Stuebenville Steel
This Wheeling-Pitt Steel Mill was originally constructed by LaBelle
Iron Works in 1899 on the site of a 3 year old nail factory, who
converted it to make sheets of steel and other materials by
constructing two blast furnaces, an open-hearth steelwork, plate
mills, sheet mills, and tube works. On June 21, 1920, the Wheeling
Steel Corporation was created, bringing together three independent
companies from the area—LaBelle Iron Works, Whitaker-Glessner
Company, and Wheeling Steel & Iron Company. During the Great
Depression it continued acquiring new properties, modernizing its
facilities, and steadily expanded its production of flat rolled
steel products. One of the first major undertakings at Wheeling
Steel was the installation at Steubenville of new blooming mills
and a continuous sheet-bar mill which enabled the finishing mill to
be independent of purchased raw material. Facing financial issues
due to over expansion, Wheeling merged with Pittsburgh Steel
Company on December 5, 1968. The general decline in the US steel
industry effected Wheeling Pitt as well, eventually declaring
bankruptcy in 1985. They emerged from bankruptcy in 1991, and was
the only US steel company to post a profit. But again, the late 90s
brought the same problems of foreign competition, and the company
declared bankruptcy again in 2000. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Wheeling-Pittsburgh_Corp.aspx)
This Steubenville mill appears to have closed in 2005. When the blast furnaces were silenced, they were some of the oldest blast furnaces in the US. Despite promises to reopen by RG Steel, who purchased the mill after it's closure, the mill was sold to Herman Strauss, a metal scrapping company, who demolished the mill over several years.
