The Phoenix Iron Works (1855: Phoenix Iron Company; 1949: Phoenix Iron & Steel Company; 1955: Phoenix Steel Corporation), located in

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek an ...

, was a manufacturer of

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and related products during the 19th and 20th centuries. Phoenix Iron Company was a major producer of

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

for the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The company also produced the Phoenix column, an advance in construction material. Company facilities are a core component of the Phoenixville Historic District, a

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

site that was in 2006 recognized as a historic landmark by ASM International.

History

Founded in 1790 to produce nails and purchased in 1812 by

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

industrialist Robert Waln, the Phoenix Iron Company (later renamed the Phoenix Iron Works) produced

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.05%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4.5%), or 0.25 for low carbon "mild" steel. Wrought iron is manufactured by heating and melting high carbon cast iron in an ...

, and other iron-related materials and end products. As the complex grew, it featured a huge

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 ...

and

puddling furnace Puddling is the process of converting pig iron to bar (wrought) iron in a coal fired reverberatory furnace. It was developed in England during the 1780s. The molten pig iron was stirred in a reverberatory furnace, in an Redox, oxidizing enviro ...

, an adjacent iron

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

, warehouses, ancillary buildings, and associated equipment. In 1825, the company was the first to generate steam by burning

anthracite coal Anthracite, also known as hard coal and black coal, is a hard, compact variety of coal that has a submetallic lustre. It has the highest carbon content, the fewest impurities, and the highest energy density of all types of coal and is the highe ...

. Other innovations followed. Engineers at the foundry invented a power-driven rolling method to weld and forge wrought iron, a process that enabled the iron company to begin producing cannon for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. In the late 20th century, the company declined along with the steel and iron industry of Pennsylvania. By 1984, production in Phoenixville had ceased. In 1986, the new management of the renamed Phoenix Steel Corporation announced plans to close its remaining production plants in

Claymont, Delaware Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans Creek where i ...

. The following year, the rolling mill closed, all production of steel ceased, Phoenix made its last shipment of steel, and its remaining production and maintenance employees were laid off. Throughout 1987, a number of investors approached Phoenix about acquiring the Claymont mill, and in 1988, Phoenix sold it to CITIC, a state-owned investment company of the People's Republic of China for $13 million. A new corporation, CitiSteel, was formed to operate the facility. CitiSteel refurbished and modernized the plant, spending $25 million to convert Claymont from a "specialty mill" that produced various low-volume, high-cost steels for specific uses to a "minimill" using technologically advanced equipment to mass-produce a few types of steel at high volume and low cost. In 1998, the Phoenixville Area Economic Development Corporation (PAEDCO) took ownership of the building. Under the guidance of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, PAEDCO undertook exterior renovations and constructed the Schuylkill River Heritage Center which occupies 1,600 sq.ft. of the historic Foundry Building. The museum tells the story of the Phoenix Iron & Steel Company and also provides information about the industrial legacy of the Schuylkill River.(www.phoenixvillefoundry.org) The Hankin Group acquired the Phoenix Foundry property from PAEDCO in 2006 to create an event space. , the Phoenix Steel site is empty. Most of its buildings were dismantled. Only the old foundry and company office buildings remain from the once-sprawling complex; both have been restored and put to other uses.

Products

Besides the Griffen Gun and the Phoenix Column, the company produced iron for rails for the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, also known as the "Pennsy," was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At its ...

and other eastern railroad lines, wrought iron for fencing and home decorative usage, and similar applications, as well as steel products. The

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

used puddled iron from Phoenixville.

Griffen Gun

In 1855 John Griffen Jr. (1812-1884) developed the famous Griffen Gun while he was at the Safe Harbor Iron Works, a large rolling mill, located in Safe Harbor, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania) and was operated by the firm Reeves, Abbott & Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1855, the Phoenix Iron Works (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania) foundry began producing six-pounder

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

artillery pieces known as Griffen Guns, after inventor John Griffen Jr. (1812-1884). Hundreds were turned out before production shifted in 1861 to other Griffen designs. Company owner Daniel Reeves spent much money on equipment and processes to modernize the factory and make it one of America's leading producers of iron and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

. During the Civil War, the factory manufactured over 1,000 Griffen-designed 3-inch Ordnance rifles, the lion's share of the more than 1,400 similar guns eventually bought by the Army (''see

Field Artillery in the American Civil War Field artillery in the American Civil War refers to the artillery weapons, equipment, and practices used by the Field Artillery Branch (United States), artillery branch to support Infantry in the American Civil War, infantry and Cavalry in the ...

''). Produced by the company's unique rolling process, the wrought iron barrels were durable and resisted bursting, unlike the

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

gun tubes of Phoenixville's smaller competitors. At its peak, the factory was producing fifty rifles a week. Many of these rifled guns are in private collections, municipal parks, and at battlefields across the country, including the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot & at Knoxlyn Ridge ...

. They are distinguished by the letters PIC (for Phoenix Iron Company) stamped on the muzzle.

Phoenix column

The Phoenix Column, patented by Samuel Reeves in 1862, was a hollow cylinder composed of four, six, or eight wrought iron segments riveted together. The resulting column was much lighter and stronger than the solid cast iron columns of the day. It allowed the construction of massive structures by lightening their load-bearing walls. Taller buildings could be built on narrow urban plots, advancing the development of the

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

and high-stress-load-bearing bridges.

Phoenix Bridge Company

The success of the Phoenix column led to the formation of a construction subsidiary named Clarke, Reeves & Co. Later renamed the Phoenixville Bridge Works and finally the Phoenix Bridge Company, the firm ultimately built some 4,200 bridges, primarily

truss railway bridges. Phoenix Bridge helped build the Manhattan Bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

, and the Calhoun Street Bridge, between

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

, and Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and projects as far away as

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In 1900, the Bridge Company was awarded the contract for the

Quebec Bridge The Quebec Bridge () is a road, rail, and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy, Quebec City, Sainte-Foy (a former suburb that in 2002 became the arrondissement Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge in Quebec Cit ...

across the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

, which collapsed while under construction in 1907. Despite the blow to its reputation, Phoenix Bridge lived on for another half-century, ultimately closing in 1962. A number of the company's works are listed on the U.S.

. Works include: * Boston University Bridge, between

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

and

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

built in 1927. * Bridge in West Fallowfield Township, Ross Fording Road over Octoraro Creek, near Steelville, West Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania, NRHP-listed * Bridge in Upper Frederick Township, Fagleysville Rd. over Swamp Creek, Fagleysville, Pennsylvania (Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * Brocton Arch, jct. of Main St. with Lake and Highland Aves.,

Brocton, New York Brocton is a Village (New York), village in Chautauqua County, New York, Chautauqua County, New York (state), New York, United States. The name was derived by combining the names "Brockway" and "Minton", two prominent local families. The populatio ...

(Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * County Line Bowstring, over West Creek, Northwest of Hollis, Hollis, Kansas, and Wayne, Kansas (Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * Etters Bridge, Green Lane Dr. and Yellow Breeches Creek, Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, and Lower Allen Township, Pennsylvania (Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * Phoenix Bridge, Northwest of Eagle Rock off Virginia 615 over Craig Creek, Eagle Rock, Virginia (Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * Trenton City/Calhoun Street Bridge, spans Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and

(Phoenix Bridge Co.), NRHP-listed * Mill City Oregon Railroad Bridge, now a pedestrian bridge. A Phoenix Column bridge, manufactured in 1888, moved to San Jose, CA then Lake Oswego Oregon then to Mill City Oregon, Installed 1919. Abandoned by Southern Pacific railroad around 1967 and used as a pedestrian and bike bridge. Current restoration being undertaken by 'Save our Bridge" * Dingman's Ferry Bridge, in Dingman Township, Pennsylvania and Sandyston Township, New Jersey was built in 1900 using Phoenix columns and other steel from another Phoenix bridge * Raven Rock Road Bridge, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, built in 1878, NRHP-listed Works in Brazil: * Complexo FEPASA, in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. The railway workshop shed structure was bought in 1890. *Recife's Bridge at Capibaribe river, was built in 1884.

Gallery

Image:Phoenix Iron Works Foundry Building.jpg, Restored Phoenix Iron Works foundry building.
Image:Phoenix Iron Co. Office.jpg, Restored company office building.
Image:Phoenix column bridge.jpg, Bridge on the Works site, crossing French Creek (once carrying a spur from the Pickering Valley Railroad), constructed with Phoenix columns.
File:County Line Bowstring from SE.jpg, County Line Bowstring near Hollis, Kansas
THE PHOENIX BRIDGE CO Rio Rehue 2.JPG, Disused railway bridge, Rehue river,

Angol Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the ...

THE PHOENIX BRIDGE CO Rio Rehue 1.JPG, Disused railway bridge, Rehue river,

Notes

References

Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation, Smithsonian National Museum of American History
* Cole, Philip, ''The 3" Ordnance Rifle'', ''CHARGE!'' magazine, Issue 13, 2006. * Hazlett, James C.; Olmstead, Edwin; and Parks, M. Hume; ''Field Artillery Weapons of the Civil War.''

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois System. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...

, 2004. . * Martino, Vincent Jr.; ''Phoenixville.''

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American Publishing, publisher of neighborhood, local history, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs th ...

, 2002. .

External links

* * * * * * *
Phoenix Bridge Company projects on StructuraeAlbum of designs of the Phoenixville Bridge-Works / by Clarke, Reeves & Co., 1873 Album of designs of the Phoenix Bridge Company : successors to Clarke, Reeves & Co., Phoenixville Bridge Works., 1885
{{Authority control Companies based in Chester County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania in the American Civil War American companies established in 1790 History of science and technology in the United States Bridge companies Historic American Engineering Record in Pennsylvania 1790 establishments in Pennsylvania Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States 1812 establishments in Pennsylvania Construction and civil engineering companies established in 1812 American companies established in 1812 Manufacturing companies established in 1790 Defunct manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania