Experience the scale and majesty of the Mon Valley's oldest standing blast furnace, the Carrie Furnaces of the U.S. Steel's Homestead Works. Walk with your guide into the Ore Yards, where hundreds of tons of raw materials were off loaded from barge and rail cars to feed the blast furnaces that smelted iron 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
From the Ore Yards, the guide will lead the group through the towering Hot Stoves, the "lungs of the blast furnace" that blew super-heated air into the furnaces to begin the smelting process.
The next stop is the Cast House, where men and molten metal met every time the furnace was tapped. The flow of molten iron from the Cast House would fill waiting Torpedo Cars for the iron's trip across the Rankin Hot Metal Bridge to the Homestead Works, where the steel making process was completed. The last stop on the tour is an original Torpedo Car used at the Carrie site.
The Carrie Furnaces Hard Hat Tours will run on Saturdays—May 12, June 9, July 14, August 11 and September 15. Tour times are 9:00 am, 10:00 am, and 11:00 am. Tours depart from the Pump House at The Waterfront. Reservations are strongly suggested. Purchase your ticket online or call 412-464-4020 ext. 32 today! $25 per person.
Plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled tour time to sign a waiver and pick up a hard hat. If you have a hard hat - feel free to bring it!
Please note that the Carrie Furnaces are an abandoned industrial site. Heels and/or open-toed shoes will not be permitted. At this time, Carrie Furnaces are not wheelchair accessible.