[BobBski]

While loading in Bethlehem, I noticed this new US Cold plant was boundaried on 3 sides by huge abandoned plants...and I got to thinking..wonder if it's Bethlehem Steel? Never found out for sure but..



Reminder of an era gone by...the once household name of Bethlehem Steel (Bethlehem Pa.) has long since passed and only the vacant ghost mills are left to remind us of their contribution to the world. Many folks don't even know they ever existed.

1857 - 2003, number 8 on the Fortune 500 list in 1955, supplier of steel for 1,127 ships during World War II and of the Golden Gate Bridge, this supplier of metal for every bridge and tunnel that takes you from New Jersey into Manhattan, and for much of the skyline you see when you get there. A symbol of industrial power through most of the 20th century.

Anywho...just got to thinkin atriot:

[golfhobo]

Back when America MADE most of what WE needed.... and shipped the excess to the rest of the World!

Back before the greedy capitalists decided it was more important to MAKE money than to make JOBS for Americans.

Back when CEO's realized that to HAVE a market for their goods, they needed to EMPLOY the market for their goods.

(In fairness) Back before the environmentalists "revolted" against the Industrial Revolution.

And before anyone had even HEARD of a PAC (Political Action Committee.)

Boom to Bust in only 200 years! An "experiment" gone awry.

But STILL the greatest country in the World! At our WORST, we are the envy of nearly all inhabitants of Earth. No one BUT us can once again MAKE us worthy of such acclaim. It is UP to US!

[Double R]

What your looking at from the docks at US Cold is now a Foundry. It still is operational, atleast it was last year when I was running that area.

The rest of Bethlehem Steel is now being converted in to a casino.

And yes, that building and the ones around US Cold are what reamains of Bethlehem steel. US COLD and the other office buildings by it sit on old Bethlehem steel property.

[avguy]

I see the remains of the 2nd largest in the East (and original) IBM campus almost every day.

It's a sobering site when you do the math:
60,000 in 1985
Less than 1,000 today and they'll be completely gone in 2 years.

[TNMT]

It also reminds me of all the small, medium towns spread across America the ones off the interstate highways. Town after town with closed factories that once employed and supported the people who live or lived there. Lots have just moved on to lager cities in hope of work. Some to different states.

The story of the decline of American middle class. We had three good places to work in the town I grew up in. My Grandmother, my mom and dad worked there. Good middle class wages benefits the American dream.

Gone know closed, moved overseas or just shut down and moved to a different state for workers who were happy to paid less for the same amount if not more work. Replaced by half a dozen smaller companies that pay a little more than the mim wage. Town leaders selling this as good thing because they brought jobs back into town. Never mind that the standard of living dropped for almost everyone. Except the new owners making out like thieves in the night. Tax cuts, special deals, to get them to move into the town. All of which was paid for by us the local taxpayers in the form of higher property tax, local taxes and lower wages..... But hey like the powers that be like to point out its a job LOL

If that doesn't kill your small town then when Wallyworld moves in you can sit back and watch half the other small town business close shop. You know that shoe store you bought shoes at your whole life through grade school up to high school where you bought those special sneakers you needed to play sports. Gone with the rest of it all. How about that small drug store (we had four) where you could get lunch counter meal with a real soda and maybe a old maid Sunday? Gone only one left, cant compete with Wally three of those drug stores had been in business for 40 yrs or more. 120 plus yrs of history gone over night.

Wally never did replace all those lost jobs, the smaller companies paying less never replaced all those lost jobs. All for cheap and cheaper goods of course we want cheaper goods what else can you afford with cheaper wages.

I was lucky I moved never to return to live in the town I grew up in. No need to nothing there. Sad reality spread across the USA seen from the cab of a truck. Bitter nope just reality, no dreams of what might have been, it is what it is.

[BobBski]

Originally Posted by Double R

What your looking at from the docks at US Cold is now a Foundry. It still is operational, atleast it was last year when I was running that area.

The rest of Bethlehem Steel is now being converted in to a casino.

And yes, that building and the ones around US Cold are what reamains of Bethlehem steel. US COLD and the other office buildings by it sit on old Bethlehem steel property.

Thanks for the info...seems I posted this in two different parts of this forum, unintentionally.

Sitting up here in Toledo, Ohio tonite at the Flying J....used to be crammed full of trucks; auto industry suppliers...tonight all kinds of parking spots...I 75 not the bustling route it was just a short time ago...BUT.....we'll make it through, just feel bad for those affected the most...Man, Michigan and Ohio took a hit in the auto industry.

To ramble on a bit more...I drove PPG in the 90's for a few years...Lordstown, Ohio plant was a booming place; drove by it the other day....counted maybe 30 employee cars in the HUGE parking lot that used to be full. Anywho...history is created every day and all the best to those affected.

[bentstrider]

Those look like some cool buildings to do some urban-exploration in.
I wonder if there's anything interesting inside them worth taking pictures of?

[GMAN]

My home city was the 7th largest manufacturing city in the nation. I doubt that it is even 20th at this point. It has turned mostly into a tourist town in recent years. It has always had a strong tourism industry, but more so in the last 20 years of so. Things have begun to turn around. We have a VW manufacturing plant that is being built that should employ several thousand people. There should be other support companies that build around this plant. We also have Komatsu's North American Headquarters here, as well. Many of the old manufacturing plants have either been torn down or renovated. It is a beautiful area, but we still need more manufacturing plants.

The steel industry has been hurt particularly hard over the last several decades. The closing of a number of auto plants is likely to hurt them even more. I agree with you about all the giveaways that most governments do these days. I believe Komatsu was given lower electrical and water rates to attract them to the area. Companies will locate to areas where there are good workers, schools and lower taxes. It isn't necessary to give them billions in tax benefits, build facilities, etc., to attract them to an area. If the money is on the table most company executives will take advantage of them. It isn't up to the taxpayers to support them.

[Malaki86]

Fairmont, WV - not a large city by any standards, but it was once full of industry. The city is located along I-79, so people can't say the interstate is what caused this. Within a couple of miles there was:

Owens-Illinois: long closed down and is now a huge empty slab of concrete that's a great place to park your truck
Alcan/Novellis: still open, but running at about 1/4th the number of employees they once had
Sharon Steel: long gone and is now a Superfund cleanup site
Phillips Lighting: closed down on June 1st of this year
Hammond Brick Works: was at one time the largest brick manufacturer in the world. Now, the entire town where the factory was is completely gone. The only remains is a few house foundations and a small section of the foundation of the factory itself.

There was also a number of smaller factories/foundries here. Those buildings are now just sitting empty, full of trash, weeds and memories of a time gone by.

It's sad now - the main industry here is Wal-Mart or fast food.

[Windwalker]

Originally Posted by Malaki86

Fairmont, WV - not a large city by any standards, but it was once full of industry. The city is located along I-79, so people can't say the interstate is what caused this. Within a couple of miles there was:

Owens-Illinois: long closed down and is now a huge empty slab of concrete that's a great place to park your truck
Alcan/Novellis: still open, but running at about 1/4th the number of employees they once had
Sharon Steel: long gone and is now a Superfund cleanup site
Phillips Lighting: closed down on June 1st of this year
Hammond Brick Works: was at one time the largest brick manufacturer in the world. Now, the entire town where the factory was is completely gone. The only remains is a few house foundations and a small section of the foundation of the factory itself.

There was also a number of smaller factories/foundries here. Those buildings are now just sitting empty, full of trash, weeds and memories of a time gone by.

It's sad now - the main industry here is Wal-Mart or fast food.

And, neither one pays well, or has any bennys for the employees. Don't manage to keep the wolf from the door with 13 hours a week at minimum wage.