Carrie Furnace Field Trip Announcement – Saturday, June 24, 2023
Direct questions to Mary Ann Gross, Trip Organizer
Connect with Pittsburgh’s steel industry heritage on this guided tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Tours highlight the site’s iron-making technology, its workers, and their culture.
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Carrie, as it’s affectionately known, entices visitors to marvel at the scale and legacy of its industrial might. A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry. During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology (including why it is nationally significant) as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
Connect with Pittsburgh’s steel industry heritage on this guided tour of the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark. Tours highlight the site’s iron-making technology, its workers, and their culture.
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Carrie, as it’s affectionately known, entices visitors to marvel at the scale and legacy of its industrial might. A remnant of the legendary U.S. Steel Homestead Steel Works, the Carrie Blast Furnaces are a vestige of Pittsburgh’s 20th-century domination of the steel industry. During this two-hour guided tour, you’ll hear stories about the site’s technology (including why it is nationally significant) as well as get to know the culture of its workers. You’ll also learn a bit about the iron-making process, from the movement of the raw materials to the tapping of the furnaces that produced fiery molten iron.
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The Carrie Furnace Industrial Tour Field Trip will run on June 24, 2023.
801 Carrie Furnace Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 (412 464-4020)
Sign up using the link below and submit payment to reserve your ticket before the end of the day on June 16. Note that you will be contacted with payment options AFTER submitting registration using the form below.
The cost is $20 per adult. You will be sent the payment link upon registration approval. Your ticket is not reserved until you submit payment!
The tour size is limited to 25, but if more than 10 additional people request to attend a second tour may be made available.
The tour will start at 10:00 a.m. Please arrive by 9:45. Check in at the gift shop, which is in the shipping container you will see when you arrive. The tour will take 2 hours.
Please check out the website: https://riversofsteel.com/attractions/carrie-furnaces for additional information and history on the Carrie Furnace, and on other tours and events.
Note that you will be contacted with payment options AFTER submitting registration using the form above. See additional field trip information below:
Carrie Furnace instructions: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
As a former industrial site, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure an enjoyable visit.
The Carrie Blast Furnaces are located in Swissvale and Rankin, PA in the Monongahela River Valley. The entrance to the Carrie Blast Furnaces is located at Carrie Furnace Boulevard, Rankin, PA 15104. There is a general lack of street signs in places, but the following directions should lead you to the Carrie Furnace site:
From Pittsburgh -
Take the Parkway East (I-376) from Pittsburgh through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and exit right to Swissvale. Bear right at the fork toward Swissvale and get in the left lane. Turn left at the stop sign and then right at the traffic light onto South Braddock Avenue. Get in the right lane and take South Braddock Avenue past Edgewood Towne Centre and straight on through Swissvale for 1.5 miles to the overhead signs for Duquesne/Homestead and Braddock/Exit Only. Get into the right lane for the Braddock exit and at the next set of overhead signs bear right just before the Rankin Bridge. Stay in the right lane and at the traffic light go straight through the intersection onto Carrie Furnace Boulevard. Drive 0.7 miles, park, and walk to the gift shop.
For those coming from the east -
Take the Parkway East (I-376) from Monroeville and exit right to Swissvale and Edgewood. Turn left onto Braddock Avenue at the traffic light at the bottom of the ramp. Pass under the Parkway East to the traffic lights, get in the right lane, and stay on South Braddock Avenue past Edgewood Towne Centre and straight on through Swissvale for 1.5 miles to the overhead signs for Duquesne/Homestead and Braddock/Exit Only. Get into the right lane for the Braddock exit and at the next set of overhead signs bear right just before the Rankin Bridge. Stay in the right lane and at the traffic light go straight through the intersection onto Carrie Furnace Boulevard. Drive 0.7 miles, park, and walk to the gift shop.
As a former industrial site, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure an enjoyable visit.
- Social distancing: Social distancing is no longer mandatory, but we do ask that you be mindful of the people around you, allowing for a comfortable amount of space when possible.
- What to wear: The majority of each tour is outside; please dress for the weather. Additionally, the ground is uneven—sensible shoes are a must. Sneakers or boots are recommended. Open-toed shoes and high heels are prohibited.
- Hard hats are required to be worn for the duration of your tour. If you have a hard hat, please feel free to bring it. For those who need one, a hard hat will be provided and collected after the tour. Hats are disinfected between uses.
- Restrooms & concessions: The rawness of the site is certainly part of its charm. However, that rawness also limits the creature comforts many of us are accustomed to, like running water. Portable bathrooms and wash stations are available. Food amenities are generally not available (with some exceptions, such as food trucks at festivals).
- Photography: Photography is permitted. For safety reasons, videography and drones are prohibited.
- Accessibility: Handicapped parking is available, but the grounds covered during tours are not wheelchair accessible. There is one spot where the steps are steep, but a handrail is present.
- Liability: By purchasing admission tickets, all visitors are required to sign a liability waiver to tour the Carrie Furnace and consent to be photographed. The PGS also will have a liability waiver to sign.
- Bug Spray: We will be outside, so bug spray with tick repellant might be useful.
- Restaurants: A list of nearby restaurants will be made available, if participants would like to eat together after the tour.
The Carrie Blast Furnaces are located in Swissvale and Rankin, PA in the Monongahela River Valley. The entrance to the Carrie Blast Furnaces is located at Carrie Furnace Boulevard, Rankin, PA 15104. There is a general lack of street signs in places, but the following directions should lead you to the Carrie Furnace site:
From Pittsburgh -
Take the Parkway East (I-376) from Pittsburgh through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and exit right to Swissvale. Bear right at the fork toward Swissvale and get in the left lane. Turn left at the stop sign and then right at the traffic light onto South Braddock Avenue. Get in the right lane and take South Braddock Avenue past Edgewood Towne Centre and straight on through Swissvale for 1.5 miles to the overhead signs for Duquesne/Homestead and Braddock/Exit Only. Get into the right lane for the Braddock exit and at the next set of overhead signs bear right just before the Rankin Bridge. Stay in the right lane and at the traffic light go straight through the intersection onto Carrie Furnace Boulevard. Drive 0.7 miles, park, and walk to the gift shop.
For those coming from the east -
Take the Parkway East (I-376) from Monroeville and exit right to Swissvale and Edgewood. Turn left onto Braddock Avenue at the traffic light at the bottom of the ramp. Pass under the Parkway East to the traffic lights, get in the right lane, and stay on South Braddock Avenue past Edgewood Towne Centre and straight on through Swissvale for 1.5 miles to the overhead signs for Duquesne/Homestead and Braddock/Exit Only. Get into the right lane for the Braddock exit and at the next set of overhead signs bear right just before the Rankin Bridge. Stay in the right lane and at the traffic light go straight through the intersection onto Carrie Furnace Boulevard. Drive 0.7 miles, park, and walk to the gift shop.
