A Community of Workers
Life on the South Side of Bethlehem
The streets that stretch up from the steel plant make up South Bethlehem. Over the decades, this community grew along with Bethlehem Steel's growing workforce. Generations of workers lived, shopped, attended school and church, played sports, and socialized in the shadow of the Steel (the locals' nickname for the plant). The sounds of the plant echoed through this vibrant working-class community.
"They used to shoot out the soot from the furnace at night, and the soot that they shot out maybe was the size of sand on a beach. And my mother used to sweep that up and put it in the trash every day so that you wouldn't walk in it and bring all that dirt into the house."
- Joseph J. Achando
Beam Yard Inspector
[Photo captions, from left to right, read]
Around 1917, Bethlehem Steel formed two baseball leagues, a Corporation League and a Bethlehem Plant League, in part to harbor big-league players avoiding the World War I draft. Teams were originally made up of professional players. Later, company staff was invited to join. Games between departments and other companies were played on South Bethlehem fields.
This image of St. Michael's Cemetery was captured by Walker Evans in 1935. Many were born, worked, died and were buried in South Bethlehem with the Steel always within sight.
Erected by SteelStacks.
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.
Location. 40° 36.894′ N, 75° 22.051′ W. Marker is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. It can be reached from East 1st Street. Marker is on the Hoover-Mason Trestle at SteelStacks. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 711 East 1st Street, Bethlehem PA 18015, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania and in Lehigh Valley. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hot, Loud, & Dangerous (a few steps from this marker); The Blower House (within shouting distance of this marker);
Also see . . .
1. Bethlehem Steel. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on January 14, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Ex-steelworker keeps memory of Bethlehem Steel from rusting away (CBS News, 2013). (Submitted on February 5, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
3. Former Bethlehem Steel workers keep the human history alive (Kraft, 2012). (Submitted on February 5, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
4. Steelworkers' Archives. (Submitted on February 5, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 357 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 5, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
