Looking Back: Rivers of Steel
Courtesy Rivers of Steel
On this postcard, a locomotive and horse carts are pictured in front of the Pennsylvania Station and Hotel Charleroi in 1919.
Courtesy Rivers of Steel
This undated postcard shows Liggett Spring Axel Works in Monongahela. The company produced high-grade carriage and wagon springs and axles. It merged with other companies and became the Combustion Engineering Company, which operated until the 1980s.
A 1952 aerial photo of the U.S. Steel plant in Donora.
The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area was created by Congress in 1996, to preserve, interpret and manage the historical, cultural and national resources dedicated to “Big Steel” and its related industries. The area encompasses eight Western Pennsylvania counties, including Washington, Allegheny, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland. The program is multifaceted, and incorporates a museum in the historic Bost Building in Homestead. They also have a vast archive of historic photos and documents. We reached out to them for some images along the Monongahela River Valley. For more information, including a full list of programming and events, visit riversofsteel.com.