This week marks the 25th anniversary of the closing of the Combination Mill. We salute the ingenuity of the employees who designed, rolled, delivered, and supplied the structural shapes and enduring products that live long after the mill is silent.
For nearly a century, Bethlehem Steel was the leading producer of structural shapes in North America, supplying quality building products for this continent and beyond. When the Bethlehem Steel Corporation opened the new Combination Rolling Mill in the Bethlehem Plant in 1968, it was the most modern medium-section rolling mill in the world. It created new markets for light to medium wide-flange beams, channels, angles and the signature Bethlehem-developed full range of piling products. The Combo Mill was the only mill in the country that could roll Z piling, which was a critical component for the Army Corps of Engineers to use in the dam building process.
One of the last remaining operations in the Bethlehem Plant, the Combo Mill continued operations for two years after the Blast Furnace Division of the plant was shut down. In March of 1997, the Combo Mill rolled for the last time.
The following images are part of the Bethlehem Steel Collection at the National Museum of Industrial History. Special thanks to our NMIH volunteers who support our efforts in the Archives.
Aerial View of the Combination Mill in Bethlehem
Drawing for the new Combination Mill flow chart, Bethlehem Plant
Computer Room for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant, Don Young in Green Helmet
Combination Mill Pulpit with Operator, Bethlehem Plant
Blooming Mill for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
Discharge side of the furnace for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
Roll Build Up Area in Combination Mill with Operator, Bethlehem Plant
U2 Rolling Mill in the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
U2 Rolling Mill in the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
U3 Rolling Mill for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
Hot Saw at the Cooling Bed for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
Rotary Straightener for the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant
Sample cut from the last bloom rolled on the Combination Mill, Bethlehem Plant in 1997
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