you enter an 1820 home.
Overnight Rental
Learn MoreDecember CFHS Meeting
By tradition we do not hold an August meeting.
Tuesday, December 10th, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
We will hold a hybrid meeting. You may join us in person at The Museum of the Ironworker or on Zoom.
Please register for the Zoom meeting using the link below where you can join via computer or telephone. If you experience any issues, please call 240-288-7396 and we will help you register.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You only have to register once, and once you are registered, you will be registered for the remainder of the meetings until January 2025. Your confirmation email from Zoom will send you a link that you can add to your calendar, and you will be able to join the meeting every second Tuesday of the month. We have switched to this format so that we do not have to send out a new link every month.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The Smithsonian Channel's "America's Hidden Stories: Forged In Slavery"
(Season 3, Episode 3) is streamable on the following services: fuboTV , Hulu (Premium), YouTube TV/YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video
Network to Freedom Virtual Passport
“Visit” The Catoctin Furnace African American Cemetery Interpretive Trail.
Click the image to download your virtual passport stamp. Tag your “trip” on social media
Facebook: @PassportToYourNationalParks
Instagram: @PassportToNationalParks
Twitter: @ParksPassport
CFHS Featured
OUTDOORS MARYLAND Episode 3303 featuring Catoctin Furnace
County Spotlight: Historical Grant- Recovering Identity Survey
Volunteer Hours Form
Did you volunteer for CFHS in 2024? If so, please take a moment to fill out your volunteer hours form.
The Catoctin Crier – Monthly Newsletter r
Catoctin Furnace Historical Society releases groundbreaking DNA research to find the descendants of skilled enslaved ironworkers.
Press Releases:
DNA Connects 40,000 Living Americans to Enslaved Black Ironworkers
Articles and Podcasts:
Science, “The genetic legacy of African Americans from Catoctin Furnace”
Science, “Community-initiated genomics”
The New York Times, “Enslaved African Americans in Maryland Linked to 42,000 Living Relatives”
STAT, ‘Ancient DNA’ tools and 23andMe database uncover African American ancestries of thousands
El País, El ADN de 27 esclavos muertos hace siglos identifica a 42.000 parientes actuales en EE UU
Harvard Magazine, “Tracing Slaves to Modern Descendants”
nature, “Ancient DNA reveals the living descendants of enslaved people through 23andMe”
23andME, “Ethics and the Study of Historic DNA of African Americans Buried at the Catoctin Furnace”