Want to know what Pittsburgh looked like during its steel industry days? Get a glimpse of our region’s industrial past at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark — stretching between Rankin and Swissvale and towering 92 feet above the Monongahela River. The furnaces, built in 1884, are a remnant of the U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works and a rare example of both 20th century steel dominance and pre-World War II iron-making technology.
Who Is Carrie?
For years, locals wondered about the furnaces’s namesake. In 2023, she was finally found: Carrie Clark, the daughter of William Clark, a key figure in Pittsburgh’s iron industry. She “lit the fires and performed other baptismal services,” according to a 1884 Pittsburgh Daily Post article.
Check out this United Steelworkers Association art inside of the furnace. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)
What Happens at the Carrie Blast Furnaces Today?
The furnaces are a site for festivals, tours, workshops, and soon, several new film sound stages and production offices. Check out these ongoing events and opportunities:
- 🛠️ The Industrial Tour takes visitors through the site while explaining iron-making technology.
- 🎨 The Arts and Grounds Tour explores how the site has become a muse for artists, sculptors, filmmakers, and the like.
- 📣 The Black Experience Tour shares stories of Black people during the Great Migration who took on some of the most difficult roles at the mill.
- 🔥 Every October, Rivers of Steel celebrates industrial arts with the Festival of Combustion featuring hands-on activities, demos, and tours.
- 📸 Attend workshops like blacksmithing basics, photo safari, aluminum casting, and graffiti & style writing.
- 💕 Book the furnaces as the background for your event. A post-industrial themed wedding, anyone?
🎬 Learn more about the film boom at the furnace in this episode of the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast.
