Abandoned Armstrong Cork factory in Pittsburgh's strip district. Unbelievably, this facility has been renovated into trendy apartments.
One of the largest steel mills that U.S. Steel operated in the Monongahela River valley was at Homestead, PA. This was the scene of the infamous labor war between striking steelworkers and strikebreaking detectives
in 1892. The mill was shut down in the mid 1980s, and today is the site of the Waterfront, a large retail complex. But large smokestacks, a pump house, and this tank remain as a tribute to the workers of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works.
Overall view of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works as it looked in 1989 after it was shut down. (Public domain photo by Jack Boucher, Historical American Engineering Record).
Another photo from 1989 of the shuttered Homestead steel mill. (Public domain photo by Jet Lowe, Historical American Engineering Record).
Rusty rooftops on the idled Homestead works in one more picture from 1989. (Public domain photo by Martin Stupich, Historical American Engineering Record).
The Carrie Furnaces, on the Monongahela River between Rankin and Swissvale, PA, made the hot iron that went across the still existing "Hot Metal Bridge" to the Homestead Works of U.S. Steel. Fortunately, they have escaped the
wrecking ball.
Another view of the Carrie Furnaces, which were constructed around a century ago. On the left is the ore bridge, to the right of that are the furnaces and the draft stack, and on the right is the powerhouse. A portion of the Hot Metal Bridge
rises in the foreground. This is not to be confused with the Hot Metal Bridge down the river at the South Side, which served J&L, not USS.
On the left are Carrie Furnace No. 6 and No. 7 and associated hot blast plant, in front of those sits the coke storage bin, in the lower center is the ore yard, on the right is the ore bridge, and finally the Hot Metal Bridge is in the background.
This gentleman, standing in the cast house of Carrie Furnace No. 6, explains the furnace operations to a group on a tour of the furnaces arranged by Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. These retired steelworkers (or ironworkers) really added color
to the tour, which I recommend. He stands next to the hole (arrow) where hot iron flowed into the iron trough.
Coal being barged up the Mon past the Carrie Furnaces, perhaps going to the Clairton Works. To paraphrase the Boss, "My sweet Carrie I'm sinkin' down, here darlin' in Pittsburgh - when I die I don't want part of Heaven; I would not do Heaven's work well. I pray the Devil
comes and takes me to work at the Eliza furnace of J&L."
Inscription on St. Mary Croation Roman Catholic Church in Rankin, PA.
Braddock, PA - a typical Pennsylvania steel town.
Looking out over the industrial section of Braddock, with U.S. steel's Edgar Thompson steel mill in the background.
U.S. Steel's Edgar Thompson mill, where the hot iron is turned into steel slabs, to be sent up the river to the Irvin Works.
The Edgar Thompson blast furnaces.
Braddock and North Braddock, PA.
U.S. Steel's coke ovens at Clairton, PA - the largest coke works in the USA.
Citizens of Clairton, PA coexisting with the coke plant. (Photo courtesy Katrencik Photo Archives)
Ruins of U.S. Steel's Duquesne works at Duquesne, PA. U.S. Steel had three sets of blast furnaces with in a few miles of each other in the Monongahela Valley: Carrie, Edgar Thompson, and Duquesne. Only the
Edgar Thompson furnaces are still in use.
The Cowper stoves for the demolished furnaces at Duquesne. These are gone now as well.
This old slag car is still sitting around the ruins of the Duquesne works. I think Century III Mall is sitting on part of the old slag pile. Where is U.S. Steel is dumping their slag today?
Bruce Mansfield Power Plant, Shippingport, Beaver County, PA.
Neville Island, in the Ohio River, is an industrial district of Pittsburgh. This is the Kosmos Cement plant at one end of the island.
Shenango, Inc. operates the coke ovens on Neville Island.
Operations of Shenango, Sunoco Chemicals, and Calgon Carbon are intertwined in this huge industrial complex.
The other side of Neville Island is lined with active and abandoned industrial vendors, warehouses, and bulk material storage yards. The economy of the Ohio River seems to have evolved from
heavy manufacturing to the handling of large commodities like aggregates and scrap for recycling.
Although Neville Island is primarily an industrial district, there is a small residential and commercial section, a portion of which is pictured here.
Abandoned National Electric Products factory in Ambridge, PA.
The huge J&L steel mill in Aliqiuppa, PA was still standing when this photo was taken of part of it in 1989. Now this is all gone except for the residences. And the population of Aliquippa
has fallen from 27,000 to approximately 12,000. (Photo courtesy of Dorsett Studios)
J&L Specialty Steel - Midland, PA.
Canonsburg, PA in Washington County.
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Joel Garreau, in his 1981 book "The Nine Nations of North America", called the Rust Belt "The Foundry." He wrote, "The theory goes, then, that the Foundry has priced itself out of the market, with high- priced unionized labor, high land costs, high energy costs, high pollution-control costs, and so forth.
"...Are we really going to do this? Are we really going to walk away from these Foundry cities? Are we really going to try to build them all over again in MexAmerica and Dixie? Do you have any idea of what that's going to cost?"