Last Cast 25

The Last Cast 25, a commemoration of the last day of steelmaking at Bethlehem Steel’s South Bethlehem plant, will take place at the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) on Saturday, November 14^th.  A collaboration between PBS39, Bethlehem Area Public Library, Artsquest, Steelworkers Archives, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, Wind Creek Bethlehem, and NMIH, the event will feature guest speakers, never-before seen photos of the last cast, limited edition merchandise, free lunches for former Bethlehem Steel employees (RSVP required), and free admission to the museum from 10am to 1pm. All guests must wear a mask and social distance for indoor and outdoor activities.

Steelworker Lunches

Former Bethlehem Steel employees can sign up here to receive a free “overtime lunch.” The menu consists of items that came in lunches given to employees who worked four hours extra on top of their eight-hour shifts. Provided by Bethlehem’s Deja Brew Coffeehouse & Deli, the brown-bag lunches will include a variety of sandwiches, chips, an A-Treat soda, a hard-boiled egg, an apple, and a Tastykake.  Two hundred lunches are available by RSVP only and are limited to one per person.

Schedule of Events

9am – 10am
Hoover Mason Trestle
Small groups will be given access to the Hoover Mason Trestle.  NMIH staff and volunteers will be on-hand to ensure social distancing.

9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm
NMIH Plaza
Steelworkers Archives will be offering walking tours on Saturday, November 14^th and Sunday, November 15^th. Tickets can be purchased here.

10am – 1pm
NMIH Plaza
Steelworkers will have the opportunity to sign an I-Beam from Martin Tower that will be later placed outside the South Bethlehem Visitors Center

10am – 1pm
Museum Interior
NMIH is open to the public with free admission. Limited edition Last Cast merchandise will be available in the NMIH Gift Shop, and two stations within the museum will be showing home footage of the blast furnaces in operation circa 1992 and a corporate video of the blast furnaces dating to 1995.

11am
NMIH Plaza
Guest speakers, including NMIH President and CEO Kara Mohsinger, Bethlehem Steel Chairman Emeritus Curtis H. “Hank” Barnette, County Executive Lamont McClure, Councilman William Reynolds, former research supervisor Trevor Shellhammer, and former blast furnace foreman Roger Malitzki Sr., will deliver remarks. Joe Mayer, President of the Steelworkers Archives, will make a presentation.

11:20am (approx.)
NMIH Plaza
NMIH will screen a short video on an outdoor screen from Tom Baker, an amateur photographer who has captured images of the plant over several decades, including photos from November 18, 1995, the day of the last cast.

11:30am-1pm
NMIH Plaza
Recently uncovered images from the NMIH archives of the Last Cast taken by the company’s in-house photographer, the trailer for an upcoming Last Cast documentary, and the ‘Faces of Steel’ photo series will rotate on the outdoor screen in the museum’s plaza.  The ‘Faces of Steel’ series will also be up for viewing all weekend on PBS39’s outdoor screen.

12pm
NMIH Plaza
Brown-bag lunches will be distributed to RSVP’d attendees

12:30pm
Ruins East Parking Lot
NMIH and Bethlehem Area Public Library launch “Tug,” a children’s book featuring one of the museum’s brightest artifacts. Join a socially-distanced story time with the actual Tug for a fun family adventure! Read by Former Steelworker and Steelworkers Archive Board Member Lester Clore.

2:30pm
NMIH Plaza
Museum staff and volunteers will pour iron to cast commemorative medallions. Note: Weather permitting. Medallions will not be available for sale on-site on November 14^th. NMIH will have a sign-up sheet available and will contact interested parties as we continue to cast more medallions.

Wine and Dine
Looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat while in town? Check out the many options across the SouthSide Arts District here.

Last Cast 25 is generously sponsored by:

Hank and Joanne Barnette

MMZ Foundation