The Forge House, located in Sudberg, was built in 1830. It’s well known for how huge it is as well as its past history. Along with the home, the outbuildings were completed in 1870. In 2020, The Bouldin Family made the decision to purchase the home and restore it after finding the auction listing on Zillow just two weeks before the sale. “We love the location, the grounds and the beautiful architecture,” says Tyler Bouldin. 

Known now as “The Forge House” it was once called “The Ironmaster’s Mansion” or “The Big House”.  The mansion was once used as a boarding house for the furnace workers. All decisions that affected the furnace were made in the home, people were hired and fired there as well. 

In 1932, according to https://assets.bwwsplatform.com/beringrealestate/assets/content/auctions/252/high_bridge_furnace__mansion_by_william_t._grumbine.pdf The Boltz Family were living in the west side of the home as the Gibson Family lived in the east side. During the time they lived there, the home caught fire, leaving just four walls standing. After this, George Boyer rebuilt the home as a single house. The house was then rented out after its rebuild. Up until 1946, the Boyer Family owned the home and in 1946 The City of Lebanon then purchased almost all of the land on the west side of Mill Creek. Throughout the years, the home was rented out and many families enjoyed the “mansion” as a summer home, many also lived there year round. The Boyer Family remodeled  the home in the 60s and throughout the next few decades, stayed at the home and eventually remodeled it once more before opening it up to the public in 1989  as, “The Forge Bed and Breakfast Inn”. 

Tyler Bouldin and his family are currently working on renovating the home. Their goal is to renovate the entire estate and raise their family. “Pine Grove has been a fantastic community for us… we’re glad we’re here,” said Bouldin. He said that it’s definitely a balance trying to keep the original structure of the home while also restoring it to make it more livable. “We want to do what we can to keep the original look on the outside, and use reclaimed and historically accurate materials on the side where possible…we also need to actually live in the house when it’s done, so we are making sure it will have all the modern conveniences,” said Bouldin. 

The Bouldin Family are currently keeping  track of their journey, through social media. “We enjoy sharing our work because it gives us opportunities to connect and learn from people all over the world who are passionate about the same things we are…honestly we were surprised by the amount of interest people have had in the Forge,” said Bouldin. The family hopes to have the home completely finished by Fall of 2023 and you can keep up with their journey on their socials.

Sources: Swatara Furnace And The Ironmaster’s Mansion  with related data by: W.T. Grumbin

Follow the Bouldin’s journey on Instagram @theforgehouse or on TikTok@OurOldHouse