Caledonia State Park

State park in Pennsylvania, United States

Caledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in southern Pennsylvania. The park is named for the Caledonia Furnace, an iron furnace that was owned by Thaddeus Stevens beginning in 1837. Today the park is known for its recreational activities and the Totem Pole Playhouse, a summer stock theatre.

Caledonia State Park is in a valley between Blue Mountain and the South Mountain Range of the northern Blue Ridge Mountains System. The park is at the intersection of U. S. Route 30 and Pennsylvania Route 233 in Fayetteville, between Chambersburg and Gettysburg.

Caledonia State Park was once the site of an iron furnace owned by Thaddeus Stevens, a native of Caledonia County, Vermont. Stevens began operation on the furnace in 1837. He was a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, a noted abolitionist, and is known as the father of the public school system in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The iron furnace was destroyed during the American Civil War in June 1863 by the Confederate cavalry under the command of General Jubal Early. Some historians believe that the furnace was destroyed not just to slow the industrial power of the Union but also because of Stevens' views opposing slavery. The pastures surrounding the furnace were used as field hospitals during the Battle of Gettysburg later in July 1863. The furnace was rebuilt following the war, but was closed by 1902 when the land was sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Caledonia State Park was opened in 1903. The land was leased to the Chambersburg and Gettysburg Trolley Company for a number of years. It became a popular tourist destination for visitors to the Gettysburg Battlefield. The trolley company built various amusement rides at the park that have long since been removed.