Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
Encyclopedia
The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company were the American Iron Company, founded in 1851 by Bernard Lauth
, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles (c 4 km) south of Pittsburgh
along the Monongahela River
. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin
. The first firm to bear the name of Jones and Laughlin was organized in 1861 and headquartered at Third & Ross in downtown Pittsburgh http://www.trumanlibrary.org/executiveorders/index.php?pid=180 Originally producing only iron, the enterprise began the production of steel
in 1886. Over the ensuing 60 years, the company expanded its facilities and its operations along both sides of the Monongahela
river and along the Ohio
river. The Hot Metal Bridge across the Monongahela river was built to connect the works on one side of the river with the works on the other side of the river. In 1905, a new plant was begun at Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
. The company also owned coal mines in western Pennsylvania in its early days, including some reached by an incline in Pittsburgh's South Side
which connected to the railroad over the bridge adjacent to the Hot Metal Bridge. Other mines were along the nearby Becks Run
, also directly connected by railroad
. The incline and mines were gone before 1900, but mining continued in Pennsylvania towns such as Vestaburg and elsewhere. The former Otis Steel company along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was purchased in 1942, and then in the mid-1960s a finishing plant was constructed in Hennepin, Illinois.
J & L Steel (known to its employees as simply "J & L") provided the most able competition to the Carnegie Steel Company
in the vicinity of Pittsburgh
. Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc.
of Texas
offered to purchase 63 percent of J & L Steel in 1968. It took full control of the company in 1974.
In 1981, J & L Steel bought a stainless steel mill from McLouth Steel
Products in Detroit, MI, which was probably an attempt to try to get closer to the auto market. It merged with Republic Steel
in 1984 to form LTV Steel.
connecting a coal mine to the J&L iron making facility. It ran from Josephine Street, between South 29th street and South 30th Street on the lower end to Summer Street on its upper end.
It was supplied with coal from the American Mine, opened in 1854.
I t was 1300 feet long.
. The Pittsburgh Technology Center now stands on the north side of the Monongahela River where the blast furnaces once stood and the South Side Works, a commercial and residential development, stands on the south side where milling operations occurred.
Bernard Lauth
Bernard Lauth was born August 23, 1820 in Alsace, France. He founded the American Iron Works in 1850, and formed a partnership with B.F. Jones in 1851. He invented and patented the process for cold rolling of iron in 1859. In 1871, he purchased the iron furnace at Howard, Pennsylvania, where he...
, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles (c 4 km) south of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
along the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin
James H. Laughlin
James H. Laughlin was a pioneer of the iron and steel industry in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was born March 1, 1806 near Portaferry in County Down.-Steel industry:He became a junior partner of the iron business of Benjamin Franklin Jones in 1857...
. The first firm to bear the name of Jones and Laughlin was organized in 1861 and headquartered at Third & Ross in downtown Pittsburgh http://www.trumanlibrary.org/executiveorders/index.php?pid=180 Originally producing only iron, the enterprise began the production of steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
in 1886. Over the ensuing 60 years, the company expanded its facilities and its operations along both sides of the Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
river and along the Ohio
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
river. The Hot Metal Bridge across the Monongahela river was built to connect the works on one side of the river with the works on the other side of the river. In 1905, a new plant was begun at Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania
Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The population was 9,438 at the 2010 census. Formerly a borough, it was formally named a city in 1987 by the Aliquippa Council.-History:...
. The company also owned coal mines in western Pennsylvania in its early days, including some reached by an incline in Pittsburgh's South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
which connected to the railroad over the bridge adjacent to the Hot Metal Bridge. Other mines were along the nearby Becks Run
Becks Run
Becks Run is a tributary of the Monongahela River. As an urban stream, it is heavily polluted, receiving combined sewer outflow from Carrick and Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania. There is a waterfall on a tributary, just downstream from a slate dump, near the intersection of Wagner Avenue and Mountain...
, also directly connected by railroad
H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad operated to carry coal from the Hays family mines along Becks Run and Streets Run in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Both branches included an incline, and both are visible in the engravings below, one just south of Six Mile...
. The incline and mines were gone before 1900, but mining continued in Pennsylvania towns such as Vestaburg and elsewhere. The former Otis Steel company along the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was purchased in 1942, and then in the mid-1960s a finishing plant was constructed in Hennepin, Illinois.
J & L Steel (known to its employees as simply "J & L") provided the most able competition to the Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company
Carnegie Steel Company was a steel producing company created by Andrew Carnegie to manage business at his steel mills in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the late 19th century.-Creation:...
in the vicinity of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc.
Ling-Temco-Vought
Ling-Temco-Vought was a large U.S. conglomerate which existed from 1969 to 2000. At its peak, its component parts were involved in the aerospace industry, electronics, steel manufacturing, sporting goods, the airline industry, meat packing, car rentals and pharmaceuticals, among other...
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
offered to purchase 63 percent of J & L Steel in 1968. It took full control of the company in 1974.
In 1981, J & L Steel bought a stainless steel mill from McLouth Steel
McLouth Steel
McLouth Steel is a former integrated steel company. The company had three locations. The first plant was in Detroit, Michigan, the second in Trenton, Michigan and the third, a cold mill, in Gibraltar, Michigan. The Detroit plant is currently owned by Jones & Laughlin Steel Company...
Products in Detroit, MI, which was probably an attempt to try to get closer to the auto market. It merged with Republic Steel
Republic Steel
Republic Steel was once the third largest steel producer in the United States.The Republic Iron and Steel Company was founded in Youngstown, Ohio in 1899....
in 1984 to form LTV Steel.
J&L Coal Incline
The J&L Coal Incline was an inclineFunicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
connecting a coal mine to the J&L iron making facility. It ran from Josephine Street, between South 29th street and South 30th Street on the lower end to Summer Street on its upper end.
It was supplied with coal from the American Mine, opened in 1854.
I t was 1300 feet long.
From hot strip to mixed-use development
Dismantling of the buildings which housed J & L Steel produced an upsurge of building on the tracts of land where the buildings had stood. By September 2005, numerous new structures had been erected on both sides of the Monongahela RiverMonongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. The Pittsburgh Technology Center now stands on the north side of the Monongahela River where the blast furnaces once stood and the South Side Works, a commercial and residential development, stands on the south side where milling operations occurred.
See also
- National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel CorporationNational Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel CorporationNational Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, 301 U.S. 1 , was a United States Supreme Court case that declared that the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 was constitutional...
- Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. SawyerYoungstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. SawyerYoungstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, , also commonly referred to as The Steel Seizure Case, was a United States Supreme Court decision that limited the power of the President of the United States to seize private property in the absence of either specifically enumerated authority under Article...
External links
- Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Photographs, 1864-1953 online collection MSP #33 from the Library & Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
- Finding aid to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Historical Records at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Finding aid to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Pittsburgh Works Earnings Records at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Finding aid to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Records at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Finding aid to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Pittsburgh Works Records at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
- Finding aid to the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation Aliquippa Works Records at the Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Further reading
- Portraits in Steel : an illustrated history of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation / David H. Wollman and Donald R. Inman. Kent, Ohio : Kent State University Press, 1999.