Reflecting on a Decade of Change

on June 17, 2022 Behind the Scenes, Bethlehem Steel, Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, Industrial Heritage, Updates, Women of Steel and Tags: , , , , with 0 comments
A diverse group of former steelworkers stand inside the BMI's Decker Gallery. Former Sparrows Point steelworkers gathered inside the museum on June 5, 2022. Photo by Mary Braman.

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 […]

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Project Update – Sept. 2021

on September 14, 2021 Behind the Scenes, Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, Exhibits, Exhibits, Updates and Tags: , , , , , , , with 0 comments
Parts of an exhibition taking shape: a mannequin wearing a fire-resistant silver coat and hard had, a ladder, work helmets, and other signage

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 […]

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Memories of a “Looper”: Bob Casey, Combustion Engineer

on September 9, 2021 Behind the Scenes, Stories, Updates and Tags: , , , , , with 0 comments
A black and white photo shows a group of young engineers wearing slacks and button-up shirts, standing on steps Bethlehem Steel’s 1968 “Loop” class. Bob Casey is in the front row, fourth from the left.

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 […]

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Podcast Project in the Works

on August 20, 2020 Behind the Scenes, Updates and Tags: , , , , , , , with 0 comments
Photo courtesy of Aaron Henkin

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 […]

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A Day in the Life: a Union & Civil Rights Leader

on July 23, 2020 Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, Oral history, Stories, Updates and Tags: , , , , , , with 0 comments
Eddie Bartee Jr. and Eddie Bartee Sr., photographed by J. M. Giordano. Three generations of Bartees worked at Sparrows Point and became union activists.

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 […]

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Sparrows Point Building Basin is Back in Business

on June 10, 2020 Updates and Tags: , , , , with 0 comments
The Titan entering the Sparrows Point dry dock

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 […]

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The Fairfield Yards – Home of the Liberty Fleet

on April 14, 2020 Stories, Updates and Tags: , , , , , , , , , , with 0 comments
The busy Fairfield shipyards pictured during WWII, from the BMI’s collections.

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 […]

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Museums + Contemporary Issues

on October 10, 2019 Behind the Scenes, Updates and Tags: , , , , , , , with 0 comments
“The Big Graph.” Photo courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary.

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 […]

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Story Sharing at Sollers Point

on June 21, 2019 Updates and Tags: , , , , , , , , , , with 0 comments
A special exhibition on Bethlehem Steel in the Turner Station History Center, curated by the Turner Station Conservation Teams

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 […]

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About the Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project

on May 8, 2019 Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, Updates and Tags: , , , with 0 comments

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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