Wartime Steel
The long building in front of you is the No. 2 Machine Shop. Built in 1890, this was one of the largest industrial buildings in the world, stretching for nearly a third of a mile. Workers in this shop milled and drilled Bethlehem's steel into finished products and parts including weapons, ammunition, and ships.
Wartime meant big business for Bethlehem Steel. When the first World War broke out in 1914, Bethlehem enjoyed record profits as it produced armaments, first for embattled European countries, then for the US Army and Navy. During World War II, the company saw even greater productivity and profits, with a record high workforce of over 30,000-including several thousand women. With all plants devoted to wartime production, Bethlehem Steel was the largest single supplier for the Allied Forces. The company produced one naval ship a day in 1943.
"...The men resented the women coming in to take their places. I had a man tell me one time, 'I don't ever expect to get my job back when I come back.' He said, 'These women are so good.'
- Nellie Ross
Matron at Bethlehem Steel during WWII
[Photo captions, from left to right, read]
• The main turret for the battleship USS Pennsylvania, commissioned in 1916, was assembled at Bethlehem Steel from several pieces
this page online
• Naval guns are assembled in the No.2 Machine Shop in 1918.
• Coastal defense gun forgings leave the plant for Watervliet Arsenal in New York State.
• As the men enlisted to fight abroad, women stepped in to fill a growing labor shortage. Thousands of women took jobs at the Steel during both World Wars, working as plant patrol, matrons (supervisors), sweepers, welders, crane operators, and inspectors.
Erected by SteelStacks. (Marker Number 21.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • War, World I • War, World II • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 40° 36.899′ N, 75° 21.866′ W. Marker is in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in Northampton County. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The No. 2 Machine Shop (a few steps from this marker); A Changing Landscape (a few steps from this marker); Heat Treating (a few steps from this marker); Non-Native Plants (within shouting distance of this marker); Why Did Bethlehem Close?
Also see . . .
1. Bethlehem Steel: Forging America. (Submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Bethlehem Steel Corporation. (Submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Steelworkers' Archives. (Submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Bethlehem Steel at A Salute to Freedom. (Submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
5. What is SteelStacks?. (Submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 14, 2018. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 333 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 14, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
