images © Dennis A. Hubbs, D&D Travel Services, LLC

A great weekend getaway from the Northeast, "Steelstacks" - an historical and entertainment venue in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, sits on the site of the old Bethlehem Steel Company. The plant was founded in 1857 and the last furnaces were shut down in November of 1995. The two tallest stacks are more than 230 feet in height and the entire plant stretches almost a quarter mile! Furnaces produced between 2600 and 3000 tons of iron per day, most of which was used to make steel. At one point, seven furnaces were in operation! Today, the site is a great tourist attraction as well as a music and entertainment/event venue. Depending upon the route taken, the site is only a 3 to 4 hour drive from the Hartford, CT area...

Rather than demolish the old mill site, the City of Bethlehem, Bethlehem Area School District and the County of Northampton, in 1999, set up a TIF (Tax Incremental Financing) district on the site so that future tax revenue from new businesses would go toward revitalizing the former steel complex...and the results are awesome, as you are seeing! Tours are also offered from the visitor center on site.

Along the elevated walkway - built along the Hoover Mason Trestle (used as a narrow-gauge railway) - visitors can see the old steelworks up close. The path stretches almost the entire front portion of the mill site and access is free via stairs or elevator. The walkway is 46 feet tall and 2000 feet long and is owned by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Bethlehem. Free parking is located just opposite at 711 First Street, Bethlehem. This is a part of American manufacturing history that should not be missed!

One of the old ore-carrying rail cars - Number 2 - sits quietly in rusty retirement along the walkway...

Eerily silent now, you can imagine the activity once here, with thousands of employees producing steel that went into our bridges, skyscrapers and even ships of the US Navy, helping to win two world wars!

An historical view of the stacks from a cemetery nearby...

Imagine the noise...and heat generated during the heyday of the steel mill!!

The area comes alive at night, especially during musical fests and other events, with the stacks being lighted! There is a movie theater complex, restaurants, art galleries and much more opposite the old plant! More details on Steelstacks can be had at: www.steelstacks.org

Thanks for browsing...Come back soon!  - D&D

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