Carrie Furnace is a retired

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

located along the Monongahela River in the

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

area industrial town of Swissvale, Pennsylvania. It was one of the structures comprising the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron per day. All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 to 1978, and its hot metal bridge (not to be confused with the Hot Metal Bridge farther downstream). The furnaces, designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 2006, are among the only pre-World War II 20th century blast furnaces to survive. The site is currently managed by the nonprofit Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation, which conducts tours and other programs from May through October.

History, topography, and environmental concerns

The timeline below portrays the history of Carrie Furnace. Carrie Furnace is located along the Monongahela River, with 135 acres located on the north bank of the river and 33 acres on the south bank. The site, however, is not readily accessible as it is enclosed by railroad tracks. The surrounding areas include Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Whitaker, and Munhall. After the Park Corporation purchased the site from U.S. Steel in 1988, both parties agreed to address the environmental concerns. In 2005, Allegheny County purchased the land from Park Corps. for $5.75 million. Underground fuel storage tanks were removed in 1994 along with two above ground fuel storage units. In addition,

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

from the buildings was removed. The soil was contaminated with PCBs and sulfates. Environmental assessment of the site has been conducted in two phases. The first phase was completed in 2007 and the second is currently underway. * 1881 Carrie Furnace is built * 1892 Homestead Strike * 1898 Site purchased by

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

* 1901 Incorporated into U.S. Steel * 1978 Shutdown * 1988 Sold to Park Corporation * 2005 Sold to Allegheny County for $5.75 million * 2006 Furnaces 6 and 7 were designated a

Image:Carrie Furnace030.jpg, Monongahela River and Pinkerton's Landing Bridge in foreground Image:CRW_4839.jpg, A View on the Hot Blast Stoves Image:Carrie1Furnace.jpg, Blast Furnace #7, surrounded by ancillary structures left in a state of arrested decay

Future development

Partners in the redevelopment of Carrie Furnace include Allegheny County, several nearby municipalities, and the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation. These organizations seek to preserve the remaining industrial structures while utilizing the site for economic development. The redevelopment plan is mixed-use as it contains plans for commercial and residential development, as well as light industrial manufacturing. Housing, office buildings, a hotel, a conference center, transportation center, and a museum are included in the plan. For example, the hot metal rail bridge that connected Carrie Furnace to Homestead Works is to be converted into an automobile bridge, which will allow access to the site. The bridge also connects the site to The Waterfront – a retail development across the Monongahela River. Additionally, the Rivers of Steel Heritage Corp. is working with Allegheny County on establishing a museum about the history of steel centered on the two blast furnaces still standing on the site.

References

External links

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Travel Channel video 1Travel Channel video 2

Library of Congress Archival Photos of Carrie Furnaces

Flickr Carrie Furnace Group

Post Gazette article

Post Gazette Tour
{{Pittsburgh Ironworks and steel mills in Pennsylvania Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Industrial buildings completed in 1884 Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania Blast furnaces in the United States Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area U.S. Steel Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania 1884 establishments in Pennsylvania

History, topography, and environmental concerns

Future development

See also

References

External links