State Awards $100,000 to Help Preserve Carrie Blast Furnaces in Allegheny County

A National Historic Landmark in Allegheny County has received $100,000 from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to support preservation work. The money will go toward the Carrie Blast Furnaces, one of the region's best-known reminders of its steelmaking past.

The two standing furnaces were part of U.S. Steel's sprawling Homestead mill and are among the last blast furnaces in the country built before World War II. They stopped operating in 1978, and the mill itself went offline in 1984. Even so, people in the Pittsburgh area have kept their attention on the site.

The Park Corporation bought the mill from U.S. Steel in 1988, but it never resumed production. The Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County took ownership in 2005, and efforts by local groups helped win National Historic Landmark status for the site in 2006. Rust and overgrowth persisted, however, and repairs did not begin until 2010, when the non-profit Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation became the site's steward. Since then, the property has gone through years of preservation projects, and visitors can now take tours and attend festivals, workshops and other events there.

The latest award comes from the Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program. Pennsylvania sites that are listed on, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places can apply for funding to protect and promote the state's history. The program was created through the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund and operates under the State Historic Preservation Office within the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Ron Baraff, director of historic resources and facilities at Rivers of Steel, said grants like this one are central to the organization's work. "This grant and others are huge in that effort to allow us to continue to move forward and tell the story of this region to folks that live here and that live all across the country," he said. He added that the funding "allows us to increase that footprint of what we can do and tell the really important story of development of this region, and to engage the communities."

Baraff stressed that preservation involves more than repairing what is broken. All projects must meet the requirements of the State Historic Preservation Office and follow the guidelines of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. "We don't do this in a vacuum," he said.

The grant will pay for concrete foundation and masonry work on the 1907 Blowing Engine House. According to Baraff, the repairs will support future plans to convert the building into an exhibition space and a maintenance shop.

State Rep. Abigail Salisbury, who represents the 34th District of Allegheny County, where the furnaces are located, welcomed the award. She said it will widen access to, and recognition of, the realities of steelworking in Pittsburgh. "These are not just buildings. This is not just about industry. This is about the day-to-day lives of the people who lived in the region and what they experienced," Salisbury said.

She also emphasized the importance of public access. "You want to preserve history, but you also want to make it accessible," she said, "because if no one is able to visit the facility, then what are you preserving it for?"