Industrial Oakmont

Industrial Oakmont. . Okamont has a strong industrial heritage. Throughout the 20th century, Oakmont served a combination of residential and industrial uses. Industry developed along the river, allowing trucks, barges, and railroads to deliver raw materials and ship finished products out. , Edgewater Steel, founded in 1916, was the nationwide leader in manufacturing train wheels for the railroad. The company's "gun shop" produced cannon barrels during World War I and rings for the aviation industry during World War II. , The Wm. B Scaife Company also shares a long history with Oakmont. The company was founded in the early 1800s and moved to Oakmont in 1891. The factory manufactured a number of metal tanks, compressors and bomb casings. , Oakmont has been the home of a number of other successful companies. Woodings-Verona Tool Works manufactured high quality railroad tools. Dexter Spring Company produced suspensions for carriages and buggies. Walters Manufacturing made metal cabinets. The U.S. Gypsum Company located on Allegheny Avenue, was a world leader in the production of building materials at the time. , Many rivertowns fell into decline when heavy industry left Western Pennsylvania. However, Oakmont continued to flourish as residential interests claimed the land once used by industry. , Inside the Edgewater Steel Factory., Edgewater's railroad wheels set a national standard of excellent. In 1944 workers posed proudly with the one-millionth wheel. , The Scaife Company delivered domestic products such as buckets, boilers, tanks and fittings, and had been in Oakmont for 70 years when it closed in 1961. , Edgewater Steel (1916-2001) occupied nearly 35 acres between the Allegheny River and Allegheny Avenue. , The one-mile arboretum trail through the center of town demonstrates Oakmont's unique pride of place. The trail was created by the Garden Club of Oakmont and developed with the support of the local community.