Founded in 1794 as Reading Furnace by ironmaster George Ege, the furnace was expanded in 1845 by Henry P. Robeson, helping spur the establishment of the town of Robesonia in 1855. Although the furnace itself ceased operation and was razed in 1927, the Georgian-style ironmaster's mansion, Italianate office building, workers' houses, and other structures survived. The district is located a mile south of here.