In 1737, ironmaster Thomas Potts built Mt. Pleasant Furnace and Spring Forge in what would become Berks County, Pennsylvania. This was Pennsylvania's fifth cold-blast charcoal furnace and fourth refinery forge. Combined with his other ironworks, they were the first step toward mass production of colonial iron and guaranteed that his output would be consumed by the Pennsylvania market without needing English manufacturers in the process, which started us on the road to Revolution. This is the story of Mt. Pleasant Furnace and its role in America's progression towards independence. (118pp. color illus. index. Masthof Press, 2023.)