Hopewell Furnace |  |
The following Incident Reports were extracted from the NPS Morning Reports/Coalition Reports from 1989-2025. They are not a complete record of all incidents which occurred in this park during this timeframe. INCIDENTS | |
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Thursday, August 17, 1989 Yesterday afternoon at 5 p.m., the body of D.W., 19, of Cochranton, Pennsylvania, was found in the basement room he was renting in the park residence of Hopewell's administrative tech. D.W. was off on Tuesday and Wednesday, and had not been seen since late Tuesday evening. D.W. was in his first year as a fee collector at the park's visitor center. Death was by hanging, and foul play has been ruled out. The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating. (Telephone report from Lee Boyle, Chief, I&RM, HOFU).
Eight marijuana plants were discovered in a bog on the park's boundary on September 16th. The discovery was reported to Pennsylvania State Police criminal investigation unit, which sent troopers to remove the plants two days later. When they arrived, only six plants remained. They were removed and destroyed. Estimated value of the plants is $3,000. [Capt. Ron DiAngelo, LES, RAD/MARO, 9/25]
On December 10th and 11th, a winter storm which has been characterized as the worst of its kind this century pounded the Eastern seaboard and had serious impacts on a number of parks, particularly in North Atlantic Region. The following reports came in on Friday afternoon; updates will appear as soon as these and other parks are contacted today. * Hopewell Furnace - The park reports a number of downed trees, one of which damaged a wooden fence. No other structural damage was reported. [Bob Ditolla and John Lynch, RAD/NARO, Derrick Cook, Superintendent, HOFU, Jon Montgomery, Superintendent, APCO, 12/11]
Theodore "Ted" Ziegler, 56, who had worked in the park's maintenance division for the last 22 years, died suddenly at home on Thursday, October 7th. Ted held several maintenance positions at Hopewell. His most notable contribution was in the duties he performed as park collier, teaching the traditions of charcoal-making to apprentices from across the country. Funeral services were held yesterday. Cards may be sent to Mrs. Louise Ziegler and Family, 64 Firetower Road, Birdsboro, PA 19508. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Animal Rescue League, PO Box 69, Mohnton, PA 19540. [James Corless, Acting Superintendent, HOFU, 10/8]
The following updates have been received from parks affected by Hurricane Floyd (north to south): o Hopewell Furnace NHS (PA) - Significant flooding on Thursday washed out sections of dirt road in the village and flooded several buildings. The historic village was closed to visitors on Friday but expected to reopen on Saturday. Building damage appeared to be minor, but the Cast House will be closed for a week to clean up debris and mud washed into the structure from French Creek. Based on information received from parks in both Southeast and Northeast Regions, the NPS Type II team (Bob Panko) was released on Friday afternoon. [Einar Olsen, RCR, NCRO, 9/17; Mike Shaver, ACR, SAHI, 9/17; Sandy Rives, FRSP, 9/17; Bob Woody, IO, CAHA, 9/17; Ann Childress, MOCR, 9/17; George Liffert, IC, PRWI, 9/17; Jim Burnett, CR, COLO, 9/17; Paul Henry, NPS Superintendent, FLETC, 9/17; John Burns, CR, ASIS, 9/17; Jeffrey Collins, CR, HOFU, 9/17; Kevin FitzGerald, CR, CACO, 9/17; John Tucker, FOSU/CHPI, 9/17; Scott Kalbach, VAFO, 9/17; Martin Zweig, RLES, NERO, 9/17; Gordie Wilson, Superintendent, CASA/FOMA, 9/19]
Eastern parks in the path or potential path of Isabel have completed preparations. As a precautionary measure, one of the Service's two national Type 1 teams (JD Swed's team) has staging in Charlotte, North Carolina, in order to be prepared to respond as needed to any park or area. A number of Type 2 teams are also on standby. All federal agencies in the Washington area are closed today, including the NPS Washington Office. OPM will monitor the weather and make a determination later today on whether or not offices will reopen on Friday. Here's a rundown on the status of many of the parks in or near the storm's path (south to north):
This summary was compiled from reports submitted by Ken Garvin, SERO; Brenda Ritchie, EICC, SHEN; Russ Wilson, Superintendent, SAHO/GATE; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Mark Hardgrove, Assistant Superintendent, CAHA; Mike Litterst, PIO, COLO; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Wayne Valentine, IC, FIIS; José Rosario, Acting Chief, Park Operations Support, GATE; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH; William Kenyon, NCR Dispatch; Scot McElveen, Chief Ranger, HAFE; Wayne Sanders, Chief of Maintenance, GEWA/THST; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP; Clay Jordan, IC, SHEN; Steven Ambrose, Park Ranger, HOFU; Frank Mills, IC, STLI; Ed Whitaker, IC, DEWA.
Hurricane Isabel caused moderate to extensive damage in many parks within Southeast, National Capital and Northeast Regions. As of yesterday, 36 parks had reported damage sufficient to require the preparation of conditions assessments. Although most of these parks are not requesting any additional assistance, several have sustained damage sufficient to warrant oversight of recovery efforts by incident management teams. Here's a rundown on the affected parks (south to north), excluding those that reported negligible impacts:
Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Doug Wallner, NERO; Ann Childress, Superintendent, MOCR; Wouter Ketel, IC, and Bob Vogel, Superintendent, CALO; Paul Stevens, Liaison Officer, IMT, and Barry Munyan, ADR, CAHA; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA; Reed Johnson, Superintendent, APCO; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS; Charlie Strickfaden, Chief Ranger, FOMC; Gregory Smith, Chief Ranger, MORR; Maryanne Gerbauckas, Superintendent, EDIS; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Cindy McLeod, Superintendent, RICH; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Russ Smith, Superintendent, FRSP.
Damage assessments and the organization of repair and rehabilitation operations are underway at parks throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Assisting with and supporting these efforts are JD Swed's Type 1 team (currently relocating from Charlotte to Williamsburg), Rick Brown's Type 2 team, and Clay Jordan's Type 3 team at Shenandoah. Here's a rundown on the current status of affected parks (south to north): Hopewell Furnace NHS Most of the downed trees have been cleared, but it will take time to attend to the remaining trees and the massive amount of brush needing removal. Efforts were underway to get a temporary tarp over the roof of the damaged historic Tenant House #2 before forecasted rain arrived Monday night. A professional damage assessment will be needed. Additional reports will appear daily during recovery operations, which will likely go on for some time. Current information and essential documents from the incident management teams will be available at the IMT web page: http://www.nps.gov/fire/allrisk/. Please check if for additional details. Reports compiled from submissions by Kris Fister, IO, Type 1 IMT; Ken Garvin, SERO; Don Boucher, NCRO; Bob Martin and Doug Wallner, NERO; Mary Doll, PIO, Outer Banks Group; Wouter Ketel, IC/Chief Ranger, and Donna Tipton, PIO, CALO; Laura Joss, Superintendent, FOMC; Vidal Martinez, Superintendent, GEWA/THST; Cindy MacLeod, Superintendent, RICH/MAWA; Bob Kirby, Superintendent, PETE; Laurie Coughlan, Superintendent, HAMP; Clay Jordan, IC, Type 3 IMT, SHEN; Tom Nash, Chief Ranger, COLO; Bill Sanders, Superintendent, HOFU; Mike Hill, Superintendent, ASIS.
On Saturday, October 8th, more than 15 inches of rain fell on the nearby town of Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, causing extensive flooding throughout the area. The massive rainstorm flooded portions of the park maintenance shop, portions of the lower level of the visitor center, and put the Cast House and the Blacksmith Shop under about four feet of water. The unpaved roads leading into the village sustained severe washouts. A large tree fell onto the parked personal vehicle of one of the park's maintenance employees, currently on detail in New Orleans. The park closed at 10 a.m. on Saturday after employees secured historic objects in the village, but was able to reopen on Sunday with some areas cordoned off for safety until roads could be repaired. The Cast House remains closed until mud is cleaned out and the building and its reproduction furnishings are dried. It appears that damage to the visitor center and maintenance shop are minor, presuming that flooded areas can be sufficiently dried to keep mold from growing. [Bill Sanders, Superintendent] | |