New Boston, OH: 1831 Empire-Detroit Steel Portsmouth

(Satellite)

The blast and open hearth furnaces were closed in 1980. The coke ovens went cold a few years later. The first closure cost 1,224 jobs. Imports accounted for 42% of the pig iron market in 1979. [portsmouth-dailytimes]

yourppl (Portsmouth Public Library)
"Established in 1871 as the Burgress Steel and Iron Works. It was located in the west end of Portsmouth. In 1898 the plant moved to its present location. The name has changed to Portsmouth Steel Company. It employed over 2,200 people. It then changed it's name to the Empire Detroit Steel Company."

There was iron ore, limestone and trees in the area. And the river provided good transportation to move the products of iron bars and nails to their markets. Gaylord Rolling Mill was started in 1833 in Portsmouth. It was the first iron mill west of Wheeling, WV. [PortsmouthPublicLibrary-history] And when the iron industry switched from charcoal to coal, that material was also close by.

This reference dates the first mill as starting in 1831 and says the coke plant ran until 2002. When the local steel plant closed, coke was shipped to Rouge River Steel. When the coke plant closed, it had just 200 employees. In the 1950s, the mill had employed 4,800. The EPA helped shut down the coke plant because it was one of the heaviest polluters in the nation. "Cancer rates in the adjoining New Boston were some of the highest in the United States." The 1898 plant "featured the first overhead electrical cranes for steel making in the nation that was used in the transport of hot metal and heavy machinery."

Richard Allison posted three photos with the comment: "Empire-Detroit Steel Portsmouth (New Boston), Ohio."

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Richard's post

Normally, I'd use zoomed in screenshots with a URL. But Facebook has been deleting my comments with URLs to Google Maps as a violation of Community Standards. So I'll go with an overview screenshot and GPS coordinates. You can use the GPS coordinates in the search field of Google Maps to access details.

On the west side, the foundations for a blast furnace and its hot stoves. 38°45'05.2"N 82°55'30.3"W

On the east side, the foundations for a blast furnace and its hot stoves.

In the middle, a coke battery. 38°45'09.0"N 82°55'15.1"W

Sharon Coburn pinterest

Chad Fannin posted
Flood photo looking east on Gallia Street showing the bridge crossing Milllbrook Lake. Notice two cars braving the waters. In the background you can see “Old Suzie” blast furnace and the engine, blower house.
[Gallia Street was rather far inland.
The comments speculate if this was the 1937 flood. Chad Fannin mentions "37 was the big flood. ‘45 there was one too but not nearly as big. There were several floods and high waters before and after the ‘37 flood that this photo could be of. The cars in the photo look like 1930’s vintage if not earlier."
The comments talk about the bridge being taken out and provide a photo of it.]