Carrie Furnace

Discussion 6 posts |  Only members can post. Join?

About Carrie Furnace

"Carrie furnace" is the name given to a series of 7 Iron making Blast furnaces situated on the North bank of the Monongahela river in Rankin and Swissvale, PA.
The Fownes Brothers owned the Carrie furnace company. In 1883 William Clark Sons & co. built the first Carrie furnace at Rankin on 36 acres purchased from John Adams. The first furnace had been removed from Port Washington, Ohio and rebuilt in Rankin. Blown in on Feb. 29, 1884, It produced 100 tons of pig iron a day. Superintendent Martin H. Thompson. Carrie furnace co. built a second furnace between 1888-1889. Blown in on July 19, 1889 There were four Massick & Cook fire brick stoves, each 70' X 19.5' ore; Lake Superior; Product, mill, foundry and Bessemer Pig Iron. Total annual capasity 75,000 tons in 1900.
On Nov. 18, 1897 Mr. H.C. Frick was visited by Mr. Fownes of the Carrie furnace Co. who offered to sell the furnaces to Carnegie steel co. The furnaces were producing 575 tons of pig iron per day, 170,000 tons a year. Frick convinced Carnegie and agreed to buy Carrie
for $750,000 ($50,000 in cash and the balance in 7 annual payments at 3.6% interest)
Carnegie managers approved the sale on 22 Feb. 1898.
Next Cariegie Steel Co. built two more in (3 & 4)1900, one in 1903 (5) and the last two ( 6 & 7) in 1907.
Carnegie sold his steel plants to J.P.Morgan in 1901. This was the beginning of U.S.Steel.
Of the existing Furnaces; I've read that #6 was blown in on June 4th and #7 on August 1, 1907.
The # 6 and #7 Blast furnaces stand a proud 92 feet tall over the Mon. River and are made of 2.5" thick steel plate lined with refractory brick. A fine example of early 20th century iron making.
They made the molten iron which was tapped from the base of the furnace from whence it flowed in channels into ladle cars or was poured into "torpedo" or "Cigar" Pollock cars and sent across the hot metal bridge (Built in 1900) to the Homestead works where it was refined into steel. The Furnaces were bought as part of Andrew Carnegie's Steel empire, in the 1890's and sold in 1901 they then became part of the U.S.Steel Corp.
There was a constant push to increase output starting at 500 tons per day in 1907, then 700 tons in 1926 and up to 1,200 tons per day when it was shut down in 1978 for the last time. It closed in 1982.
Materials like iron ore, coke, and limestone were brought in by barge and rail then piled up in the ore yards by overhead cranes.
In 1983, The Park Corp. of Cleveland,Ohio bought the Homestead Works and Carrie furnaces from U.S.Steel, a total of 311 acres, for 3 Million dollars. Intending to "clear the land for development".
Furnaces #3 and #4, which were built in 1941, were demolished by 1987. Around that time, the Steel Heritage Task force got a court injunction to stop the demolition of the last two furnaces.
Starting in April 1994, Members of the Industrial arts co-op built a series of instillation sculptures using materials found on site. The first was a 60' X 25' Owl. This was taken down by local authorities around December 1994. Also the "Rankin Deer" 45' X 35' built by 6 to 8 artists on Sundays from Oct.1997 to Oct. 1998. www.iaco-op.net/
In 2001 Allegheny County started negotiating with Park Corp. to buy the property. On October 13, 2004 Park Corp. applied for, and received, a permit to finish clearing the property work had just resumed...then, it was stopped.
A deal was finally made. In September of 2005; after having negotiated with Kelly Park for years, Denis Davin, the Allegheny County Director of Economic development, bought 137 acres at the Carrie site for 5.75 Million. (Gov. Ed Rendell gave Allegheny County the money) What was left of the Carrie furnaces won designation as a National Historic Landmark in November 2006 thanks in part to US Representative Mike Doyle.
Money is needed to fix up the site as a Museum.
Allegheny county owns the blast furnaces. Rivers of steel heritage owns the Hot metal bridge.
June 2010 Allegheny county leased Carrie furnaces (16 acres) to Rivers of steel heritage group. Rivers of steel leased the Hot metal bridge to the Counry.
Tours start in August at $25.00 per person. Photo shoots can also be arranged.