Wendell August Forge
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Wendell August Forge | |
 Wendell August Forge site, October 2014 | |
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| Location | 620 Madison St., Grove City, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 41°9′58″N 80°4′34″W / 41.16611°N 80.07611°W |
| Area | 1.8 acres (0.73 ha) |
| Built | 1932 |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001192[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 7, 1996 |
 Wendell August flagship store | |
| Headquarters | 2074 Leesburg Grove City Rd., Mercer, Pennsylvania |
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Wendell August Forge is America's oldest and largest [2] such forge still in existence in the United States. The original facility was a historic landmark in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. The company operates retail stores in Grove City, and Berlin, Ohio, and Wilmington, North Carolina;[3] the forge and the stores are well-known tourist destinations.[4][5] Wendell August was the first to use the repoussé process of manufacture, and has operated near Grove City since 1932. It produces a variety of merchandise, including Americana,[6] such as bowls, figurines and ornaments, as well as commemorative items.[7]
First founded by coal miner Wendell McMinn August in 1923 in Brockway, Pennsylvania, it moved to Grove City almost a decade later. When that facility was built in 1932, the forge was a simple one-story rectangular building measuring approximately 60 feet (18 m) by 160 feet (49 m); its frame was steel, constructed on a foundation of poured concrete. That property was located in a primarily residential neighborhood.[8]
