| The doors to the steelworks in Bethlehem,
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| | In the early thirties Bethlehem Steel
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| Pennsylvania closed for the last time in
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| | continued to grow through acquisition,
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| 1995, bringing to an end 140 years of
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| | buying steel companies on the Pacific
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| steel-making in the town. Although no
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| | coast as well as McClintic-Marshall
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| longer in its spiritual home, Bethlehem
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| | Corp., a major bridge and building
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| Steel continues to produce Steel, but its
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| | construction company. This was the golden
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| major production facility is now based in
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| | era for American construction and
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| Burns Harbor, Indiana. The company has
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| | Bethlehem Steel was responsible for such
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| had its ups and downs, has been involved
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| | landmark constructions as: the Golden
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| in providing steel for the construction
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| | Gate Bridge, U.S. Supreme Court,
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| of many railroads, bridges and iconic
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| | Rockefeller Plaza, Waldorf-Astoria and
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| buildings throughout America and was the
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| | the George Washington Bridge.
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| forerunner in the production of the steel
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| | During World War II Bethlehem Steel
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| girders used to build skyscrapers.
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| | shifted all its production into military
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| The first steel produced in Bethlehem was
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| | hardware, employing close on 300,000
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| at the Saucona Iron Company, opened in
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| | workers of which 180,000 were directly
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| 1857. Four years later the company
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| | involved in ship-building. Post-war, the
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| changed its name to the Bethlehem Iron
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| | company returned to producing steel for
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| Company and in 1863 started mass
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| | US domestic projects, as well as the
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| production of iron railroad rails, used
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| | military, and continued to thrive.
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| in the building of the Transcontinental
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| | The 1960s saw steel imported to the USA
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| Railroad. Over the next forty years
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| | reaching record levels, but Bethlehem
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| contracts to supply steel were agreed
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| | still home-produced steel for such iconic
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| with the US Navy, and by the time that
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| | structures as Madison Square Garden,
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| Charles M. Schwab was appointed chairman
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| | Newport Bridge and the second Delaware
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| in 1904 Bethlehem Steel Corporation not
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| | Memorial Bridge. In 1973 Bethlehem Steel
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| only had a huge plant in South Bethlehem,
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| | reported an income of $207 million,
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| but ironworks in Cuba and shipyards on
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| | producing record levels of 23.7 million
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| both US coasts.
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| | tons of raw steel and 16.3million tons of
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| In 1908 the company started production of
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| | finished steel. The company continued to
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| wide-flange structural section steel,
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| | thrive, but in the early 1980s imported
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| leading to a building revolution; those
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| | steel was making more of an impact, which
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| sections being used in the new phenomenon
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| | forced a radical restructure of Bethlehem
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| of skyscraper construction. Five years
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| | Steel, resulting in a halving of the
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| later Bethlehem Steel acquired the Fore
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| | workforce over five years in the mid-80s.
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| Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Mass. to
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| | Consolidation followed over the next ten
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| become one of the country's largest
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| | years and reluctantly the production
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| shipbuilders.
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| | facility at Bethlehem - where it all
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| World War I provided Bethlehem Steel with
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| | began - was shut down in 1995.
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| a great opportunity to expand. At the
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| | Today, Bethlehem has recovered from the
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| start of the conflict the company had an
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| | loss of its steelworks and is undergoing
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| annual production capacity of 1.1 million
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| | an economic and cultural renaissance.
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| tons and employed 15,600 workers. By
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| | Hotels in Bethlehem once used by those
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| 1925, after supplying armor, ships,
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| | who had business at the steelworks are
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| ordnance, guns and munitions for the US
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| | now re-inventing themselves as tourist
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| and Allied Forces during and immediately
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| | and conference centers. The steel may be
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| after the war, annual production grew to
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| | long gone in Bethlehem, but the
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| 8.5 million tons and the company's
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| | entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens is
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| workforce had grown to 60,000.
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| | alive and well.
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