Carrie Furnace

Carrie Blast Furnace Number 6 and 7
Carrie Furnace
Carrie Furnace is located in Pennsylvania
Carrie Furnace
Carrie Furnace is located in the United States
Carrie Furnace
LocationNorthern side of the Monongahela River 0.5 miles west of the Rankin Bridge in Munhall, Rankin, and Swissvale
Coordinates40°24′47.09″N 79°53′24.28″W / 40.4130806°N 79.8900778°W / 40.4130806; -79.8900778
Area168 acres (68 ha)
Built1884
NRHP reference No.06001070[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPSeptember 20, 2006
Designated NHLDSeptember 20, 2006
Designated PHLF1989[2]

Carrie Furnace is a former blast furnace located along the Monongahela River in the Pittsburgh area industrial town of Swissvale, Pennsylvania, and it had formed a part of the Homestead Steel Works. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and they operated until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron per day.[3] All that is left of the site are furnaces #6 and #7, which operated from 1907 to 1978,[4] and its hot metal bridge (not to be confused with the Hot Metal Bridge farther downstream). The furnaces, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006, are among the only pre-World War II 20th century blast furnaces to survive.[5]

The site is currently managed by the nonprofit Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation, which conducts tours and other programs from May through October.

Location: Size: Features: Owner: Current Use Past Use: Contaminants: Total Actual Cost
Allegheny County, PA 168 Acres Large Parcel, Flat Land, and Riverfront Location Allegheny County Vacant Land Blast furnace PCBs, Sulfates $70–$100 million to convert Carrie Furnace #6 & #7 into a Steel Heritage Museum and Allegheny County has projected that the environmental clean-up would cost between $3–$5 million
  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Historic Landmark Plaques 1968-2009 (PDF). Pittsburgh, PA: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  3. ^ "Carrie Furnace Case Study" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "Rivers Of Steel". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  5. ^ "NHL nomination for Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved April 7, 2017.