A Smithsonian Institution-affiliate, the National Museum of Industrial History is dedicated to preserving America’s rich industrial heritage through dynamic permanent and changing exhibits, engaging programs, and a robust artifact and archival collection.  An integral part of the NMIH mission is to collect and preserve the historic artifacts and stories of men and women who built industrial America.

EXHIBITS

NOW ON VIEW: Unseen Signals: E. Howard Armstrong’s Radio Revolution

NOW ON VIEW: The Life & Legacy of Robert Sayre 

PERMANENT EXHIBITS

PAST EXHIBITS

COLLECTIONS

Online Collections

Bethlehem Steel Corporate Photo Collection 

Archival Collections 

Finding Aids 

-Bethlehem Steel Archival Collection 

-Western Electric- Agere collection—features the historic innovations in electronic components including: vacuum tubes and quartz crystals, early transistors, silicon microchips, semiconductors and fiber-optic components. 

-Newcomen Society of North America Library and Archives

Permanent Collections 

As a steward of America’s vanishing industrial artifacts and landscape, the Museum is responsible for the care, preservation, and conservation of its collection to protect these artifacts for future generations. In addition to the 200+ artifacts we have on display in our museum facility we have thousands of artifacts and archival materials in our storage facilities that span the breadth of American industrial history.  

-Collection of Iron and Steel Industrial Models showcasing the processing of raw material to finished product 

-Scientific and Technical Collection of Power Machinery Models 

-20th Century Printing Collection 

-Woodworking Machinery Collection 

-1940’s Era Weldment Machine Shop 

-19th and 20th Century Textile Machinery  

-The Snelling 20th century propane distillation equipment collection 

-Iron and Steel Production Artifacts from Bethlehem Steel 

Research  

Submit a research inquiry

Artifact Donation

Please use our ‘Donate an Artifact’ form!

For all other inquiries, please email [email protected] or contact 610-694-6644.

Funding support for NMIH is provided in part by: