Visit our Social Sites or drop us an email:
Appalachian Trail Museum
  • Welcome
    • Directions, Lodging and Shuttles
  • About, Hours, etc.
    • Contact the Museum
    • Affiliates and Friends
    • Board of Directors & Staff
    • Corporate Governance
    • Hiking Around The Museum
  • Museum Store
  • Ironmasters
    • Ironmasters FAQs
    • Hostel Rates
    • Amenities
    • Private Guest Suite
    • Ironmasters History
  • News
  • Hall of Fame
    • 2022 Class
    • 2021 Class
    • 2020 Class
    • 2019 Class
    • 2018 Class
    • 2017 Class
    • 2016 Class
    • 2015 Class
    • 2014 Class
    • 2013 Class
    • 2012 Class
    • 2011 Charter Class
  • Online Museum
    • Research Library >
      • Appalachian Trail Museum Digital Library
      • Rules of Use
      • Catalogs
      • Research Contact
    • The Latest Buzz
    • A.T. History by Tom Johnson
    • A.T. Childrens Museum
    • Feature Articles
    • Select Trail Stories
    • Journal Project
    • Shelter Registers and Vintage Guides
    • Hiker Yearbooks - Exhibits
    • Photo Collections >
      • Class Photos
      • Individual Hiker Collections
      • Hall of Fame
      • Vintage Location Photos
  • Calendar
  • Support
    • Volunteer
    • Make a Bequest
  • Earl Shaffer Foundation
  • Videos

A.T. Museum to Assume Operation of Ironmaster’s Mansion Hostel

7/17/2019

2 Comments

 
PictureIronmaster's Mansion Hostel
The Appalachian Trail Museum will assume responsibility for operating the Ironmaster’s Mansion Hostel as of Jan. 1, 2020. The owner of the mansion, the Bureau of State Parks of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, has announced that it intends to enter into an agreement with the Museum to operate the hostel in Pine Grove Furnace State Park following the end of the current 10-year lease with Central Pennsylvania Conservancy (CPC). Since 1983, the facility has served as a popular overnight rest stop for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers who traverse northbound or southbound along the trail’s 2,190 miles between Maine and Georgia. The A.T. passes along the Mansion’s south balcony (shown in photo), a short distance north of the A.T.'s halfway mark.

“The Museum is working in partnership with CPC to maintain current operations mostly as is”, according to Museum President Larry Luxenberg. CPC’s President, Ken Waidelich, adds: “We entered our tenure at the Ironmaster’s Mansion in the spirit of partnership, and we are thrilled to pass along operations to a very capable partner organization with an on-site presence at Pine Grove Furnace State Park and who is committed to the facility’s stewardship and use as a hiker’s hostel.” CPC completely renovated the dilapidated facility in 2010 with the help of local trail clubs, volunteers, local funders, and CPC membership contributions. It hosted a youth conservation leadership camp there for 6 years (Goddard Leadership Legacy Institute), the annual Ironmaster’s Challenge trail running event, and opened it up to outside groups for events such as school, scout and church youth retreats, family reunions, weddings, showers, and environmental and community programming. A private guest suite was added in 2017, supported with a grant from Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, and other improvements and necessary maintenance was made along the way.”

“We thank our hard-working, on-site innkeepers over the years, who cared for the historic building and ran the day-to-day operations of the hostel”, said CPC’s Waidelich. “While CPC is turning to focus on its growing land conservation projects in the region, it’s proud to have played a role in sustaining the facility and its viability as one of the few remaining hiker’s hostels on the A.T. in Pennsylvania. The partnership with the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace, PA DCNR, Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau, and other local groups is critical to its continued success. The A.T. Museum already has strong ties with these entities and has a good strategy in place to achieve its organizational goals while continuing similar uses.”

The Museum plans to expand the hostel’s current hours and programming. In the future, the Museum will install exhibits at the facility as well as utilize it for storing items from the Museum collection and housing Museum volunteers. Specific plans will be announced during the 4th quarter of 2019, including days and hours of operation and rates. These details will be announced via press releases and on the Museum’s website: www.atmuseum.org The hostel will remain open to the public for overnight stays as well as for groups and events. While many of the visitors are hiking the Appalachian Trail, the hostel welcomes any visitor.
​

Located 20 miles from Gettysburg, the hostel is in the beautiful South Mountain area of Cumberland County in the midst of many tourist attractions. Surrounded by the Michaux State Forest and also near Caledonia State Park, the area has abundant outdoor recreation opportunities as well as historic sites, festivals and other attractions.

2 Comments
Dr. David McJonathan link
7/20/2019 07:51:30 am

What a wonderful partnership this is.

Reply
Rogene Calkins link
8/19/2019 05:21:46 pm

Hapy ot see this grand old mansion is in the skilled hands of Larry and all hiker freinds. Lovely place to vist . .

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    AT Museum News

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015

    Categories

    All
    Appalachian Trail
    AT
    AT Museum
    Children's Exhibits
    Grandma Gatewood
    HOF
    Mysteries At The Museum
    Photos
    Travel Channel

    RSS Feed

Home

About

Store

News

Contact

Copyright © Appalachian Trail Museum, Inc.