Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Rivers of Steel National Heritage Corp.

PITTSBURGH — Many people know that about 100 years ago, Pittsburgh was a powerhouse in the commercial and industrial world.

The city has been cleaned up since then, and even though most of the steel mills are gone, the history has not been erased.

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The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Corp. has preserved many industrial landmarks, including the Carrie Furnaces at the former U.S. Steel Homestead Works.

"We made the American 20th century right here," said Ron Baraff, director of historic resources and facilities for Rivers of Steel.

The blast furnaces churned out as many as 1,000 tons of iron every day until they were shut down over 30 years ago.

“The Iron that was produced here became the steel that goes into the Panama Canal, into the Empire State Building, into the USS Missouri, into the USS Oregon and so on.  It really is the iron that built America,” said Baraff.

Rivers of Steel helped save the furnaces from being demolished.

Instead, they are preserved as pieces of history for future generations.

“One of the reasons I brought them here is this idea of what made Pittsburgh the way it is today,” said Steve Baleno, an eighth-grade teacher at Shaler Area Middle School.

The students were given a firsthand account of a day in the life of a steel worker from Jim Kapusta, who is a retired steelworker himself.

“I think our heritage means a lot to us in the city … I hope when they walk away, they found out that hard work doesn’t hurt them,” Kapusta said.

Tours of the Carrie Blast Furnaces are offered on Fridays and Saturdays during the months of May through October.

The site is also being used for special events, and even hosted its first wedding this month!

For more information, CLICK HERE.

WPXI