The YS&T Campbell Works were just south of Youngstown.
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| Carrie Taylor posted Republic Iron & Steel-Youngstown, OH back in the day... |
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| Carrie Taylor posted Aerial shot found framed in one of the old offices - Youngstown Republic Steel. Ian Hapsias: That’s a nice shot. How many coke batteries did they at Republic? John Tyger: Ian Hapsias A B and C T.J. Johnson Sr.: There was a "D", back in the day... The old foundation was still there when I worked there and an old door was still hanging on the spare hanger on the East coal bunker. In this picture, it looks like the "Newest" "C" battery hadn't been built yet. |
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| 1 of 3 postcards posted by Stuff Thats Gone |
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| Jon Wolfe posted 1937 Youngstown sheet and tube |
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| Rick Damico posted “The Bessemer Steel Plant At Night, Youngstown, Ohio” - Always a fan of the night scenes of mill shots, this postcard is a favorite of mine on account of the labeling. This is actually the plant of Republic Iron & Steel, however republic’s name is mentioned nowhere on this card as you can see. The newly completed Bessemer Converters which revolutionized steel making & the industry were very clearly the talk of the town at the time of this postcard & the mislabeling tells as such. - Postcard collection Mark Adamcik: Rick, thank you for posting this. I remember seeing a photo of the YS&T Bessemer shop. The vessels were partially exposed to the weather. |
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| Rick Rowlands posted Youngstown Sheet & Tube Brier Hill Works early 1980s John Horn: Manufacturer of the best well pipe in history. Mark Leskovec: John Bizub Brier Hill had two blast furnaces, Jenny and Grace. Matt Gordon: I see 2 cast houses but 1 furnace . Anyone know the story of the Jeanette furnace !! Rick Handlebar Ostheimer: Matt Gordon Both Jeanette and Grace were torn down even though some locals had tried to save one or the other as a tourist attraction. I knew people in YS&T production planning who found these furnaces useful as with about half the production of the 4 furnaces in Campbell they could serve to match molten iron production with the needs of the order book. |
I was going to skip yet another mill photo until I saw Robert's comment. It is worth noting.
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| Kajal Chautan posted Robert Cracuin: I went to a symposium at the Museum of Industry and Labor on the 30th anniversary of black Monday. There was a panel of several old men who were superintendents and managers at the mills in Youngstown. They said that the mills didn’t close because of old equipment,foreign competitors, high labor costs, or EPA regulations. In fact they said the EPA regulations allowed them to continue operating. They said that the local source of iron ore was depleted by 1930. They said that the mills couldn’t make decent profits because of the high cost of shipping iron ore overland from the lake. The Youngstown mills were developing new mills on the Great Lakes and they depended on production from Youngstown to help fill their orders. WW2 came and the baby boom came and they were still depending on production from Youngstown. Remember that Rep.Kirwin proposed in 1932 to build a canal to ship iron from the lake to the Ohio River but it fizzled out. It would have fed the inland mills. It was a business decision. The integrated mills that made iron, then into steel and into finished products were obsolete by their location. I worked as an operating engineer Local 66 from 1974-2012. I saw how the mills were patched up because I worked on them. I listened to the workers complaining about pollution control we were installing and saying they needed new equipment. I also helped tear down the mills. I worked on the new mill at VM Star and people would ask why build new. VM doesn’t smelt iron. They only use scrap and scrap is generated locally. VM is the old Brier Hill Works of Youngstown Sheet and Tube. Robert Cracuin: BTW the old codgers said that Youngstown had the best steelworkers in the world and they were saddened to see them go. Gary Schreckengost: Not so much foreign competition as outdated tech in the 70 s. Worked in a melt shop n rolling mill mechanical maintenance, electric arc furnaces processing scrap dominate steel industry now, and American steel companies dominate world wide steel sales due to advanced equipment and quality unfortunately it takes a lot less people to run a steel mill Been on the industry since 1987. Don Toye: In 2008 Donald J. Trump had building projects in Las Vegas and Chicago. He had a choice to purchase steel from plants here in the US or cheaper steel from the Chinese. He chose to buy the steel from China just because it was cheaper. The Chinese were able to sell steel at slightly above cost underwritten by cooperation of banks and government, while the US steel industry was laying off workers and closing plants. Source: NEWSWEEK investigation Trump buys steel from China. Fred Rowland: That is the Brier Hill works. I worked with the Protective Service department (security) and work the Campbell plant mostly, but, I also worked at Brier Hill when needed. 1970- till the shut down. There were a lot of great men that worked for YS&T.. |
This would have been one of the early blast furnaces.
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| Jon Wolfe posted This is a photograph of the Brier Hill Steel Company, Youngstown, Ohio, ca. 1890-1899. The blast furnace shown was used to produce pig iron during the late nineteenth century. In 1913, the Brier Hill Works updated their equipment and began producing open hearth steel. This caught the attention of James A. Campbell, who led Youngstown Sheet and Tube's acquisition of the facility in 1923. Bill Lawson: This image is from the Youngstown Illustrated gravure photo book series published in 1889. Brier Hill Iron and Coal Co. was founded in Youngstown in 1859, and reorganized as the Brier Hill Steel Company in 1912. Today this historic industrial site contains Vallourec Star’s melt shop and continuous caster producing steel for their new seamless pipe mill further upstream. |
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| Rick Rowlands commented on Jon's post |
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| Jon Wolfe posted |
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| William Standford commented on Rick's post |
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| William Standford commented on Rick's post |
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| Mark Leskovec commented on Rick's post Bruce Springteen with "Jenny" at the Briar Hill Works, which is mentioned in his song Youngstown. |
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| John Bizub commentged on Rick's post The blast furnace’s at the Campbell plant supplied the Open Hearth Furnaces at Brier Hill plant with hot molten iron. Mark Leskovec: John Bizub Brier Hill had two blast furnaces, Jenny and Grace |
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| David Holoweiko posted New C furnace, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company (East Youngstown, Ohio) 1910 |
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| Jon Wolfe posted Steel mill along Mahoning River, 1962 Shane W Meister: I believe this is the blast furnace plant (5 of them til maybe mid 60s) of Republic's Youngstown works, or "Haselton" works. Pretty sure view is looking approx. northwest from the Center Street bridge. |
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| Rick Damico posted “Blast furnaces of civil war days are shown in this painting of the Brier Hill furnace in the 1860’s. These furnaces were named Grace No. 1 & Grace No. 2.” Taken from a 1938 Youngstown Vindicator article on the rise of steel & industry in the area. Vindicator “pages from history” archival book from my collection. Mark Mook: I always wondered what Youngstown manufactured for the Civil War. |
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| Rick Damico posted Rare view on this 1914 mailed “Republic Tube Works” postcard from Youngstown, Ohio. Thought you’d all enjoy. I myself am a huge fan of the early postcards with the mill pictorials. Haven’t seen this one before. Grabbed a great stack of local postcards today. Lots of rare ones; this one being no exception. Larry Sr Rohrbaugh: The Mahoning River in the foreground. |
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| Rick Damico posted 1913 winter night scene of Republic Iron & Steel works, Youngstown, Ohio. Taken from the market street bridge. Another one from my postcard collection. A cool view to see in the nighttime version. |
Kurt Boldt posted four photos with the comment: "Aerial view Youngstown Sheet and Tube."
[Photos 2-4 are at Facebook resolution.]
Bill Spiker: in one way or another i worked there from 1969 until 2000. Started at the rod and wire lab, then worked idle department in the rod mill, wire mill, cold strip, blooming mill, and mason gang....then ended up in the track gang and general labor. When J&L took over i transferred to the railroad division (Mahoning Vally Rwy) and worked as brakeman and loco operator, then supervisor of maintenamce and then general supervisor of maintenance until January of 2001 when the MV was sold and I stayed with LTV, transferring to Cleveland until LTV went out of business and I retired with 33 years.
Kenneth Treharn: Hmm, Campbell Works. I started at YS&T's Brier Hill Works, Open Hearth Melt Shop in 1968. Around the early 1970's I worked Idle Department, 2 weeks at Campbell Cold Strip finishing Dept. Then back to Brier Hill for a month. Then I got send to Struthers Merchant Mills. I worked a week on the "mine bolt machine" and a week on the Rebar Mill, then back to Brier Hill Open Hearth and I was never layed off or idle department again till the Brier Hill shutdown 1980. I went straight to GATX till they went under. Then to the new electric furnace Melt Shop at Valley Mould till they screwed it up. Then to National Gypsum, till they screwed it up also. 😊 I then went to Republic/WCI/Several/R&G Steel till they bankrupted a very profitable Mill in 2012. Luckily because both YS&T and Republic had been LTV companies, I got to connect my YST time with my Warren time for a 35 year pension even though there was 48 years between my first day in the Mill and my last. 👍
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| V.J. Petrella commented on a post Vallourec Star, Youngstown, Ohio. |
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| Rick Rowlands posted Brier Hill Steel Co. Coke Plant in Youngstown, OH. Built 1918. Carnegie Steel Co. Ohio Works blast furnaces across the river. |
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| Cool Ohio posted YOUNGSTOWN SHEET AND TUBE Close up view of the blast furnace 1918 Cool Ohio shared Edward Veauthier: Bustle pipe |
Mahoning Valley Railroad Heritage Association posted three photos with the comment:
The two hot metal cars owned by the MVRHA were built by the M.H. Treadwell Co. in Easton, PA in the 1930s for Youngstown Sheet & Tube. Numbered 21 and 23, they were part of a four car order that included cars 22 and 24. The cars were needed to supply molten iron to the open hearths at the YS&T Brier Hill Works which had been revamped to produce slabs for the 79" hot strip mill and tube rounds for the Campbell seamless tube mills. Jeannette and Grace at Brier Hill did not have enough capacity to satisfy those hot metal needs by themselves.These three photos show the cars in their as built appearance. Later rebuilds would see the original Pilcher trucks rtepalced with Buckeye trucks, the brake systems rebuilt and in the case of 21, an entirely new ladle made by William B. Pollock Co.The fleet of Treadwell cars (along with five more built by Pollock) would spend their lives shuffling back and forth over the Lake Erie & Eastern Railroad moving hot metal to Brier Hill, passing through the southern edge of downtown Youngstown a couple of times per day. Alas, finding in service photos of them on the LE&E has been rather difficult.
Tim Walter: I can remember seeing a bottle car from a hundred feet away and feeling the heat radiating out. Also remember the endless lines of Stonys trucks traveling on route 46. They were carrying hot ingots under corrugated steel dog houses.
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Lawrence Chance posted four photos with the comment: "Views of Youngstown Sheet and Tube Brier Hill Works c.1970. I was just learning photography at the time."
Stephen Walker: YS&T was the first major shutdown in the collapse of the steel industry. One day operating the next week gone. This is just my opinion. I graduated high school in 1976 and lived in Western Pennsylvania so I was very aware of the employment opportunities in the early 80s.
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| Brian Joyce posted Youngstown. USS and YS&T. Brier Hill area Kenneth Treharn: I spent 12 years in YS&T's Brier Hill Works, Open Hearth Melt Shop. The building house's Vallourec pipe mill presently. WP Woodall: This is the Blast furnace that Bruce Springsteen wrote about. The song is called “Youngstown “. |
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| Jon Wolfe posted Vallourec star Youngstown Ohio 2021 Queensborough Mill at bottom is former YS&T Brier Hill Works. Entire property is former YS&T land as well. Upper mill is smaller diameter pipe for oil industry. Bottom mill is melt shop and larger diameter pipe. Duane McCarty: Was this also the former Northstar Steel. [Other comments indicate it was also V&M Star.] |
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| Jeff Arthur Knorek posted "Slag runoff from one of the open-hearth furnaces at Republic Steel in Youngstown, Ohio. Slag is drawn off the furnace just before the molten steel is poured into ladles for ingotting." 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer for the Office of War Information. November 1941 |
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| Jon Wolfe posted Hot Saws Vallourec Star Youngstown Ohio David Metcalf: Actually the split saw. Mike Scott: There is a hot saw like that at the tube mills where I work. It is only used for sample cuts, first piece of the order, before either the cooling bed or the anneal furnace. No inline crops or mult cuts. Tubes are cropped and cut to size at robotic cold finishing lines with carbide saws. Paul Chester: I find that a strange idea. Seems the cutting torches were a better idea. Danny Barger: Paul Chester no. The saws maintain a more accurate cut plus you're not gobbering up the piece with slag. That's the other part of this, an oxy/acy torch introduces oxygen into the steel before its done being processed. Not good. [A lot of comments about how loud it was. One comment indicated it was a screeching sound.] |
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| Doug Fields commented on Jon's post Same Hot Saw back in 1988 when it was North Star Steel Ohio. 35 years ago. |
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| David Holoweiko posted Youngstown Sheet and Tube Youngstown Ohio 1948 Ryan William posted Youngstown Sheet and Tube Youngstown Ohio 1948 Kajal Chauhan posted Youngstown Sheet and Tube Youngstown Ohio 1948. Jeff Turner: I don’t understand how that fella isn’t dead. Standing next to the mill stand with no hard hat, safety glasses, steel toes and glow in the dark clothing. Totally flabbergasted!! Jim Krause: Perhaps an executive? |
It was served by Erie, LE&E and Pennsy; and LE&E was a subsidiary of NYC.
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| 1951 Youngstown and 1954 Girard Quads @ 24,000 |
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| Steel Valley Artifacts - Youngstown, OH posted Sheet & Tube and Mesta Machine all in one! Mike Theisler shared |
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| Jon Wolfe posted Vallurec, Youngstown Ohio John Slavic: 27 years A lot of great people Company did wrong to a bunch of us in 2015 Miss all my brothers Jim Tressa: Worked there when it was Sheet and Tube, North Star, V&M and Vallurec. A total of 42 yrs. Never worked for Hunt Steel. |
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