Chester County is forging a yearlong spectacle of iron and steel celebrations that is three centuries in the making, and it all starts Tuesday night at The Foundry in Phoenixville.

Speakers from 11 Chester County landmarks will reignite their historic legacies by sparking interest in the many activities and events coming in 2016 to commemorate the Chester County 300th Year Iron and Steel Celebration.

From the arrival of the state’s second iron forge at Coventryville in 1717 to today’s still-robust steel production, Chester County’s history of powering freedom through the ages will feature Colebrookdale Railroad, Joanna Furnace, Fricks Lock, Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, Warwick Furnace, Schuylkill River Heritage Center, Valley Forge National Historical Site, Welkenweir, Historic Yellow Springs, Historic Sugartown and the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum.

The kickoff is free and starts at 7:30 p.m. in The Foundry Building at the Schuylkill River Heritage Center.