Recognized by the Department of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark in 2017, the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop is a marvel by its mere existence. It is the only surviving and functional example of our nation’s twentieth-century evolution from local blacksmith shops to mass production machining facilities.

Saturday, April 20, 2024, we’ll open the doors, switch on the machines and invite area blacksmiths to demonstrate just how this unique machine shop operated!

Guided tours and blacksmith demonstrations occur throughout the day. Members from the Pittsburgh Area Artist Blacksmiths Association and the Appalachian Blacksmiths Association will demonstrate blacksmithing processes and auction off their artworks to support the Machine Shop, PAABA and ABA.

NEW THIS YEAR! Rivers of Steel is hosting a makers’ marketplace! From hand-forged artworks to an array of craft creations, shop for unique, locally-made creations. Also, for the first time, we’ll have a craftsman demonstrating how to raise copper!

Please join us for this free, family-friendly event. Festivities begin at 9:00 a.m., with a welcoming ceremony at noon, followed by the auction at 1:00 p.m. and an aluminum pour courtesy of Rivers of Steel Arts. Don’t miss this opportunity to watch the past come alive!