Marker Logo HMdb.org THE HISTORICAL
MARKER DATABASE
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
North Braddock in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Joe Magarac • 1940

 
 
Joe Magarac • 1940 Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
1. Joe Magarac • 1940 Marker
Inscription.
Joe was of eastern European stock and worked in the steel mills of Pittsburgh. His physical power and his courageous, giving and industrious character made Joe the greatest steelworker who ever lived.

In fact, Joe was made of steel, born in an iron mine and raised in a furnace. Some versions of his story said Joe was 7 feet tall. Others claimed he was as tall as a smokestack! He ate hot steel like soup and cold ingots like meat.

Mighty Joe could do the work of 29 men because he never slept, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. He stirred vats of hot steel with his bare hands. He made train rails by squeezing molten steel between his fingers.

Joe was generous, self-sacrificing and brave. Once, for example, he won a weight-lifting contest and the prize was marrying the mill boss' daughter Mary. But Mary was in love with Pete Pussick. Instead of claiming his prize, Joe stepped aside so she could marry her true love.

Joe regularly saved steelworkers from danger. When a crane holding a ladle with 50 tons of molten steel broke above his crew, he caught it with his bare hands. A whole train of ingot-buggies broke loose and headed full steam downhill toward a group of workers. In the nick of time, Joe caught the last buggy and pulled the train back up the hill, saving everyone!

No
Paid Advertisement
Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.
Click or scan to see
this page online
one is sure what happened to Joe. In one version of his story, he jumped into a Bessemer converter to save a load of steel and lives on in the girders of a building or bridge. Another version claims he is still alive, waiting in an abandoned mill for the day that the furnace burns again.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1940.
 
Location. 40° 23.837′ N, 79° 51.5′ W. Marker is in North Braddock, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. Marker is on Braddock Avenue, on the right when traveling east. At United States Steel, Mon Valley Works, Edgar Thomson Plant, Gate #2. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1310 Braddock Ave, Braddock PA 15104, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. War Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Braddock's Spring (about 300 feet away); Edgar Thomson Plant (about 400 feet away); The Great Steel Strike of 1919 (approx. ¼ mile away); Alexander M. Scott High School (approx. half a mile away); Lafayette's Tour (approx. half a mile away); Braddock's Defeat (approx. half a mile away); Colonel George Washington Monument (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Braddock.
 
Additional keywords. Folklore
Joe Magarac image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
2. Joe Magarac
 
Joe Magarac image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
3. Joe Magarac
Joe Magarac image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
4. Joe Magarac
Joe Magarac image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
5. Joe Magarac
U.S. Steel Corporation<br>Edgar Thomson Plant<br>Since 1875 image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, October 13, 2016
6. U.S. Steel Corporation
Edgar Thomson Plant
Since 1875
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 581 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 19, 2016, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Share this page.  
Share on Tumblr
m=98943

CeraNet Cloud Computing sponsors the Historical Marker Database.
This website earns income from purchases you make after using our links to Amazon.com. We appreciate your support.
Paid Advertisements
Mar. 19, 2024