Iron and steel were Pittsburgh's main industries for nearly a century and a half. The mills along the rivers churned out their products 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It can be said that steel from Pittsburgh mills practically built America. From the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge, steel from Pittsburgh found its way to all corners of the developing nation.

For an informative look into the history of the steel industry
in Western Pennsylvania, visit explorepahistory.com.

<Pittsburgh Historic Image Collection - Steel Mills>

<Pittsburgh Historic Image Collection - J & L Steel Corporation>

<Wikipedia - Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation>

<Wikipedia - Carnegie Steel Company>

<Wikipedia - Edgar Thomson Works>

<Wikipedia - Homestead Steel Works>

<Wikipedia - Homestead Strike (1892)>

<Wikipedia - Carrie Furnace>

<Wikipedia - United States Steel Corporation>

Postcards Featuring Pittsburgh Area Steel Mills

The Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock were one of the many steel
firms in operation along the Monongahela River.

Carnegie Steel's Homestead Works were the largest steel plant in the United States. The mills
were sold by Andrew Carnegie to United States Steel, and operated until the 1970s.
The land once occupied by the Homestead Works is now home to the
Waterfront, a residential and commercial development.

  
Entrance to Carnegie Steel Homestead Works (left) and the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock.

Carnegie Steel Homestead Works

  
Jones and Laughlin Steel on the Southside of Pittsburgh lights up the nights sky.

  
Jones and Laughlin Steel (left) and the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock.