This town has a history of producing steel mill equipment dating back to 1871 and the New Castle Manufacturing Co. "The works were subsequently enlarged from time to time, until they were among the most extensive in the country. The business was mostly confined to the manufacture of machinery for rolling-mills and blast-furnaces. The works had a capacity, when in full running order, for the employment of about 300 men." The Pennsylvania Engineering Works built blast furnaces and etc. [usgwarchives I think this document was written in the early 20th Century. It contains a 1906 date but states that some of the blast furnaces are now owned by Carnegie Steel, which was bought by US Steel in 1901.]
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| Don Cassata posted |
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| Dave Kuntz Drone Photos posted Ellwood Steel in New Castle PA Christine DiThomas: The old Mesta Machine Co. site. Rafer Rokeach: Beam mill ? Calum Learn: Rafer Rokeach ingots and forgings |
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| Brian Olson commented on Christine's comment Yes it was. |
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| Mike Theisler commented on Christine's comment and Untied before that Just took this photo last night, so a good opportunity to share |
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| David Holoweiko posted Steel-works, Pennsylvania Engineering Works (New Castle, Pa.) 1935 Do not know where this was exactly located anyone know ? Paul Cherichetti: Yes that's the PECOR location, I worked their 1980 to 1982 |
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| Shawn Shaffer commented on David's post The area in red is now Ben Weitsman scrap yard, the building to the left would be where the gate for EQS and the smoke stacks in the back left would be where North American Forge masters is now. Robert Cody: S Jefferson St. Ben Weitsman scrap is there now. |
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| Don Cassata posted |
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| Don Cassata posted These guy's sure ain't making watches! Mike Theisler: Calum Learn United built it for the Ordnance … Mesta purchased it after them. Crazy they just somehow let a competitor swoop in and get their plant. Paul Blinn: Denny Smith the mesta shop in new castle is now Ellwood mill product. Denny Smith: Paul Blinn Yes the last time I was in there the lathe was still in there BUT was some time ago. Paul Blinn: Denny Smith I’ve been there almost 8 years never seen the mesta one but there were two other ones there that were bigger. Pete Steffey: I remember going past Mesta on 7th Ave the way to the Homestead High Level Bridge, and my father would always mention that every one of the 155 MM “Long Tom “ Artillery barrels was machined right there. As a side note my wife and I viewed the Mesta mansion near that sight. Now in need of restoration, an interesting building. |
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| Mike Theisler commented on Don's post Robin Haerens: that has to be over 200xD drilling. |
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| Don Cassata posted Chris Pinkney: Planers, A machine not seen much anymore. We have two running in our shop. Both date from the forties. Doug Majka: What's amazing is they just didn't make equipment for steel mills, but they made the equipment that made equipment for steel mills. |
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| Don Cassata posted Michael Matisko: The Air Force/Alcoa Cleveland press! Brian Olson: Great pictures. It is disheartening to know that everything Mesta designed and built back in the day is still made today but in Germany, a country with higher labor costs than the United States. The unfortunate reality is Mesta did not stay on the cutting edge of technology and paid dearly for that. Robert Binius: Brian Olson they were allergic to modernization and continuous casters for some reason. |
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| Don Cassata posted Bill Winzer: Ive seen the press that that boring mill was made for. use to be alcoa, now arconic..cleveland ,ohio. Slade Wilson: That is the biggest HBM I've ever seen... I never realized until seeing a bunch of these posts that Mesta even made machine tools... always thought they are just Mill Equipment. Kyle Olender: The king of boring mills. |
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| Don Cassata posted Jonathan Schlesinger: Alcoa just rebuilt it, so it no longer is marked Mesta. This was part of the Heavy Press program. |
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| Don Cassata posted Doug Majka: I just saw the guy standing on the left side of the table. Wow! |
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| Don Cassata posted Brian Olson: J&L Aliquippa 44" hot mill |
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| Don Cassata posted Here's another classic from the 1950's. I wonder whether this might be the original Alcoa Davenport (IA) Hot Continuous Mill from the late 40s? If so, it was replaced by the current SMS 100” Continuous Mill in the 1990s. I thought the 1937 Tennessee Hot Mill and the 1940s wartime mills at McCook (IL) and Trentwood (WA) were United mills, as was Warrick’s six-stand 60” Continuous Mill from 1965. The last time I was at Davenport in 2021, the backup rolls in the SMS Hot Mill still had the MESTA bearing caps on them. |
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| Don Cassata posted It's been a while since we've had a Mesta photo. Did u guys think you were getting off that easy? Think again! Jerome Albin: Looks like Y.S&T. at the Harbor. Spend a lot of time there servicing a rolling oil account. Ron Keiser: I worked in the Tin Mill at GaryWorks as a millwright for several years and changed many sets of backups on our Mesta 6 stand mill!!! The 6 stand gack as we called it was hard to get off your clothes, shoes and hands! It almost had to wear off! |
Were forgings done here or in West Homestead?
Steel Valley artifacts posted nine image with the comment: "Ca. 1915 Mesta Machine useful tables pocket booklet"
Mike Theisler shared
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Rick Rowland's post
Shawn Shaffer: It's is now Ben Weissman Scrap yard but the rail car sidings are still there. The building this is coming out of was where the can recycling is now. If you go in the office they a copy of the prints for the old furnace hanging on the wall. I don't think pa engineering was part of Mesta. All of Mesta works in New Castle is now owned by EGI.
Eugene Hake: Torn down about 8 years ago they put a shredded scrap yard in now I work there 17 years before they tore it down it’s was right beside EQS
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| Lonnie Ferrell posted, cropped New Castle Stainless Ryan Tapper: On occasion I'll roll New Castle stainless at the 160 Plate Mill Cleveland Cliffs Burns Harbor. Mike Maddog Madigan: My back hurts just looking a those bearing caps.. LOL [A comment indicates these are being preserved. But no one provided a location.] |
Rick Rowlands posted three photos with the comment: "New 350 ton hot metal car leaving PECOR in New Castle, PA headed for Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point."
Mark Hruska: My hometown. Sadly I witnessed one mill after another close during my youth in the 70’s and 80’s. Mesta, Rockwell, Johnson Bronze, Universal Rundle, Shenango China, Crane Company, and this one just to name a few. Reduced New Castle from a once thriving mill town of nearly 50,000 to a shell of itself today of around 22,000.
Steve Krupinski: Mark Hruska famous manufacturing area for much machine tooling; machines that build machines. So much skill and engineering capabilities lost in America since the 1980s.
Clyle Myers Jr.: Where did these go after they shut sparrows point down? Granite city got the caster, we sure didn't get any 350t ladles.
Randall Smith: Clyle Myers Jr. I am not sure those beasts would even fit under our Furnaces.
Tom Bumgardner: That was SISCO Inc. Division of HILTI Inc. through the 90's and early 2000's until we out grew the building.
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