Hand-operated sheet mills   Save
Steel Industry and Trade Collection
Description: Photograph showing employees at hand-operated sheet mills involved in steel production, ca. 1890-1899. After the American Civil War, iron manufacturers in Ohio began to introduce new processes to refine iron ore. The resulting product was steel, which was much stronger and more versatile than iron. Because Ohio's numerous steel companies were quick to adopt new technology, Ohio became the second-largest producer of steel in the nation by the 1890s. Developments in the steel industry helped to encourage construction of large buildings, such as skyscrapers, as well as bridges and other projects. The automobile industry also contributed to the growth of the steel industry in the early decades of the twentieth century. Although the mill in this photograph is not identified, it could have been one of any number around the state in the 1890s. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03918
Subjects: Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor; Iron and steel workers--Ohio; Steel industry
Places: Ohio