Reflecting on a Decade of Change
by Auni Gelles Spring 2022 marked a decade since steelmaking ceased at the Sparrows Point steel mill. Founded by the Pennsylvania Steel Company in the 1890s, this Baltimore County mill reached its peak production in the 1950s and was once the largest steel plant in the world. Often associated with Bethlehem Steel, the company that […]
Read moreProject Update – Sept. 2021
By Anita Kassof, Beth Maloney, and Auni Gelles Fall 2021 marks three years since the Baltimore Museum of Industry began our Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, a multiyear project to document and tell the story of the Bethlehem Steel mill at Sparrows Point—once the largest steel plant in the world. We’re sharing a behind-the-scenes update on […]
Read moreMemories of a “Looper”: Bob Casey, Combustion Engineer
Compiled by Deb Weiner Bob Casey had a career in steelmaking before leaving Sparrows Point to become a museum curator. Starting with a stint as an intern here at the BMI, he eventually retired as Curator of Transportation at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. Recently he donated four items from his time at […]
Read morePodcast Project in the Works
by Beth Maloney and Auni Gelles How do you tell an enormous and complicated story, make it accessible to as many people as possible (during a global pandemic), respect varying individual experiences and opinions, and show just how important that story is? One answer: Use every tool you have. In this vein, we are thrilled […]
Read moreA Day in the Life: a Union & Civil Rights Leader
The Bethlehem Steel community lost a beloved figure when Eddie Bartee Sr. passed away in March at age 85. The son and nephew of steelworkers, he grew up in the company town of Sparrows Point and followed his father into the mill in 1955. The first African American president of Local 2609, he was a […]
Read moreSparrows Point Building Basin is Back in Business
By Ken Jones In a previous post I shared the story of the Sparrows Point Shipyard. One of the significant features of the yard was the large 1,200’ x 200’ flexible building basin (dry dock) that went into operation in 1971. At the time of its construction it was one of the largest dry docks […]
Read moreThe Fairfield Yards – Home of the Liberty Fleet
by Ken Jones As mentioned in my previous post I have been processing and cataloging the Museum’s Bethlehem Steel collection. As I did my work, I found myself reading the materials or closely looking at the photos I was processing. I became fascinated by Bethlehem’s collection of shipyards in Baltimore – Sparrows Point, the Baltimore […]
Read moreMuseums + Contemporary Issues
On September 9th, 18 staff members from the Baltimore Museum of Industry boarded a bus for Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. We took the day away from our desks to experience an historic site together so that we could learn from colleagues, see some inspiring museum exhibitions, and have time to reflect on what we […]
Read moreStory Sharing at Sollers Point
Mistrust. Pride. Cancer. Prosperity. Shock. Community. A series of striking contrasts emerged as themes throughout the BMI’s “A Mill on the Patapsco” story sharing program at the Sollers Point branch of the Baltimore County Public Library on June 5, 2019. As part of the museum’s commitment to community participation, we partnered with the library to […]
Read moreAbout the Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project
We at the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) are proud to unveil this blog, which will provide behind-the-scenes insights into our Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project (BSLP). Announced in late January, this multi-year initiative will include several different elements. One major goal is to create a permanent exhibition at the museum in 2021. Members of the […]
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