Bethlehem Steel: the Steel That Built America

The doors to the steelworks in Bethlehem,grow through acquisition, buying steel companies
Pennsylvania closed for the last time in 1995,on the Pacific coast as well as McClintic-Marshall
bringing to an end 140 years of steel-making inCorp., a major bridge and building construction
the town. Although no longer in its spiritual home,company. This was the golden era for American
Bethlehem Steel continues to produce Steel, butconstruction and Bethlehem Steel was responsible
its major production facility is now based in Burnsfor such landmark constructions as: the Golden
Harbor, Indiana. The company has had its ups andGate Bridge, U.S. Supreme Court, Rockefeller
downs, has been involved in providing steel forPlaza, Waldorf-Astoria and the George Washington
the construction of many railroads, bridges andBridge.
iconic buildings throughout America and was theDuring World War II Bethlehem Steel shifted all its
forerunner in the production of the steel girdersproduction into military hardware, employing close
used to build skyscrapers.on 300,000 workers of which 180,000 were
The first steel produced in Bethlehem was at thedirectly involved in ship-building. Post-war, the
Saucona Iron Company, opened in 1857. Fourcompany returned to producing steel for US
years later the company changed its name to thedomestic projects, as well as the military, and
Bethlehem Iron Company and in 1863 startedcontinued to thrive.
mass production of iron railroad rails, used in theThe 1960s saw steel imported to the USA
building of the Transcontinental Railroad. Over thereaching record levels, but Bethlehem still
next forty years contracts to supply steel werehome-produced steel for such iconic structures as
agreed with the US Navy, and by the time thatMadison Square Garden, Newport Bridge and the
Charles M. Schwab was appointed chairman insecond Delaware Memorial Bridge. In 1973
1904 Bethlehem Steel Corporation not only had aBethlehem Steel reported an income of $207
huge plant in South Bethlehem, but ironworks inmillion, producing record levels of 23.7 million tons
Cuba and shipyards on both US coasts.of raw steel and 16.3million tons of finished steel.
In 1908 the company started production ofThe company continued to thrive, but in the early
wide-flange structural section steel, leading to a1980s imported steel was making more of an
building revolution; those sections being used in theimpact, which forced a radical restructure of
new phenomenon of skyscraper construction. FiveBethlehem Steel, resulting in a halving of the
years later Bethlehem Steel acquired the Foreworkforce over five years in the mid-80s.
Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Mass. to becomeConsolidation followed over the next ten years
one of the country’s largest shipbuilders.and reluctantly the production facility at Bethlehem
World War I provided Bethlehem Steel with a– where it all began – was shut down in
great opportunity to expand. At the start of the1995.
conflict the company had an annual productionToday, Bethlehem has recovered from the loss
capacity of 1.1 million tons and employed 15,600of its steelworks and is undergoing an economic
workers. By 1925, after supplying armor, ships,and cultural renaissance. Hotels in Bethlehem once
ordnance, guns and munitions for the US andused by those who had business at the
Allied Forces during and immediately after thesteelworks are now re-inventing themselves as
war, annual production grew to 8.5 million tons andtourist and conference centers. The steel may be
the company’s workforce had grown tolong gone in Bethlehem, but the entrepreneurial
60,000.spirit of its citizens is alive and well.
In the early thirties Bethlehem Steel continued to