Rivers of Steel

A multifaceted program, the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area's mission includes historic preservation, cultural conservation, education, recreation, and resource development. The Heritage Area has bills in Congress to create the Homestead Works National Park. The proposed park would be located on 38 acres surrounding the Carrie Furnaces, the last of the giant blast furnaces from the Homestead Works, and the Pump House, the site of the bloody 1892 Homestead Steel Strike.

From 1875 to 1980, southwestern Pennsylvania was the Steel-Making Capital of the World, producing the steel for some of America's greatest icons, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. During World Wars I and II, our steel workers carried a nation's defense on their backs, producing more steel, armor, and armaments in a single year than entire countries.

While many of the region's legendary mill sites have been dismantled, and it has been decades since the mills belched fire and smoke over Pittsburgh's skyline, the enormity of the region's steel-making contributions and its historical significance to the nation demand its story be told and its sites be preserved.

Rivers of Steel was created by the Congress in 1997 and has transformed from industry to high technology and diversified services. It bolsters the new regional economy by promoting tourism and economic development based on this region's historic industrial saga.