Metal Melting for Kids
2022-08-07 12:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on Free Family Sundays for this special program on select dates. Science, art, and manufacturing come together in these hands-on, kid friendly, demonstrations where participants learn how to prepare sand molds to receive molten tin and create a product to take home. Included with Museum admission. On Sundays, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Drop in between 12pm to 3pm on the following dates…

AUG 7

AUG 21

SEP 4

SEP 18

OCT 2

Youth Program: Hands-on History
2022-08-11 13:00 - 16:00
Full S.T.E.A.M. ahead! Join us as we inspire future innovators in this free drop-in family program presented in partnership with Bethlehem Area Public Library. We’ll read about different aspects of S.T.E.A.M. throughout the summer!
TUG! & Bethlehem Steel
August 11th 1-4pm
Location: National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, PA
Meet TUG, NMIH’s restored Bethlehem Steel tow tractor and the subject of a children’s book produced in collaboration between NMIH and BAPL.

Bethlehem Steel Locomotive Engineer Experience
2022-08-21 11:00 - 16:00, 2022-09-04 11:00 - 16:00, 2022-09-18 11:00 - 16:00, 2022-10-02 11:00 - 16:00
The National Museum of Industrial History is excited to offer a hands-on train engineer experience on its newly-restored narrow gauge locomotive! Situated in the museum’s park area, the 1941 Whitcomb diesel-electric locomotive was used at Bethlehem Steel in the Electric Furnace Melt Shop where it moved charging buggies filled with scrap metal. Restored by museum volunteers and staff to working condition, the train operates on a little over 100 feet of demonstration track. During this educational experience participants will be able to climb into the cab, learn how the locomotive works, then take the controls under the supervision of museum personnel. The short but memorable runs will let you step back in time, putting you in the same engineer’s seat as the steelworkers who helped built the country.
Each experience is limited to two adults or one adult and one child. Each session lasts approximately 20 minutes and is weather-dependent. Tickets are $30 per session (includes 1-2 participants) and are non-refundable except in the case of inclement weather or cancellation by the museum.
Learn more about the locomotive’s restoration process and see it in action here: https://www.nmih.org/restoration-highlight-1941-bethlehem-steel-whitcomb-narrow-gauge-locomotive
Because of the nature of operating historic equipment, availability is subject to change without advance notice. Every reasonable effort will be made to keep your experience on track. Guests must be able to climb a three-step ladder to enter and exit the locomotive. Face masks are required. NMIH’s Bethlehem Steel locomotive experience is separate from regular museum admission.

GET TICKETS NOW!

Metal Melting for Kids
2022-08-21 12:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on Free Family Sundays for this special program on select dates. Science, art, and manufacturing come together in these hands-on, kid friendly, demonstrations where participants learn how to prepare sand molds to receive molten tin and create a product to take home. Included with Museum admission. On Sundays, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Drop in between 12pm to 3pm on the following dates…

Aug 21

Sep 4

Sep 18

Oct 2

John Fritz's Birthday Celebration
2022-08-21 14:00 - 17:00
Join us to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of John Fritz, General Superintendent and Chief Engineer of the Bethlehem Iron Company, with a series of public events.
In September of 1892, hundreds of guests gathered to celebrate the 70th birthday of John Fritz. They held a dinner celebration at the Wyandotte Opera House in Bethlehem, PA and after dinner held a mock trial in which Fritz was “prosecuted” in jest for the “crime” of transforming the peaceful, rural Lehigh Valley into an industrial powerhouse. They took the photograph above the following day during their tour of the Bethlehem Works and visit to the proving grounds to witness a demonstration of how well the new armor plate being produced stood up against shell fire. Fritz is seated in the front row, 10th from the right. Distinguished attendees included Thomas Edison, Robert Sayre and Rear Admiral George Wallace Melville.
2PM Book Launch and Birthday Cake
Join us for a reading of “The Giant Moves,” a children’s book exploring the history of the museum’s 19th century bending press envisioned by ironmaster John Fritz & stay for some birthday cake.

3:30PM The History of the Bending Press
Join Museum Historian Mike Piersa to learn about the history of the recently relocated Whitworth Bending Press. Applying up to 7,000 tons of force, this nearly million pound press shaped steel armor plate bound for battleships that bolstered U.S. efforts in both World Wars.

4PM A Historic Move: Bringing the Bending Press to NMIH
In September 2020, NMIH began the monumental move of a 900,000 lb Whitworth Bending Press to its new home at the museum. Installed in 1891 when Bethlehem Steel was still Bethlehem Iron Company, this hydraulic armor bending press utilized 7,000 tons of force to create armor for battleships. Hear from Nick Lykon, General Manager of A&A Machinery Moving, an MEI Company, about the tremendous undertaking of moving the press to NMIH.

All programs will take place outdoors, weather permitting. In the case of inclement weather, programs will occur inside the museum. All programs free with museum admission.

The Rise of Bethlehem Steel: 1904 – 1945 Bethlehem Steel Steps Onto The World Stage
2022-08-25 18:00 - 19:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Hear the incredible story of how a single steel plant company along the Lehigh River in eastern Pennsylvania grew into world prominence.
Free for NMIH Members
$5 for Non-Members

Purchase tickets HERE.
About the Presenter
Robert W. Bilheimer is General Manager of the Industrial Archives & Library in Bethlehem, Pa. He has had a 40+ year career in private sector and non-profit management including 22 years at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the last 5 of which as General Manager- Public Affairs. Joining Bethlehem Steel as a member of the Loop Management Training Course in 1981, Bilheimer spent his entire career at Bethlehem in Public Affairs, primarily in government and community affairs and corporate communications until 2003 when the company was sold to the International Steel Group (ISG). He also served for 6 years as Director – Public Affairs at Bethlehem’s Burns Harbor Division in Burns Harbor, Ind. Returning to Bethlehem in 1998 as General Manager – Public Affairs, he was responsible for corporate communications, including oversight of the Schwab Memorial Library and where he served as the last editor of Bethlehem Steel’s renowned corporate magazine, the Bethlehem Review. Coming from a Bethlehem Steel family whose heritage at the company goes back over a century, Bilheimer has spent a lifetime of service, experience and study in the American steel industry and is a foremost expert in Bethlehem Steel Corporation history. Mr. Bilheimer is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, and holds an MBA from Lehigh University.

Metal Melting for Kids
2022-09-04 12:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on Free Family Sundays for this special program on select dates. Science, art, and manufacturing come together in these hands-on, kid friendly, demonstrations where participants learn how to prepare sand molds to receive molten tin and create a product to take home. Included with Museum admission. On Sundays, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Drop in between 12pm to 3pm on the following dates…

SEP 4

SEP 18

OCT 2

The Corliss Comes Alive
2022-09-11
The Corliss engine will run at 11:30am and 2:30pm.
For more than a decade the museum’s staff, volunteers, and community partners worked to restore our massive 115-ton Corliss steam engine to working order, 105 years after being built by the Snow Steam Pump Works in Buffalo, N.Y. The engine was used by the York Water Company and pumped eight million gallons of water per day. Today the engine, the most powerful operating water works steam engine in North America, is a focal point of the museum’s 13,000 square foot exhibit space, where it has painstakingly been mechanically restored to its former glory and repainted its original color. Join us as we operate the engine and learn more about this fascinating piece of industrial history from the museum’s historian.

Free Family Sunday Program: Engines and How They Work
2022-09-11 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us during Free Family Sunday at the Museum for a drop-in program to learn about Fritz Medal recipient Charles Kettering. We will read a story about car engines, learn how Charles Kettering won the Fritz Medal, which has often been described as the “Nobel prize for engineering,” and do a hands-on S.T.E.A.M. activity.
On Free Family Sunday, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

2022 Annual Gala
2022-09-17 15:00 - 19:00

Metal Melting for Kids
2022-09-18 12:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on Free Family Sundays for this special program on select dates. Science, art, and manufacturing come together in these hands-on, kid friendly, demonstrations where participants learn how to prepare sand molds to receive molten tin and create a product to take home. Included with Museum admission. On Sundays, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Drop in between 12pm to 3pm on the following dates…

SEP 18

OCT 2

Metal Melting for Kids
2022-10-02 12:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Join us on Free Family Sundays for this special program on select dates. Science, art, and manufacturing come together in these hands-on, kid friendly, demonstrations where participants learn how to prepare sand molds to receive molten tin and create a product to take home. Included with Museum admission. On Sundays, youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.
Drop in between 12pm to 3pm on October 2nd

First Friday at Banana Factory
2022-10-07 18:00 - 21:00
NMIH will be presenting a forging demonstration on the East Terrace at Banana Factory during First Friday as a lead up to Steel Weekend.

Virtual Event: Archival Film Screening: Shipbuilding at Sparrows Point
2022-10-11 19:00 - 20:00
Be among the first to see recently digitized footage from The Port that Built a City and State, the weekly program hosted by Helen Delich Bentley on WMAR between 1950-1965, showing shipbuilding and steelmaking at Sparrows Point in this YouTube Premiere. This program is part of Steel Weekend programming hosted by the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, PA.

Virtual Event: Photographing Bethlehem Steel
2022-10-14 12:00 - 13:00
Hear from photographers Ed Leskin (based in Bethlehem, PA) and J.M. Giordano (based in Baltimore) about their work documenting steelmaking communities in the mid-Atlantic and around the world. Leskin’s project “Images of Flesh and Steel” includes portraits of steelworkers in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Giordano’s temporary exhibition “Shuttered: Images from the Fall of Bethlehem Steel” documents the changing landscape of Sparrows Point. This program is part of Steel Weekend programming hosted by the National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, PA. Registration required: https://bit.ly/PhotographingBethSteel

Steel Weekend & Steelworkers Reunion
2022-10-15 10:00 - 2022-10-16 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Thank you for joining us for an exploration of all things STEEL! Highlights included our Steelworkers Reunion Party, pop-up exhibits, hands-on youth activities, documentary and archival video screenings, live demonstrations, guided tours and more. Musical performances by Kendal Conrad and Starting Tomorrow and food from Heaven On A Bun Food Truck and a very special Foodways of Steel tasting.

Presented in partnership with Steelworkers’ Archives, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Banana Factory, Bethlehem Area Public Library, Bethlehem Area School District, Lehigh University Art Galleries, Lehigh Valley Public Media, South Bethlehem Historical Society, St. John Windish Church.

Funding generously provided by Northampton County Department of Community and Economic Development Hotel Tax Grant Program, Lehigh County Quality of Life Grant Program, Hank & Joanne Barnette, OneGroup, Bethlehem Landfill, PA Steel Alliance, American Institute of Steel Construction, MMZ Foundation, St. John Windish Church, Weis Markets, Giant Markets.

Click on the following links to view recordings from some of our Steel Weekend 2022 programs:
59″Mill Modernization Project Lecture with Larry Guzzo and Mike Zaia
Something Old…Something New: Bethlehem Steel Corporation informational video about the 59″ Mill Modernization Project in the Bethlehem Plant
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Lecture with Bob Bilheimer
Mill Stories with Sparrows Point Steelworker Andrew Morton

Veterans Day 2022
2022-11-11 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
The National Museum of Industrial History will honor those who served on Friday, November 11. The day will begin at 10am with a commemoration ceremony hosted by the Steelworkers Veteran’s Memorial Committee on the Museum’s plaza. The commemoration ceremony will include a performance by the Broughal Middle School Band as well as remarks from various speakers representing the Nam Knights of America Lehigh Valley Chapter, members of the Steelworkers Veteran’s Memorial Committee and government officials. Special keynote speakers will be Commander Sandra D. Thomas and Chief Warrant Officer Andrew T. Boyer (U.S. Navy Reserve).
Veterans and their families receive free admission to the museum from 10am to 5pm.
Special Display
Circa 1940s Service Banner from Bethlehem Steel Brass Foundry Welfare Room from the Museum’s collection will be on view in the Museum lobby
Veterans Day at the National Museum of Industrial History is proudly sponsored by
HANK & JOANNE BARNETTE

About Keynote Speakers
Commander Sandra D. Thomas
Commander Sandra D. Thomas is a native of Bethlehem, PA. She enlisted in the US Navy in 1988 as an undesignated Seaman Recruit. Upon completion of boot camp, she was assigned to Naval Station, Annapolis, MD where she designated as a Storekeeper.
In June of 1996, after eight years of active duty, CDR Thomas decided to pursue her education on a full-time basis and separated from active duty, affiliating with the Navy Reserves in July 1996.
As a SELRES, she performed in a variety of Supply Support positions with NMCB 21, COMLOGRON and NCHB Eight. While serving with NCHB Eight, CDR Thomas was recalled to active duty in 2005 to Kuwait in support of OIF/OEF, and ultimately served as the Senior Watch Leader at Port Shuaiba. Currently she is assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Warfare Requirements and Capabilities.
CDR Thomas was previously a Logistics Specialist Senior Chief Petty Officer and on July 15, 2006, she accepted a commission as a Navy Supply Corps Officer via the Direct Commission Officer program.
CDR Thomas’s awards include the Meritorious Service Medal (with one star), Navy Commendation Medal (with one star), Navy Achievement Medal (with three stars), and numerous service, unit and campaign awards.
Chief Warrant Officer Andrew T. Boyer
CWO Andrew T. Boyer is a native of Brooklyn, NY. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1984 as a designated Fireman Recruit. Upon completion of boot camp he attended Boiler Technician “A” School, Great Lakes, IL. After graduating “A” school he was assigned to the USS Austin LPD-4, Norfolk, VA. During his service on board the Austin he made several Mediterranean Cruises and was part of significant historical events, such as the high jacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. After his initial enlistment ended, CWO Boyer decided to depart from active service. After several years he decided to enlist in the Navy Reserves. His first reserve assignment was Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 6 (CHB6), Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY and after its decommissioning he transferred to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 8 (CHB8) Fort Dix, NJ.
In September of 2005, CWO Boyer was deployed to Kuwait Naval Base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he served as Hatch Captain with the deploying and redeploying of combat and support troops. Upon his completion of deployment, CWO Boyer was advanced to Chief Petty Officer (CPO). During his time with CHB8 he served in a variety of roles including Company CPO, Senior Enlisted Advisor and Operations Chief.
CWO Boyer applied and was accepted to the Navy Reserve Chief Warrant Officer program in 2010. On October 15th of that year, CWO Boyer was commissioned as a United States Naval Officer.
CWO Boyer’s awards include a Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medals (with four stars), and numerous service, unit and campaign awards.

Capturing Steel: Bethlehem Steel Photography with Peter Treiber
2022-11-12 13:00 - 14:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Peter Treiber takes us behind the lens to learn what it was like to be a Bethlehem Steel Photographer. Sometimes working 7 days a week, these talented photographers were in demand. Flying on location wherever they were needed around the world, they supplied the marketing department with high quality images of plant operations, workers, and documented important milestones in the life of the corporation.
Hear from this veteran industrial photographer what it was really like to photograph underground in mines and flying in helicopters to capture industrial moments that few could even imagine.
Treiber’s work is captured in the publication Inside Bethlehem Steel: The Final Quarter Century by Photographer Peter Treiber and Writer Elizabeth Kovach. We will also be joined by Elizabeth Kovach to sign copies of the publication which is available for purchase in our gift shop.
Visitors will also have the chance to take in a dynamic pop-up exhibit showcasing some of Treiber’s work.
Free for NMIH members, $5 non-members. Register here.

Youth Program: S.T.E.A.M. Adventures - Catch That Turkey
2022-11-20 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Visit the Museum on November 20th during Free Family Sunday and join us for a drop-in style family program to engage in S.T.E.A.M. concepts like building, engineering and strategic thinking. During Free Family Sundays, all youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

Black Friday Sale
2022-11-25 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Skip the lines at the big box stores and enjoy 20% off in-person sales on Black Friday in the NMIH Gift Shop. From handmade items and books to apparel and decor, you’re sure to find something special for the history lover in your life. Some exclusions apply. Gift shop hours are 10am-5pm.

Small Business Saturday at NMIH
2022-11-26 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Show your support for local business and receive 20% off in-person sales at the NMIH Gift Shop. From apparel to books and handmade items to art, you are sure to find something unique for the hard-to-shop-for person. Some exclusions apply. Shop hours are 10am-5pm.

Museum Store Sunday
2022-11-27 10:00 - 17:00
On Sunday, November 27, 2022, the Museum Store at the National Museum of Industrial History is thrilled to participate in Museum Store Sunday, an annual holiday shopping day supporting cultural institutions and their stores. This year, more than 1,800 museum stores representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 24 countries, and five continents will celebrate Museum Store Sunday and offer unique gifts for the holiday season—with all purchases supporting its parent institution and the artisans and craftspeople who create many of the gifts found in museum stores.
Visit the NMIH Museum Store from 10am-5pm on the 27th and enjoy 10% off your purchase (20% for members; some item exclusions apply). We have a wide variety of books, apparel, handmade items, unique gifts and more!
Shoppers can look forward to Museum Store Sunday as the global annual day to Be a Patron – and support museum stores and their missions worldwide. While there is only one Museum Store Sunday each year, everyone is encouraged to Be a Patron of museums and museum stores all year round.

Cyber Monday Sale
2022-11-28
Not local? Not a problem. The NMIH Online Gift Shop will be offering 20% on Cyber Monday. Choose from unique handmade items, books, apparel and more for the history lover in your life! Shop online here.

2nd Annual Winter Welcome
2022-12-03 10:00 - 17:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Santa, S.T.E.A.M., and sweet treats! Get into the holiday spirit during our 2nd Annual Winter Welcome featuring a visit from Santa, a Christmas train-themed storytime, photo-ops with historic industrial vehicles, hands-on family activities and sweet treats. Youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

How It Works: Water
2022-12-10
What better day to do a deep dive into industrial water than December 10th, when the most powerful operating waterworks steam engine in America, the Corliss at NMIH, will be running. Throughout the day, water treatment expert John Baum will use live demonstrations and hands-on samples to show what is really happening inside the water systems all around us, and how the constant war against corrosion and mineral build up is being fought. Learn the history behind the terms hard and soft water, and how clean water has become an essential ingredient in industry.

The Corliss engine will run at 11:30am and 2:30pm. Mr. Baum will be in the galleries between 10:30 and 4pm with a brief lunch break sometime in between.

STEAM ADVENTURES: Snowflake Ornaments
2022-12-18 11:00 - 15:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Visit the museum on December 18th during Free Family Sunday and join us for a drop-in style family program to engage in S.T.E.A.M. concepts like building, engineering, and strategic thinking. During Free Family Sundays, all youth 12 and under receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

Youth Steam Engine Workshop
2022-12-29 10:00 - 12:00 | National Museum of Industrial History, 602 East Second Street, Bethlehem, 18015, United States
Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead! Have you ever wondered how a steam engine works or what’s inside an engine? Build a Working Steam Engine with the NMIH team! Join us for an exciting workshop inspired by our latest exhibit, which focuses on Robert Fulton, the innovator behind the Steamboat. Explore the history and science behind the steam engine. Under the guidance of our education and exhibits team, build your own working steam engine model to take home!
Workshop cost is $50 per participant and lasts approximately 2 hours. Cost includes all tools and parts for assembling your steam engine model and museum admission.
Open for ages 10+ (10 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Adult assistance encouraged. Accompanying adults are free.) Limited space available.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. REGISTER HERE.
