Tenant houses, where the families of workers lived, can also be entered. These are small by our modern standards, but clearly were warm and comfortable to the people who used them. Examples of the old charcoal hearths stand close to the cooling shed and the charcoal house. The women did much of the woodcutting that was necessary for the preparation of the charcoal hearths. The company store at Hopewell Furnace is an experience in itself.
Old ledgers provide information about employees and their purchasing needs.
Several antique stoves are on display along with other diverse items. People made their purchases on credit against their wages. Prices, however, were fair and there was no attempt to cheat or exploit the workers. These were mainly used for draft purposes. The park rangers today have revived the idea of live animals at Hopewell and numerous cows, chickens, sheep and horses now live there, along with a cat.