September 14, 2021
Due to the recent spike in Covid cases, this program will be held on Zoom instead of live, as previously announced. We hope to resume live programs in October.
Speaker: Ron Baraff, Director of Historic Resources and Facilities for Rivers of Steel
Ron Baraff will present the story of Carrie Furnace and the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark, a former set of blast furnaces located along the Monongahela River in Swissvale. The furnaces were part of the Homestead Steel Works and operated from 1884 until 1982. During its peak, the site produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of iron daily. Only furnaces #6 and #7 remain. They operated from 1907 to 1978. The furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and are among the only pre-World War II 20th century blast furnaces still standing. The site is managed by the nonprofit Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation, which conducts tours and other programs from May to October at Carrie Furnace and its other sites.
About the Speaker: Ron Baraff is a Pittsburgh native who has served as the Director of Historic Resources and Facilities for Rivers of Steel since 1998. He supervises Rivers of Steel’s preservation and historic interpretation efforts, overseeing its museum and archives programs, unique preservation projects, and the heritage sites including the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Rankin and Swissvale, the historic Pump House in Munhall (known for its role in the 1892 Battle of Homestead), the Bost Building National Historic Landmark in Homestead, and the W. A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing in Greene County, PA, which is also a National Historic Landmark. Ron has worked on a variety of public history projects, including many national and international documentaries.
Squirrel Hill Historical Society 