National Museum of Industrial History, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

While on our recent roadtrip through Pennsylvania, we visited the site of Bethlehem Steel Co. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There you'll find the National Museum of Industrial History. This museum is a wonderful place to visit and learn about our nations industrial history and see all of the beautifully restored machines they have on display. It's located in the Bethlehem Steel Electrical Shop and has many early metal working machines, pumping engines and other industrial machines on display. We had a great time there and would recommend it to anyone to pay a visit.
#museum #industrial #industrialhistorymuseum #abom79 #bethlehemsteel

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[RK-xwhy]

I worked in the main machine shop at Bethlehem Steel's Lackawanna plant from 1966 to 1973. I remember turning down one of those herringbone gears that you stood next to in the video to make a shaft for one of the mills. My time there was quite an experience.

[johndoran]

Half of my family worked for Bethlehem Steel. I’m a truck driver and I used to haul loads in and out of there for years and you just can’t appreciate how big this place was when it was operating. It had its own fire department, bus company, airport, hospital, and railroad, all contained within the property.

[invent]

What is the most amazing is that the older the machine the more beautiful it is. Like the designs and art they actually cast into the machines.

[captianm]

Little known fact, Bethlehem Steel had a plant at Sparrows Point outside of Baltimore. It was, at one time, the largest Steel mill in the world. It even had a ship yard and built Liberty ships during WWII.

[ericmcrae]

I find it very sad that ALL the industrial might has gone to China and all you have left is museums. I live in the UK and we are the same.

[jjosephm]

Back in the 60’s and 70’s you couldn’t move in that town when the shift change at “The Steel.”
My grandfather was a Head Roller in the 12 and 18” rolling mill from the 30’s to the 70’s
It was a great place to grow up in.

[danbenson]

It's not just the thousands of jobs in those shops. It's thousands more engineers, draftsman and machinists that built the machines, made the cast iron and steel.

[MrCrystalcranium]

I've been a subscriber for many years but I have rarely posted comments. The story of Bethlehem Steel is a tale of American industrial prowess, pride and might but it is also Shakespearean in its tragedy, a tragedy brought on by hubris, greed and corruption. It has always stirred emotions in me so I needed to make a comment. I urge you to do the research and read of the enormous heights this great American company reached and how it died a tragic slow death from the 1960s through the 1990s. It will bring you to tears. So happy you had such a marvelous time there. It's certainly the steel industry Holy Land.

[optimusprimum]

The Industrial Revolution is hands down the most captivating and romantic era of all human history…it should be properly labeled the Industrial Renaissance. It boggles my mind of how these guys invented not only these tools, but the tools to make the tools that make the tools that make the machines that then make the other machines. Even the Johanassen blocks blow my mind. You’re blessed man. Blessed.

[RedDogForge]

Breaks my heart
What we did to our heavy industry in the seventies and eighties was beyond criminal. Thank you Adam for sharing your trip.

[timrussell]

Have some vey old machinist tools that i purchased at auction many years ago. They were owned and used by N&W railroad to build steam locomotives back in the day. Whats interesting is that N&W always engraved a date on every new tool purchase that they added to their machine shop. These dates range from 1901 to the early 1920's. 100 percent of these tools are still in great shape and completely operational to this very day. I will often pick one of these up and still use it to complete a job or task. They built these tools with just as much precision and care 100 years ago as they do today, and they most definitely built them to last. It has always been a great honor to own a piece of history that helped build this great country into what it is today

[claytonsteckel]

It's so awesome to see how excited Abby is to see these things and learn about what your skillsets are. At the same time she can appreciate how the industrial side lends itself to the textile industry. You guys are great.

[hikanthus]

There's an operational snow engine twice the size of that one, at Rough and Tumble, just a ways down the road, south of Bethlehem, in Kinzers, PA, along route 30. You should seriously check out their Thresherman's Reunion, late in August (3rd week/weekend or so). they have endless amounts of old mechanical stuff, engines, equipment, models, machine tools, on and on, and most of it is operational, or at least idling to show how it operated.

[moregarden]

Abby and Adam...thanks for visiting the area. We live just 1-hour north of this area of PA. The Lancaster/Bethlehem/Hershey area is a fantastic area to visit. It was great that you shared our country's heritage of innovations, inventions, and our nations steel industry. It's sad to think of the massive amount of talented individuals and skills we've lost over the years that made us such a world wide leader in manufacturing throughout the whole northeast region...from Connecticut and Massachusetts through Ohio and beyond.

[rickdenney]

My South Bend 14-1/2” lathe was first delivered to the Beth Steel electrical repair department at the steel plant in Sparrows Point, Maryland, in 1946. That photo you show about 4 minutes in showed all those electric motor shaft assemblies, and now I know what my lathe was used for. Very cool!

[btree-gzqr]

Fantastic video. It should be mandatory for kids to go and see this history.

[piersonshelton]

Thank you so much for stopping by and representing our home town and the industrial history behind it! My family is on the board of trustees for the museum and I am sad to say that the museum doesn’t get the funds and admiration it’s deserves. I thank you for showing your community the great things the museum and area in general have to offer!

[PAI]

An enthusiastic wife like yours is very valuable!

[frederickhornberger]

Adam, I watch your videos all the time. I never knew this museum was there. i live just about 30- 35 miles from there. Thanks so much for bringing this into my home .

[s.weldingandfabrication]

I’m proud to say that I grew up not to far from the old plant. I worked with guys that had been there their whole lives before they shut down. In the plant I worked at we had a few of their their very large mills that we bought from them in the 70’s, still being used today!Really sad to see how bad it’s gotten all over PA. Most all the mills and mines have shutdown. Not very much heavy industry left.