Rust Belt Photo Gallery by Beth at pbase.com

Rust Belt

These photos were taken in Western Pennsylvania which lies in the middle of the rusting industrial northeast/mid-west. Visiting these sites is like visiting the remains of a battlefield after war, the sad quiet of a cemetery or the remains of an abandoned church! A little history puts it in perspective-- Approximately 35,000 workers a year were killed annually in work-related accidents from 1880 to 1900. Injured workers totaled another 536,000. Between 1905 and 1920, there were an average of 2000 fatal accidents in the coal mining industry every year. Before 1920 about one in every four non-farm children under fourteen worked full-time. Before the 1930s less than half of Americans received more than a grade school education. If you would like to see photos of these buildings or ones like them in their heyday, go to http://www.history.ohio-state.edu/projects/PittsburghSurvey/SteelWorkers/atwork.htm . Or to see how steel is made today go to http://www.ltvsteel.com/htmfiles/diagram2.htm .

Homestead Works - What Remains (stacks, chimney, )	Monument to Homestead Steel Strike (To read about the Homestead strike go to http://www.publassist.com/steel%20hist.html )	Ghosts of Duquesne - Abandoned Mill
Jewel in the Rough - This refurbished train station in Homestead now serves as a police station.(railroad tracks)	This former site of the Duquesne Works now growing up to weeds	Stoves - a closer view (red in the corner is an electricity generator brought in to assist in demolition)
Closer still (stoves, steel mill, furnace)	Flotsam & jetsam of industry (trash, garbage)	It's hard to show the immensity of these stoves w/ photography
Or to portray the immensity of this mill in a photograph.	These look like window boxes, but are coal hoppers or part of an old slab caster	Ancillary Building - wish I could tell you what role it played in steel making!
More parts of the stoves that heated air for the blast furnaces.	Destruction at the base of the huge mill.	Photographing old site (photographer, mill, steel, factory)
New life springs from the old site	And life goes on on the other side of the tracks.	Into the mouth of the monster; rail cars came this way
Abandoned mill stairs (steel, Duquesne,)	Abandoned mill...	Furnace Dump
Hole in the Wall

comment |

byron		31-Jul-2012 20:24
As a boy growing up in Duquesne, the mill was always apart of our lives. My Dad (Leonard Hightower) worked most of his adult life in or around Dorthy 6. I now live in North Carolina, but I will always claim "The Duke" as home. Red & White forever. Byron - Class of 1980

Guest		06-Apr-2010 14:42
The church in the background of the picture is the old Holy Trinity Church which closed in 1969 when they moved to a new building up the hill in West Mifflin. Holy Name is further to the right of this picture.

Beth		03-Dec-2009 00:30
Jamal, I included a lot more info with these photos than most galleries include!! Did you read the comments at the bottom? You'll find lots of info there as well. Do some research and you'll find out that much of the industrial US folded in the past 30-40 years. The steel mills in Pittsburgh closed down in the late 70's and early 80's. Be just a bit more curious and you'll find answers you need for your report. I was a teacher, so you are barking up the wrong tree!!

jarmal		02-Dec-2009 16:21
im a student in middle school and these pictures didnt help me at all my name i sjarmal and you dont give any information to help wwith my research you should include why they weer abaonded and when they we made and left... -jarmal 09'

jarmal		02-Dec-2009 16:18
im a student in middle school and these pictures didnt help me at all my name i sjarmal and you dont give any information to help wwith my research you should include why they weer abaonded and when they we made and left... -jarmal 09'

Beth		18-Nov-2009 18:35
I remember well right after I came to Pittsburgh in 1973, riding across the Liberty Bridge on a Pat Bus on my way to work in Mt. Lebanon (I worked in an ARC Preschool back then), before morning's light, I would look up the Mon River to see Jones and Laughlin Mills in full operation....I believe. The skies would glow yellow and orange from the heat of the blast furnaces and mist hung in the skies around the mills in the early morning. I remember thinking how beautiful it was! Little did I know that in less than 10 years most of it would be gone! I dreamed of photographing it then, but didn't have the time or equipment to do it. When I had the equipment, it was gone! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to read all of the comments about the mills and the 'rust belt' below. Keep them coming! I don't live in Pittsburgh anymore, but visit once a year anyway. Maybe one of these days I'll get into one of the functioning mills to take some photos. I would love to! What a history we've kissed good-bye! A couple of years ago Eugene Smith's photo essay on Pittsburgh hung at the Carnegie Museum and it was a tribute to working Pittsburgh shot in the 1950's! If it ever comes again, don't miss it! Or do a search online for 'Dream Street,' his name for the exhibit. I'm sure that some of it is still there! (photos and places) Thank you for all the comments, but don't stop! If you've had any experience in the mills or know someone who has or just remember seeing it fully functional, please leave your comments!

Bill		02-Jun-2009 01:54
I too come from a long family tradition of working for US Steel that stopped with my father's generation due to the collapse of the steel industry. What was left of the Duquesne Works was torn down by US Steel in the last year or two to make room for more development of the site into an "RIDC Park." To be honest, I'm glad it was torn down. I wish the rest of the rust belt would be also, with proper memorials and respect paid of course. I'm not suggesting we forget. I live here. I pass the Homestead and Duquesne Works sites every day. I don't want to look at the rust belt and constantly be reminded of what times were like and what times are NOT like now. I would give anything to have the "good ol' days" back. I would love to have worked in one of these monster mills.

robert corwin		03-May-2009 19:38
I love you photos, I am from Cleveland Oh BUt spent much time in the Pitts. area. I remember this mill, as we often drove past it on our way to Kennywood. Its hard to decribe what thouse mills looked like when in operation, mid-evile. It is sad that the kidsof today have no idea just how powerfull the Mon. Valley once was. Keep up the great work............

Beth		01-Aug-2008 18:59
From Beth: I am thinking of printing some of these photos and including some of the comments left by visitors who have seen the gallery. Please leave a comment if you wish to make a statement about how these images effect you; what you remember of the history of these places, etc. Also email me with permission to use the comments in print at cokids@hughes.net. Thanks, Beth

tomt		31-Jul-2008 22:34
I worked in the Duquesne mill from September 1964 until Novemer 1984. Operated cranes in bar mills, then worked in Maintenance Planning, and finally in Maintenance Utilities as a stationary engineer. One of your previous guests states he is the son of Joe Gall. Joe and I worked together from 1973 til 1976. He was operator in high purity oxygen plant and I was operator in low purity oxygen plant. The plants were owned and operated by Union Carbide, using U.S.Steel labor. Many fond memories of my days in the mill and was proud of the fact we produced the world's highest quality 1020 carbon steel. In the bar mills, we rolled gun barrels for use in Viet Name, car axles for Detroit, and drill bits for oil exploration. We furnished the concrete reinforcing bar for the Aswan Dam in Egypt, and the armor plating to replentish the Israelies after their Six Day War. It's a shame the mill no longer exists.

tomt		31-Jul-2008 22:34
I worked in the Duquesne mill from September 1964 until Novemer 1984. Operated cranes in bar mills, then worked in Maintenance Planning, and finally in Maintenance Utilities as a stationary engineer. One of your previous guests states he is the son of Joe Gall. Joe and I worked together from 1973 til 1976. He was operator in high purity oxygen plant and I was operator in low purity oxygen plant. The plants were owned and operated by Union Carbide, using U.S.Steel labor. Many fond memories of my days in the mill and was proud of the fact we produced the world's highest quality 1020 carbon steel. In the bar mills, we rolled gun barrels for use in Viet Name, car axles for Detroit, and drill bits for oil exploration. We furnished the concrete reinforcing bar for the Aswan Dam in Egypt, and the armor plating to replentish the Israelies after their Six Day War. It's a shame the mill no longer exists.

PaulD		30-Jun-2008 21:51
Like most Duquesne residents, I worked in that mill, as did my dad. First as a boilermaker helper and then as a millwright helper, so I got to see almost every nook and cranny of the place. And, as George S noted, some of those nooks and crannies could be scary mainly from the sheer immensity and intensity of the whole steel making business. But when I worked there I was young enough to foolishly believe myself immortal so I usually liked going in. By the way, that's Holy Name Church in the "life goes on" pic (at least that was the original name) where I took First Holy Communion and Confirmation. Oh, and Go Stillers - an'at.

Beth		01-May-2008 11:51
Wes said, " We all need to fight to bring back good standards in this country and cast the corrupt politicians out of office who are responsible for this rust belt mess. We all need to do just what we can to make America great again," and I agree with him. Is this subversive? Is electing a president from another party UnAmerican? Perhaps we need to elect representatives who are NOT of the current party also? Seems like Congress has caved to this administration and if McCain wins in 08, we can expect policies to remain the same AND for Congress to continue to cave!! I'm not so sure that the Dems can make a difference since they are 'bought' by the same people who 'buy' the Repubs. What do YOU think?

wes		16-Apr-2008 20:15
I grew up in Riverview, Michigan near a large mill called McClouth Steel which my uncle worked at. I remember laying in bed at night looking out the window seeing the sky turn bright orange from the furnaces. It was a heck of a site. McClouth now lays wasting away since it went out of business in 1996. I feel bad every time I drive by it because it once meant prosperity for many. These jobs have been lost and nothing has made up for that as we were all promised. Even worse is that they tore down the furnaces in 2004 and now steel is very profitable again. The plant and furnaces were less than 50 years old when the company went out of business. Too bad they didn't leave things intact I think they could have opened this place back up and it could have been a boom to the area because there are few jobs around here. Times and wages were good for people when these places operated. People could raise their kids instead of working two jobs. Politicians continue to sell us on how much better off we are with globalization but I surely don't see it. I see lower wages and fewer if any benefits with the workers of the "new" low wage service jobs having practically no barganing power to get better wages. When one side has all the advantages this is not capitalism it is a dictatorship. As a country we are headed backwards with wages and benefits going down yearly. We all need to fight to bring back good standards in this country and cast the corrupt politicians out of office who are responsible for this rust belt mess. We all need to do just what we can to make America great again.

Beth		16-Mar-2008 14:13
Georgia, Yes, I remember when Reagan took office and the mills started to close down how awful it was in Pittsburgh! I worked in Turtle Creek at the time (in day care) and had a union organizer amoung the parents. It was a sad and frightening time! We are now off-shoring other industries....food may go soon. How can we survive as a nation with all our major supporting industries owned/run by other countries? And what about our debt largely owned by China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia?

Georgia		16-Mar-2008 01:48
My great grandfather was a steel melter in 1880, when he was 30 years old. His son, my grandfather, also was a steelworker in 1900, when he was 20 years old. I'm not sure where they worked. I came here looking for information on the old old mills. I remember watching the slag flow like lava in the 1950's and 1960's and thinking the mills would be in Pittsburgh forever. How little did I know that by the 1980's it would all be gone. Thank you for the photographs.

guest		12-Mar-2008 18:57
My dad, Joe Gall, worked in this mill from 1948 to 1983. He was oxygen plant operator. I would love to meet someone who knew him. We lived in White Oak and were able to see the sky turn orange from the blast furnace. It's so sad, though...

Staci Autumns		19-Feb-2008 00:41
I grew up in Riverview homes in West Mifflin. My parents house sat directly above the Duquesne works steel mill. I vividly remember the 70's-80's during the hay days of Pittsburgh's steel legacy. I can still remember when the Dorothy 6 blast furnace would go off and light the night up as bright as high noon, and when the rivers were bright orange and the smoke was so intense it looked like a heavy fog in the morning when we walked to school, not to mention the horrible smell of sulfur, which was so intense it kind of burned my eyes. The smoke plumed through the air with enough intensity to block the sun. Funny thing was that this was perfectly normal to me. My grandfather, father, uncles and everyone we knew worked in the mill. Looking back on the whole thing now I think "Wow, that was definitely not good for the environment." But in a strange way I miss those days. I miss 1970's Pittsburgh and everything that went with it. Sure Pittsburgh has been taking serious strides lately to rebuild it's economy and it's image. But it will never be what it once was, the filthiest, smokiest, dirtiest, greatest, wonderful city I've ever lived. Thank you for documenting these places with your extraordinary photos. Without them the younger generation would never understand what built the city of champions. Staci Autumns

Richard		26-Mar-2007 02:02
Thanks for assembling this collection of photos and this web site. You have done some excellent work here. I am Pittsburgh native whose Italian ancestors worked in steel mills and coal mines in and around Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Canton. Although I have not lived in Greater Pittsburgh for many, many years, I still have a deep emotional connection to the area. I revere the memory of my ancestors, many of whom lived in The Hill District of Pittsburgh. Although I am displaced from The Steel City by many miles and many years, I never forget from whence I came.

George S		20-Mar-2007 21:16
I worked in the Duquesne mill from early in 1974 till 1985 - first in the blast furnace area then all over the mill as bricklayer. It was a brutal place to work - intense heat and intense cold - heavy, dirty, and all around scary. You went in every day understanding that you could get maimed or killed. In the end it was a love hate relationship. So many times I would sit in the parking lot above the mill and debate as to whether I could drag myself into work. I look back with a sense of nostagia and loss. There's a boat load of poetry buried waiting to be drawn out.

Francis H.		03-Jan-2006 16:01
Je cherchais des photos de la "rust belt" pour montrer à mes élèves. Vous avez comblé mon souhait avec talent et sensibilté. Merci. Et continuez votre travail qui préserve la mémoire du monde des travailleurs.

Guest		21-Oct-2005 12:59
These are really nice. I live in Pittsburgh and actually used to work in McKeesport inside a "refurbished" mill. I am suprised you were able to avoid security, because a lot of the old mills are guarded or fenced off.

Beth		27-May-2005 13:33
Oh, and I should have added that some of these places no longer exist. I understand that the Duquesne mill has collapsed since 2001 when these shots were taken. What a shame, but I'm glad I got there to document their last days. Beth

Beth		27-May-2005 13:30
Paul, I'm glad you enjoyed this gallery! I'm no longer in W. PA to take this kind of stuff and miss it! What a history! We don't celebrate it enough. Keep taking pictures! Beth

Paul Grilli		27-May-2005 04:47
cowper stoves? good stuff... youngstown ohio born and raised... both sides of my family worked in the mills here.... i spend all of my time creeping around the hulks of the old mills and walking old railroad track taking every picture I can... its nice to see someone who sees the beauty in abandoned industry.... watch for my book....

Don and Jeanne Bork		03-Oct-2003 16:56
WOW!!! these pictures are GREAT!!!! We now live in TX, but are originally from around the Pittsburgh, PA area. My husband worked for Babcock and Wilcox at their Beaver Falls, PA plant, and in looking over your pictures, it makes one sad to see that most of the steel mills have left and are just crumbling reminders of one's livelihood. Also enjoyed looking at all of your other galleries. Great work Beth!!!

Denise Dee		16-Jun-2003 23:48
my mother grew up in homestead, i remember my polish gma saying 'someday there will be no mill' and everyone laughing at her. thanks for the gallery, denise

Guest		30-Apr-2003 01:49
As a young metallurgist, I am quite touched by these photographs. They tell such a valuable story. It is my hope that this history is never forgotten, so that all members of our industry may understand the value of personal safety and environmental cleanliness.

Guest		17-Apr-2003 18:18
Beth: I was recently assign the territory whcih I new as the Rust Belt growing up. I did a search on the web and found your beautiful pictures. I have used them in my market analysis presentation to the company. I am anxious to see how they play with people who never heard of the Rust Belt. Great work.

Gary		03-Jan-2003 12:30
I worked for 11 years in the blast furnace department at Duquesne Works and am always interested in photographs of the plant. Though sad for me as I worked until the last day of operation for Dorothy Six Furnace, I enjoyed your gallery. Would love to see more! Thanks.

Guest		19-Aug-2002 21:04
Didn't know they used big stoves like that to make steel. Glad someone is photographing these before they're gone.

Beth		27-May-2001 02:02
Yes, Colin, it IS depressing. I wanted to document the transformation while the mills are still there to photograph. The decision to let these mills go to rust was devastating to many families in this area...depressing indeed!

Colin		26-May-2001 17:47
Good photos, bit of a depressing topic though. Thanks for the detailed descriptions. Colin@tikka.fsnet.co.uk

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