The Weir Brothers bought the Peter Tarr Furnace and then expanded to form the Weirton Steel Mills. [James Tarr]

Nick Markowitz Jr. shared Vicki Thomas' post

The City of Weirton with the open hearth of Weirton Steel Mills in the background.

Jessie Herrera: My mother's first teaching job was in Weirton in late 30s, probably 38. She said that everyday when she went into her classroom she had to clean the black soot off of the children's desks. The soot made its way in even thru the closed windows. I think she taught at Weirton High.

John Slowikowski posted

Would have liked to have seen exactly this sight in person.

Richard M Allen: Weirton at one time was the largest fully integrated steel mill.

Kenneth Treharn: I think I see 2 blast furnaces and 11 open Hearth stacks. I guess the blast furnaces could support 8, maybe 9 Open Hearth Furnaces. It depends on the size of the blast furnaces. A nice things about Open Hearths is they could adjust how much Hot Metal. What we called an "ore" charge used a higher percentage of Hot Metal, this was a faster heat. The "scrap" charges use less percentage of Hot Metal, we'd charge a percentage of broken moulds/stools for there iron content.

Doug Cheek: Kenneth Treharn when I worked in #4 open hearth at sparrows point they used 5 furnaces out of 7 when the 6th one fire up they would shut one down for rebrick.

Buck Henry: This pic is from the open hearth days. Late 1960’s and earlier. BOF and EAF are the standard now. Much much less smoke.

Weirton Steel Hometown posted

WSX played an important role ending the War

John Slowikowski shared

Chris Litherland Photography posted

Here's a photo from a few years ago of the abandoned powerhouse at Weirton Steel, in WV. Weirton Steel is now being torn down completely. Most of the steel mill was abandoned in the early 2000's, although parts were still used up into a few years ago.In 1905 Ernest Tener Weir, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area steel employee, enlisted a partner to buy the Phillips Sheet and Tin Plate Company, an ailing steel company in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The plant flourished under Weir's stewardship, and within four years he was looking for a new site to accommodate expansion. The site would have to have access to coal mines, water sources, river and rail transportation, and centers of industry.Weir found his ideal industrial site in the northern finger of West Virginia that separates Ohio and Pennsylvania, about 39 miles from Pittsburgh. In 1909 Weir began building on 105 acres he purchased near the hamlet of Hollidays Cove. By the end of the year, Weir had ten steel mills operating, and mill workers had started to come in from as far away as Greece and Italy.The boom continued throughout the decade. By 1920, more than 15,000 people lived in the area. As growth continued, Hollidays Cove expanded rapidly and new communities like Weirton, Weirton Heights, and Marland Heights sprang up nearby. In 1947 all these villages would be incorporated into the city of Weirton.Chris Litherland PhotographyPrints are available here. http://chrislitherlandphotography.zenfolio.com/.../e93ab50a9Chris Litherland PhotographyPretty amazing documentary/education film about Weirton Steel in 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9okBTLJVKc&fbclid=IwAR21rCuIYk79VqL_a7s0jfRzthCMKXYMS8NhdHygt0KZWlaFHf4iaBGUjdEJustin Groch: All of the mill is not being torn down. I am an employee there still to this day! And we currently don't see any chance of full closure in our future.

Randy Cooke: Not sure of the purpose but those are motor generators that ac 3phase power and produced dc to possibly give variable speed. Have some where i currently work but no longer in use.

Robert Binius: Randy Cooke also used a lot in older mills with DC cranes to supply crane rails and large horsepower high torque dc mill motors etc.

John Slowikowski shared

Bill Beatty: The article says Weirton Steel is now being torn down completely. That's not true. The Primary end is all gone or almost gone. 9 Tandem, 5 Pickler, and the Tin Mill are still in operation and owned by Cleveland Cliffs.

Chris commented on his post

Part of Weirton Steel while still active, the photo probably dates to the 1960s.

Jack Robinson posted

Weirton Steel Company, Weirton, West Virginia. It was founded in 1909 by Ernest T. Weir and had employed 13,000 employees. It now employs under 1,000 employees. I retired from this mill and it was a great place to work.

[It has 106 comments. I did not attempt to read them.]

First of thirteen drone photos posted by Bubba Dubs
Ian HapsiasThe 2008-2009 depression was really tough on the steel industry. The writing was on the wall by then for Mingo, but at least the EAF and rolling mill survives. Something is better then nothing.Makes you wonder if the plant in whole would have been able to survive in whole had OAO Severstal not sold the plant, and RG steel not going bankrupt in 2012?Bubba Dubs

AuthorIan Hapsias it was rough with these landlocked mills and getting raw materials into them at a competitive cost against mills with lake transport. Also Steubenville was very archaic in nature as far as facilities went. I remember for a short time after Wheeling Pitt shut down the Steubenville furnaces, they were hurting for hot metal and was looking into trying to get one of Weirton’s furnaces up to help. Now I don’t think for a minute Arcelor Mittal would’ve been game but that was word on the street in 2006-06.Bubba Dubs

AuthorIan Hapsias Mingo #5 was completely re-lined only to be fired up for a short time or not at all! She was a good furnace for her size and very efficient but not big enough to satisfy the BOF’s hot metal appetite when it was running.Richard AllisonBubba Dubs Hey, I am looking at drones right now. Your photos are great. What kind of drone to you have and you satisfied with it????Bubba Dubs

AuthorRichard Allison yea very satisfied. It’s a DJI Mavic mini and even though it’s small it does everything I want it to!Joe BuchananI think the only part of Weirton that is still running is the Tin Mill. My dad was one of the original melters at Weirton when they opened the BOP. Never believed as a kid that I would see the day when it would all be gone. I can remember those big furnaces running at full capacity when I was a kid.Bubba Dubs

AuthorJoe Buchanan correct, that’s the only thing. I believe they get their metal from Cleveland’s mill.Ryan MX Murphyare they replacing them with smaller capacity electric furnaces?Ian HapsiasRyan MX Murphy no, Arcelor Mittal shut the plants hot end down for good in 2005? Not 100% sure on the date. But somewhere in that time frame nonetheless. Only thing that’s left is the tin mill which employs close to 900 people.John OrlandoYes that is sad. One day they may need Blast Furnaces.Bubba Dubs

AuthorJohn Orlando the way they’re going with HBI (hot briquette iron) and electric arc furnaces maybe. Maybe not.I always think about it this way. Steel is the worlds most recyclable material.Rich PantaleoSurprised that those stoves are still standing. Furnace No. 1 was one of the first major structures they dropped. This demolition has been going on for over three years now!

Roger VanGosen commented on Bubba's post

Corey Williams commented on Bubba's post

Still there on google maps satellite image, probably won't be next year. Thanks for sharing an update bud, very much appreciated.

Satellite

Corey got better shadows than I did. Does Google use different images for its smartphone app vs. a web browser?

Mike Maddog Madigan commented on a post

Shot from the roof of Weirton’s BOP.
Bubba Dubs

AuthorMike Maddog Madigan that was a cool place up there! I found that area when I got in there in 2014. There was a chair up there most likely for smoke breaks.Michael BeuckeThey are in the process of replacing the EAF with a new updated one. [Since the post is about Mingo Junction, I don't now if he is referring to Mingo Junction or Weirton.]

Kevin Nelson posted, Facebook resolution

An old National Steel Corp ad featuring Weirton Steel Co. Don't know the date.

Kevin Nelson transcribed the text to make it more readable:

Men and mills of Weirton Steel Company are an important part of National Steel's productive might Weirton Steel Company, one of the two major steel-producing divisions of National Steel, is the world's largest independent manufacturer of tin plate for the billions of tin cans America uses each year. Its record of contributions to improved steel-making methods is a proud one. Weirton helped develop the electrolytic process of coating steel with protective metals... today operates the largest and fastest electrolytic lines in the industry. Weirton installed the world's first fully continuous 4-high hot strip mill... pioneered many other improvements now standard in modern steel-making practice. Weirton is an integrated, versatile steel producer-from blast furnace and open hearth operations through complete rolling and finishing in its mills. Its products include a wide diversity of finished steels used by practically all of the nation's manufacturing industries.Weirton Steel is one of the seven principal subsidiaries of National Steel, fastest growing among America's large producers of steel.

Dennis DeBruler: I've noticed that it said Weirton had a mill in Steubenville, OH. I've come across the names of Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel and LaBelle Iron Works for Steubenville. Are these different corporate names (ownership) for the same mill or was there more than one mill in Steubenville? (I know that JSW now owns the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel mill and calls it Steubenville North.)

Andrew Stewart: Dennis DeBruler Weirton had a small operation just north of Wheeling Pitt. Actually next door.

Mike Maddog Madigan: Dennis JWS Is re working the Mingo BOF, now I think its going to upwards of a 500 ton EAF Their caster rolls two 96 inch slabs. Weirtons did four 48 inch .

Kyle McGrogan: Weirton had a mill in South Steubenville next to the PRR River Line tracks.

Donald Hall: Dennis DeBruler WSX had a tin mill sorting facility across Route 7 at the end of Slack Street. My Father in Law worked there for 42 years. They just called it, “The Steubenville Plant”.

Jeff Roush: Mike Maddog Madigan when I was there the max cast width on each strand was I believe 70-80 inches

Tom Mellott II: No. 1, 2 and 3 Platers. Only No. 2 plater is the only one still in place and operating. 1 and 3 removed a while ago

Kevin Nelson posted

Another old National Steel Corp. ad featuring Weirton Steel Co.

Edward Sivak: That was before the oil co. Pushed plastic down our throat !!!

Pat McCon: Edward Sivak - Yeah, I think aluminum had more to do with it. If they’d learned sooner how to deep-draw steel so they could make 2-piece cans the story may have been happier. Aluminum did it first.

Digitally Zoomed

Weirton Steel Hometown posted

Bill Bull Henry: no. 4 blast furnace

John Slowikowski shared

Used to sit there for hours to see this sight.

John commented on his share

No 4 furnace after those vultures ripped her down in sept of 2017

John commented on his share

My firetruck on main st with no 4 furnace in the background

Mike Madddog Madigan posted

WEIRTONS PIT SIDE , LOOKING SOUTH FROM CASTER FLOOR

Billy Wafer: So what’s he 2 circles on the bottom of the ladle laying down?

Dave Kurtz: Billy Wafer Weirton had a 4 strand caster. Two 2 strand tundish fed with one ladle. Thus the ladle had 2 NKK rotary gates to control steel flow.

Billy Wafer: Dave Kurtz ….. we have a 5 and a 4 strand caster…. We use one gate.

Dave Kurtz: Billy Wafer Weirton had big ladles…. In the range of 400 tons feeding two separate slab casters sitting side by side with two separate big tundishs. That’s why they needed two gates. I assume your 4-5 strand caster is billets/blooms or rounds?
Billy Wafer: Dave Kurtz … billets and dog bones

Mike Madddog Madigan posted

WEIRTONS BOP MAIN GATE , NOTHING BUT A 40 ACRE DUST BOWL NOW
Joe BuchananHere is link to a video about this mill.

https://youtu.be/891ZLMZehKY

Scott Izzy Israil posted

Weirton Steel Hotmill

Shawn Bane: #6 through #12 stands ready for roll change.

One of three photos that Ashlee Mercier-Speicher added to Scott's post

Jim Easton: Good old 59 crane i miss that job.

Weirton Steel Hometown posted

#4 Furnace after it was rebuilt in 1966

John Slowikowski shared

All gone now

Comments on John's share

Bill Cross posted, cropped

I moved thousands of coils in my life at Weirton Steel.

It’s 5 pickler in BWR.

Casey Jacobs: I run a 35 ton crane with a c hook and a 38 ton with a coil grabber. I couldn’t imagine a double c hook. Pretty neat.

Bill Cross: Casey Jacobs that crane was 60 ton. Once you get the hang of it you hate to just use single hook.

[There are several more comments about the double hook. Evidently that  is not common. Bill started 44 years ago with a triple hook. But coils were smaller back then.]

Stan Karwoski: You coil guys might appreciate this. Responded to an accident once involving an 18 wheeler, he was hauling 2 coils & took the on-ramp/turn onto the overpass too fast & onto his side he went. The coils broke free as he went over and one of them went over the side of the overpass onto the road below and landed square on the hood of a car. When we got to the car, we couldn’t find the driver….then he comes running across the road towards us waving something in his hand & says “Sorry I left the scene, but after that (the coil on his car) I figured I better play the lottery before my luck runs out.” Unfortunately this was well before camera phones.

The damage to his car was as impressive as you might think. The coil hit as close to dead center on the hood as you can get, it hit so hard not only smashed the engine like a grape it squirted fluids out from under the hood, not only was the block basically flattened but it drove the engine block (what was left of it) about 6” into the road & it all happened so fast it essentially tore the front end of the car from the fire wall causing pretty hardly any damage to the interior.

Bruce Russel posted

The last days of BOP Weirton

Rick Tennant: We used to go there just after it shut down. Looked like they just walked away...computers still on the desks, calendars on the walls frozen in time, almost pitch black in the daytime..Iittle spooky.

One of four photos posted by Bruce Russel

BOP at Weirton Steel

A video that pans around from the top of a structure

Randy Wolfe shared Viktor Macha's post.
Joshua Denham posted 18 photos. The tin plate mill still exists and is now owned by Cleveland-Cliffs.
10 interior photos


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3ruEWyfvAo (source)
14 exterior photos
6 photos including interior  "Phelps Can Co.  Largest Makers of Milk Cans"