Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Guide to the Washington Steel Company Records

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1443
Creators:
Washington Steel Corporation
Dates:
1947-1994
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.75 Cubic feet
3 boxes
Repository:
The collection contains photographs and safety materials from the Washington Steel Corporation, a manufacturer based in Washington, Pennsylvania.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection primarily consists of photographs of the Washington Steel Corporation's plant and its employees from its founding in 1945 through the 1970s. Many of the photographs depict company dinners or outdoor events. Some photographs document work within the steel mill. Most of the photographs were labelled and numbered upon receipt by the Division of Work and Industry and have been arranged based upon this numbering scheme. The collection also contains employee safety materials produced by the United Steelworkers.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Materials are arranged as a single series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Washington Steel Corporation was founded by T.S. Fitch in 1945. Based in Washington, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, the Washington Steel Corporation was known for its use of Tadeusz Sendzimir's Z-Mill for cold-rolling stainless steel. Instead of using multi-stand four high rolls Sendzimir's Z-Mill used a clustered nest of rolls, like two inverted pyramids (1-2-3-4 configuration). The company won fame within the industry when its steel was used in the construction of the Atlas missile used to launch the first American spacecraft to orbit the Earth, the
Friendship 7
. As the steel industry declined in the United States, the firm was purchased by the Lukens Steel Company in 1992, which was in turn purchased by Bethlehem Steel in 1997.

Administration

Author
Miles Lawlor
Custodial History
Transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Work and Industry, 2017.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Bethlehem Steel Corporation in 1997.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Miles Lawlor; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist, August 2019.

Digital Content


Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.

Related Materials
Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Washington Steel Film Collection (NMAH.AC.0730)
Sendzimir Mill Video Documentation (NMAH.AC.0605)

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Black-and-white photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Iron and steel industry Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mills Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Negatives (photographic) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photograph albums Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic slides Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Steel industry and trade Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sendzimir, Tadeusz, 1894-1989 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
archivescenter@si.edu