Summary
Learn how Rivers of Steel celebrates the legacy of Pittsburgh’s steel industry through historic sites, arts programs, and community engagement.
Stand beneath the towering stacks of the Carrie Blast Furnaces and you can feel it—the echo of the labor, innovation, and determination that built the modern world. Rivers of Steel exists to preserve that feeling, to share these stories, and to connect people to a history that continues to shape our communities today.
The Panama Canal, Empire State Building, transcontinental railroad, and the steel that helped win World Wars—all began here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Rivers of Steel is a collection of four experiential museums and national historic landmarks that celebrate the global impact of Pittsburgh’s steel industry. We honor a legacy of grit and determination that shaped the modern world.
At the heart of our collection are the Carrie Blast Furnaces, telling historically significant stories—from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who formed one of the world’s most diverse industrial workforces. Rivers of Steel is a steward of this legacy through guided history tours, student education, metal, graffiti, and heritage arts programs, entertainment spaces, and festivals—all designed to create dramatic, eye-opening experiences.
Our work keeps the cultural spirit and craft of molten metal alive while community outreach, workforce development programs, and tourism help build a more sustainable economic future for the Mon Valley, the birthplace of industrialized steel.
Through interpretation, preservation, education, and creative expression, we’re building pathways that connect the industrial heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania to the opportunities and innovations of today. Every program and partnership strengthens that bridge and deepens our impact across the communities we serve.
With so much happening throughout the region in the coming months, it’s the perfect time to engage with this history in new ways. We invite you to visit our sites, participate in programs, and experience the enduring legacy of the Pittsburgh region firsthand.
