Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area

Newsletter                         
March 2011

What's in Store

  Carpathian Cookery 

  

carpath cookbook

Cookbook of Carpatho-Rusyn and American Favorites.  Produced by The Ethnic Craft Club of Saint John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.  Contains recipes for Christmas Eve Suppers, Traditional Easter Baskets, Ethnic Favorites and much more.  330 pages.

$20 



Spring Heritage Market at the Pump House set for April 23 


 

 

Plans are in the works for the first Spring Heritage Market at the Pump House on April 23. Live music, heritage artists, and ethnic foods are just some of the fun planned! Golden Triangle Bicycle rentals will also have bikes available for riding on part of the Great Allegheny Passage.

If you are interested in being a vendor or renting the Pump House for private functions, email Sherris Moreira or call 412.464.4020, ext. 46.

 

 

  

Donor Appreciation
A special thank you to all of those who recently made donations to Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area

 

Tools

Gerald Dickey
Domenic P. Dozzi
John T. Graham
Bob Grandetty
Francis P. Kownacki
Nick Lackovich
Francis McDonaugh
George Thomas Mendel
Ronald and Irene Niziol
Karen Reid Trettel
Harley N. Trice

 

To learn more,

visit our website.

 

Become a Member 

bost 2  

Membership with Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area includes free admission to our exhibits and museum store discounts, among other benefits. Become a supporting member and receive two tickets for a Carrie Furnace Hard Hat Tour ($50 value).

Visit our website for more information. 

 

 Rivers of Steel Logo

pump house 

 Pump House

Clean Up Day

 

Friends of Rivers of Steel and ROS volunteers are invited to come join us at a clean up day for the Pump House, the nearby Labyrinth site and adjacent grounds.

The clean up is scheduled for 9 AM Friday April 8. Bring your own gloves and work shoes and we'll provide the bags!

For more information, call 412.464.4020, ext. 21.

 

 

 

hammerin5
 

It's Hammer-In Time! 

 Blacksmith Event set for April 16 in Greene County.

    An historic foundry and machine shop in southwestern Pennsylvania will be the site of an annual blacksmithing event - The Hammer-In - jointly sponsored by Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area and its partners in Greene County, Appalachia Blacksmiths Association and the Pittsburgh Area Artist-Blacksmiths Association. 

    "Each year, on the third Saturday of April, blacksmiths from western Pennsylvania, northwestern Maryland and West Virginia convene at the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop for the Hammer-In," said August R. Carlino, CEO & PresideMachine Shop Exteriornt of the Steel Industry Heritage Corporation, which manages Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. "This event includes tours of the historic facility with the antique machinery in operation, plus blacksmithing demonstrations." 

    SIHC will host the blacksmiths' annual Hammer-In at the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing, PA. 9 AM to 4 PM April 16, 2011. At noon, SIHC, will be holding a ceremonial "ground breaking" when they announce the beginning of Phase One of the historic restoration of the Machine Shop. This phase-which includes the removal of the old roof and its complete replacement as well as the completion of an Architectural Design and Restoration Plan - is being paid in part with a Save America's Treasures grant, along with the support of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 

    "This will provide considerable stabilization and protection to the Machine Shop while we work on raising funds for the remaining restoration," Carlino said, adding that SIHC will also acknowledge public officials in attendance for their continued support with the SAT grant and of the restoration of the machine shop.

    W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop, 120 Water Street, Rices Landing, PA, was described by an expert of The Smithsonian Institute as "one of the most rare and unique historic machine facilities in the United States."  Located in southwest Pennsylvania near Waynesburg, the more-than-century-old foundry is located on the Monongahela River with machinery and tools dating to 1870. Restoration of the historic site began under the auspices of the Greene County Historical Society and it continues under the guidance of SIHC. Following the ground breaking, there will be an auction at 1 p.m. of a variety of handcrafted iron work and a picnic-style luncheon with proceeds from both going toward the continued restoration of the foundry and machine shop. Located by a large pier, visitors can also enjoy the first day of fishing nearby the event. For more information, click here or call 412.464.4020, ext. 32. 

Still Time to Sign Up for Cultural Heritage Workshops

Take classes such as Pittsburgh's Food Treasures or Digital Photo Safari, among others. Workshops will be offered Saturdays through May 16. Each two-hour workshop includes light refreshments. Bring a friend or family member and make a morning of it! Limited seating so sign up online now!

 

Cultural Workshop Schedule:

 

Repurposing Your Handheld Heirlooms

10 AM to noon April 2, at The Bost Building, Homestead; $40

 

Here Comes the Bride: Pittsburgh Wedding Rituals

10 AM to noon April 9, at The Bost Building, Homestead; $40

 

Beginning Digital Photography

10 AM to noon May 7, at The Bost Building, Homestead; $40

 

Digital Photo Safari

10 AM to noon May 14, at The Pump House, Munhall; $50

 

For more information, click here or call 412.464.4020, ext. 32.  

 

Special Speakers for Carrie Furnace  

Hard Hat Tours in 2011   

Two special guests will provide a unique look at the Carrie Furnace site this summer. Regional Artist Tim Kaulen who was the driving force behind the popular deer head sculpture at the Carrie Furnace site will speak about the project at noon April 30. Global deer headhorticulturist Rick Darke will also be presenting "Carrie Furnace in Global Context: New Parks and Gardens Forged from Industrial Landscapes" at 6 p.m. Friday, June 17 at the Pump House in The Waterfront and will lead a special tour of Carrie Furnace at noon Saturday, June 18. Public dates for Carrie Furnace Hard Tours are April 30, May 21, June 18, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. Learn about the furnaces, constructed in 1906, that were at the heart of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works. At one time, the furnaces produced more than 1,000 tons of iron a day. Now, these 92-foot-tall structures stand as sentinels to our region's steel heritage. The tours are approximately 1.5 hours long. Gift Certificates are available. For more information, click here or call 412.464.4020, ext. 32.      

   

Routes to Roots

Exploring the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area

(Excerpts from the "Routes to Roots" Driving Guide)roots

 

Mount Saint Peter Roman Catholic Church

100 Freeport Road, New Kensington, Pa

Heritage Area Location: Armstrong County; 724.335.9877 

The Richard Beatty Mellon Mansion in Pittsburgh was being demolished just as Mount St. Peter was being constructed. The year was 1941 and John Stanish, a long-time Mellon employee and friend to the New Kensington Italian community, helped save parts of the Beatty mansion for reuse in the church, including marble columns and flooring, thick wooden banisters, stained-glass windows, alabastar fixtures and cast-iron doors - became the church's gains...In addition to the many Mellon artifacts, there is a red Verona marble pulpit commissioned by Andrew Carnegie but left crated for years in the basement of the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and a 19th-century painting, Behold the Lamb of God, that first graced the Vatican and then the original Heinz Chapel on Pittsburgh's North Side.
Open for tours Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, the church is located in New Kensington in the Alle-Kiski Route of the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, which is the "Mosaic of Industry" journey area. This encompasses Armstrong County and northern Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Aluminum grew to world prominence here. Plate glass was perfected here, and support industries for steel - refractory brickmaking, foundries, limestone quarries - flourished here. The Routes to Roots driving guide is available at the Rivers of Steel Museum Shop located at 623 E. 8th Ave., Homestead.    

 COLLECTORS: The Exhibitcollectors

Come check out the latest exhibit at The Bost Building, 623 E. 8th Ave., Homestead, sponsored by Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. Collections of steel industry enthusiasts include buttons, hats, steel objects, signage, watches and much, much more. The exhibit runs through August. Learn more in next month's newsletter!  

 

 In the News

 
 

 

Have you read a story or written a blog about Carrie Furnace or Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area? Let us know and we may include it in our next newsletter! Email smoreira@riversofsteel.com   

 

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