Welcome back to the PA abandoned places bucket list! This week, we’re going to talk about the Bethlehem Steel Stacks, located in the Lehigh Valley.
Construction of these five massive furnaces, formerly part of the Bethlehem Steel factory, began in 1915. These steel stacks were capable of producing multiple tons of iron every day in the prime of their use, which was then used for infrastructure and ship construction throughout the world.
In November of 1995, however, the furnaces were closed and, for the most part, abandoned.
Today, visitors are able to marvel at the impressive and expansive metal construction, explore the National Museum of Industrial History, and see go to SteelStacks, which is an expansive 10-acre area for arts and other events.
Further, there is also the option to walk along the half mile long Hoover-Mason Trestle, once used as a railway to transport materials, that sits 46 feet off the ground.
Traveling along the trestle, visitors will be able to get a closer look at the furnaces, as well as see some native flora that has reclaimed parts of the site (Cheney).
In addition to the abandoned Steel Stacks, there are often events held in the many venues located on site! On November 5, 2019, I saw one of my favorite bands, Hippo Campus, at the Musikfest Cafe, which is situated directly in front of the furnaces.
It was an incredible building to see a concert in, as the stage was located in front of wall made entirely of windows and provided an amazing backdrop for the performance. Due to the glare of the lights, however, it’s hard to make out the background in the photo.
Unfortunately, when we were in Bethlehem for the concert, we were unable to walk along the Hoover-Mason Trestle, but we did spend a decent amount of time gawking at the expansive furnaces.
I fully intend on revisiting this site to get the full experience of walking along the trestle and exploring the museum, and I hope you plan to do the same one day as well!
Works Cited
Cheney, Jim. “Exploring the Hoover-Mason Trestle in Bethlehem: Pennsylvania’s Most Industrial Rail Trail.” Uncovering PA, 18 Nov. 2020, uncoveringpa.com/hoover-mason-trestle-bethlehem.