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StudyofAlternatives
Western Pennsylvania Region:
Its Landscape, People, and Industry
This report has been prepared to provide Congress and the public with information about the resources in
the study area and how they relate to criteria for parklands applied by the professional staff of the National
Park Service. Publication and transmittal of this report, including any discussion of a preferred course of
action, should not be considered an endorsement or a commitment by the National Park Service to seek or
support either specific legislative authorization for the project or appropriations for its implementation.
Authorization and funding for any new commitments by the National Park Service will have to be
considered in light of competing priorities for existing units of the national park system and other programs.
Rln Printed on Recycled Paper
Study of Alternatives
August 1994
Western Pennsylvania Region:
Its Landscape, People, and Industry
United States Department of the Interior • National Park Service • Denver Service Center
APPROVAL FOR PUBLICATION AND TRANSMITTAL
This study was prepared by the Denver Service Center, National Park Service, at the request of the
Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission and in consultation with the Western
Pennsylvania Heritage Coordination Group. The study has been recommended for publication by the
Partnerships Branch and the Eastern Team of the Denver Service Center. The Western Pennsylvania Heritage
Coordination Group has concurred in that recommendation and approved the document for publication and
transmittal.
RECOMMENDED
Frederick C.K. Babb
Chief, Western Pennsylvania Partnerships, Denver Service Center March 18, 1994
Michael Donnelly
Acting Manager, Eastern Team, Denver Service Center March 18, 1994
CONCURRED
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Randall D. Cooley, Executive Director /
Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission July 26, 1994
B.J. Grifn'n, Regioftal^Director, Mid-Atlantic Region, National Park Service July 28, 1994
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Larry Gj.. WWiilllliiaammssoonn,, MMaannaaggeerr,, PPeennnnssyyllvvaanniiaa bHeritage Parks Program
Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs July 22, 1994
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Edward K. Muller, Chairman, Steel Industry Heritage Corporation August 1, 1994
Brenda Barrett, Director, Bureau for Historic Preservation
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission June 28, 1994
APPROVED
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LLaarrrryy G. Williamson
Chairman, Western Pennsylvania Heritage Coordination Group July 22, 1994
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT
In 1901 Andrew Carnegie delivered a towns and taverns established along the
handwritten note to J.P. Morgan asking for way, gave settlers easier access to the region
over $400 million for the Carnegie Steel and encouraged entrepreneurs to establish
Corporation. Morgan's curt reply, "I accept businesses in the area. Some of the earliest
this price," set in motion the creation of the rural endeavors included blast furnaces, the
U.S. Steel Corporation. Pittsburgh, pig iron products of which were shipped to
Pennsylvania, and the former Carnegie rolling mills and foundries located near
works formed the core of the largest urban areas. The development of
corporate venture in history, an industrial Pennsylvania's bituminous coalfields helped
giant whose value was greater than that of supply the nation's burgeoning energy
the national debt. The evolution of steel needs and eventually led to building an
both defined and symbolized the story of industrial empire along the banks of the
American industrialization in the late 19th Monongahela River, out of which emerged
and early 20th centuries. Pittsburgh and the the giant U. S. Steel Corporation.
rest of western Pennsylvania, more than
any other region of the United States at The region's iron and steel and coal and
that time, defined the evolution of iron and coke industries, supported by an extensive
steel. transportation system, combined to create
an industrial region unrivaled at the turn of
However, the industrial colossus that was the century. Western Pennsylvania became
western Pennsylvania did not spring into the nation's industrial furnace as iron and
being overnight. The same factors that steel, glass, aluminum, and other materials
enabled the region to dominate iron and that were essential to America's
steel production and helped make the industrialization poured from its furnaces.
United States the greatest economic power
on earth had earlier placed western The nation's railroads, which were built
Pennsylvania in a series of events that with the steel rails produced in western
played pivotal roles in our nation's history. Pennsylvania's steel mills, stretched across
The region's abundant natural resources, the western plains and on toward the
transportation routes, geographic location, Pacific coast. By the 1870s the Cambria Iron
and diverse cultures combined to write Works in Johnstown was an acknowledged
western Pennsylvania's dynamic and leader in rail production. The city of
dramatic history and will continue to shape Pittsburgh, with its massive steel mills lining
the region's development into the future. the banks of the Monongahela River,
became known as the "steel city." Beginning
In addition to its period of industrial power in the late 1880s, Pittsburgh's iron and steel
and leadership, western Pennsylvania was also made possible the massive iron/steel
home to other significant events in skeletal structures that came to define the
American History. Events as diverse as the modern city.
French and Indian War (1754-1763) and the
Whiskey Rebellion (1794) played critical Of fundamental importance to the industrial
roles in the nation's history. These events development of the region was the
set the stage for future industrial development of its coal industry. The
development and success. high-grade bituminous coal of the
Pittsburgh coal seam was ideally suited to
As the nation stretched its boundaries, the production of coke, which fueled the
western Pennsylvania played a significant rapid development of the region's iron and
role in fostering western expansion. The steel industry. The Connellsville coke region
Pennsylvania Main Line Canal facilitated in Fayette and Westmoreland counties was
the connection of east coast markets with the single most important region in the
Pittsburgh and the interior lands beyond country for the production of metallurgical
the Ohio River. The National Road, with its coke. At its peak in 1910, dominated by
in
beehive oven technology, the Connellsville regulations and water and flood control
coke region had almost 40,000 ovens improvements have helped present a new
turning coal into coke for the area's blast image of the western Pennsylvania region
furnaces. to the nation. The quality of life now
experienced by residents of the region
As industrial growth quickly outstripped reflects the progress made in environmental
local labor supplies, thousands of stewardship during the last 50 years and
immigrants from eastern and southern the region's determination to continue to be
Europe, along with African-Americans from in the forefront of national growth and
the southern United States, moved to the change.
region, worked in the steel mills and
coalfields, and lived in the coal patches and At the turn of the 20th century western
mill towns. Many had little prior industrial Pennsylvania led the way in transforming
work experience and spoke only the the United States into the greatest economic
language of their native lands. These men, power the world had ever known.
women, and children created an ethnic and
racial diversity that is still reflected in the Today, there is a shift to a post-industrial
region today. Despite their diverse future with automated and downscaled
backgrounds and goals, they often joined production, electronic technology, and
together to improve working and living service-oriented businesses. Western
conditions. Western Pennsylvania's Pennsylvania offers the opportunity to see
industrial workers made major contributions and understand the origins and the
to America's labor movement, including two workings of the region that contributed to
major unions, the United Steelworkers of American economic power and industrial
America and the United Mine Workers of strength.
America.
The evolution of western Pennsylvania
The interaction between people and illustrates a peculiarly American
resources has been key to western transformation. Over the centuries a sense
Pennsylvania—'s growth and national of common destiny has emerged from a
importance the people have capitalized past marred by violence and bloodshed and
on opportunities that succeeded in marking conquest. Land once prized, then exploited
the region as a national leader. However, and degraded, is gradually regaining some
the economic prosperity of rapid industrial of its former integrity. And the region's
development was not without cost. The late people continue to adapt to changing times,
1970s and early 1980s witnessed the as their predecessors have so many times in
devastating worker layoffs and numerous the past. A new economic base will replace
steel mill closures as well as the shutdown the old industrial infrastructure, which in its
of many coal mine operations. The historic time supplanted commerce, and in turn
depletion and degradation of the region's once succeeded the fur trade, subsistence
natural resources remain a legacy of the farming, and distilling. The varied
region today. Past experience, however, experiences of life in the Alleghen—ies all
serves the region well as western reflect an overarching continuity a rich
Pennsylvania has become a leader in the and complex history shaped by the region's
field of environmental reclamation and geography, resources, and people.
cleanup. Between 1950 and 1970 air quality
IV
SUMMARY
In November 1992, the Southwestern of American industry; coal company towns,
Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation industrial cities, and millionaires' homes
Commission, acting under the authority of that illustrate the diversity of the region's
Public Law 100-698, requested that the community life; and the broken dams,
National Park Service, Partnerships Branch, poisoned rivers, coal mines, and spectacular
undertake four studies of the iron and steel, engineering achievements. The resources
coal and coke, glass, and aluminum testify both to the ways in which the
industries in the western Pennsylvania people of western Pennsylvania have
region. The studies were to evaluate the altered the land and to the consequences of
resource bases related to these four those alterations.
industries and develop viable alternatives
for their conservation, use, and Many of the region's resources, particularly
interpretation. Close coordination with state those related to industrialization, already
and local partners, both public and private, have been lost. Economic redevelopment
was considered vital to the successful and continued deterioration pose imminent
completion of these planning efforts. threats to many more. These threats create
a pressing need for the development of
The study team determined that the diverse criteria upon which to evaluate the
stories of the political, social, and economic significance and integrity of these
development of western Pennsylvania nontraditional resources.
would guide the methodology of data
collection for the resource inventory. The Three alternatives proposed for resource
region's industrial heritage cannot be conservation and interpretation provide the
understood completely without some most flexible approach for allowing visitors
appreciation of the other significant to experience the region's heritage. All the
chapters in its history. The stories of the alternatives involve a hub and spoke
brutal warfare of the colonial era, the strategy to enhance the visitor experience.
explosive American expansion in the early The hub resources would offer
19th century, the technological advances in comprehensive interpretation of a particular
transportation, as well as the rise of story element, whereas the spoke resources
American industry of the late 19th and would provide experiences related to
early 20th centuries, reinforce the fact that specific aspects of the story element. This
the region's role as a vital crossroads and method best illustrates the complex
rich resource base remained remarkably interrelationships of the region's resources
consistent over time. The stories of these and the way they combine to create a
events, combined with many of the region's complete historical picture.
resources, would give visitors a clearer
understanding of how the evolution of one Alternative 1 addresses the broadest
region can alter the history of an entire perspective of the region's history.
nation. Numerous nations and cultures have prized
Western Pennsylvania as a rich resource
A wide range of cultural resources reflect base and a gateway into the North
the historical patterns of the region. These American interior. The competition to
include battlefields, reconstructed forts, and control this region has spanned centuries
significant landforms from the French and and created a historical record of regional
Indian War era; houses, inns, taverns, and national significance. The resources and
villages, and communities built during the stories in this alternative illustrate the
American expansion to the West; toll remarkable continuity of human perception
houses, roadways, railroads, tunnels, and of the region's values. It is the consistency
canal remnants that furthered a revolution of this perception over time that binds the
in transportation; iron furnaces, coke ovens, region's distinct historical periods.
and steel plants that represent the evolution Alternative 1 unites these separate periods
to define the region's distinct and dynamic defined American industrialization in the
character. late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Alternative 2 would interpret the broad This comprehensive planning document
range of regional industrialization, incorporates elements of other NPS studies,
emphasizing labor, capital, and technology. including the Transportation Special History
It would examine western Pennsylvania's Study, the National Road Special Resource
industries as they developed into two Study, the Coal and Coke Resource Analysis,
distinct subregions, the Allegheny Ridge and the Concept Plan for the Southwestern
and the Monongahela River valley. It would Pennsylvania Industrial Heritage Route. It also
illustrate how this distinctive pattern grew drew on the work of the Concept Plan and
out of a response to available resources, the Management Action Plan for the Steel
proximity to markets, and the course of Industry Heritage Project, the Allegheny Ridge
human settlement. The alternative also State Heritage Park Piatt, and the National
demonstrates how the region's Road State Heritage Park Plan.
transportation network linked the two
subregions to create what was once one of This study of alternatives provides a
the most industry-intensive regions in the common ground on which the numerous
nation. partners involved in regional preservation
can communicate and coordinate their
Alternative 3 would allow visitors to efforts. The study will demonstrate the full
experience the resources and stories potential of the partnership strategy to
associated with the single most—significant conserve, use, and interpret the many
chapter in the region's history its role in resources and stories of a complex regional
making the United States the world's heritage. These partnerships will have been
preeminent industrial power. This developed by residents' understanding of
alternative would incorporate resources that and willingness to safeguard the past while
illustrate every significant developmental building a mature and healthy future.
stage of the iron and steel industry in
western Pennsylvania. Combined with Federal involvement in management of the
interpretation of the story of coke, the study area could range from maintaining
essential fuel of steel production, the current NPS facilities only to setting up
alternative would help visitors gain insights partnerships such as heritage areas, to
into the evolution of the industry that establishing NPS units with full NPS
ownership.
VI
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Purpose of the Study 1
Vision and Goals 2
Study Area 2
Background 3
Legislation 3
NPS Special Resource Study Process 3
Related Planning Efforts 5
Historical Overview 7
Story Elements 14
Conflict and Conquest 14
Westward Expansion/Early Settlement 14
The Transportation Revolution 14
Society in an Industrial Culture 14
Industrialization 14
American Labor History 15
Interaction Between People and the Landscape 15
Resources 16
Cultural Resources 16
Natural Resources 16
Scenic and Recreational Resources 18
Threats to Resources 18
Resource Evaluation 20
Alternatives 21
Overall Concept for All Alternatives 21
Elements Common to All Alternatives 21
Hubs 21
Spokes 23
Conservation of Regional Resources 23
Interpretation and Visitor Experience 24
Resource Linkages and Scenic and Recreational Resources 25
Transportation Routes 26
Sustainable Design Practices 26
Alternative 1: Building a World Economic Power 26
Hub and Spoke Resources 26
Hub Development and Conservation 29
Spoke Development and Conservation 31
Interpretation and Visitor Experience 31
Resource Linkages 35
vu
Alternative 2: Industry: Labor, Capital, Technology, and Community 35
Hub and Spoke Resources 36
Hub Development and Conservation 36
Spoke Development and Conservation 37
Interpretation and Visitor Experience 38
Resource Linkages 41
Alternative 3: The Evolution of Iron and Steel 41
Hub and Spoke Resources 42
Hub Development and Conservation 42
Spoke Development and Conservation 45
Interpretation and Visitor Experience 45
Resource Linkages 46
Impact Assessment 47
Impacts of Alternative 1 47
Impacts on Cultural Resources 47
Impacts on Natural Resources 47
Impacts on the Socioeconomic Enironment 48
Impacts on Visitor Experience 49
Impacts of Alternative 2 50
Impacts on Cultural Resources 50
Impacts on Natural Resources 50
Impacts on the Socioeconomic Environment 50
Impacts on Visitor Experience 50
Impacts of Alternative 3 50
Impacts on Cultural Resources 50
Impacts on Natural Resources 51
Impacts on the Socioeconomic Environment 51
Impacts on Visitor Experience 51
Suitability and Feasibility 52
Suitability 52
Cultural Resource Themes 52
Natural Resource Themes 54
Feasibility 55
Requirements 55
Landownership 55
Access, Costs, and Development 55
Threats to the Resources 55
Management Considerations 56
Future Directions For Consideration 57
Expanded Context 57
Recommendations for Future Study 57
Management Study 58
Programmatic Linkages 58
Implementation Plan 58
Consultation and Coordination with Partners and Public 60
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