National Museum of Industrial History facts for kids
National Museum of Industrial History in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
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| Established | 2016 |
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| Location | 602 East 2nd Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Type | Historical museum |
The National Museum of Industrial History, also called NMIH, is a cool museum in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It's located in an old building that used to be part of Bethlehem Steel. This museum is connected to the famous Smithsonian Institution. Its main goal is to save, teach about, and show off America's amazing industrial past.
The museum has many cool items from different industries. You can see things from the textile (cloth-making), steel and iron, and propane gas industries. It even has a big collection of old machines from the National Museum of American History. Plus, there are lots of documents, photos, and other items from Bethlehem Steel. This company was once one of the biggest steel makers in the world!
The museum first opened its doors in August 2016. Its aim is to connect America's past with today's new ideas. It wants to teach people and inspire future inventors. The museum cost about $7.5 million to build. It has four main exhibits, each showing a different part of industrial history. These stories are important for both Pennsylvania and the whole country. The museum highlights the machines and the lives of the workers from long ago.
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Museum History
The National Museum of Industrial History opened in August 2016. It is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The museum's goal is to link America's industrial past with today's new ideas. It wants to teach people and inspire future thinkers.
The museum is in an old Bethlehem Steel factory building. This building was updated many times over the years. The steel factory itself closed down in 1995. Bethlehem Steel used to be the biggest shipbuilder in the nation. It was also the second-largest steel maker.
Each exhibit at the museum shows a different part of industrial history. These stories are important for Pennsylvania and the whole country. This museum is the first one to be connected with the Smithsonian Institution. The idea for the museum started in the 1990s. It faced some delays but finally opened in 2016. In its first few years, the museum raised almost $17 million.
Museum Exhibitions
The museum has several exciting exhibits. Each one helps visitors understand how things were made. They also show what life was like for workers in the past.
Machinery Hall
The Machinery Hall shows off American industrial technology. Many of these machines were first seen at the 1876 Centennial International Exposition in Philadelphia.
This exhibit has an interactive display about Bethlehem Steel's history. It shows how the company was a leader in industry. You can also see where the steel was used. There are stories about the workers who came from many European countries.
Iron and Steel
The iron and steel collection celebrates the history of Bethlehem Steel. This is the company that used to be in the museum's building. This collection is always on display. Most of the items were given by Bethlehem Steel itself. It focuses on how the company made steel. This exhibit helps you understand the daily lives of the workers. At its busiest, Bethlehem Steel employed 31,000 people.
You can see three models of the Bethlehem Steel plant. These models were used to train employees. They also helped test new ideas for the factories. The exhibit also has the very first piece of steel made at the mill. There is also a special anvil. An interactive map lets you see how far Bethlehem Steel's products reached across the United States.
Silk Gallery Hall
While men worked at Bethlehem Steel, women and children often worked at Lehigh Valley Silk Mills. These mills employed even more people than the steel industry in Bethlehem. The Silk Gallery tells the stories of these working women and children. This exhibit is always at the museum. It shows you how silk was made step-by-step.
Visitors can even try holding a 20-pound bobbin tray. Children used to carry these for hours in the silk factories. Other tools are also on display. These include line shafts and looms.
Propane Gallery
The Propane Gallery explores the work of Walter O. Snelling. He was an American chemist from Allentown. He figured out how to make propane gas. You can see items from Snelling's laboratory. There are also photos from his propane company, American Gasol Co. Another part of the exhibit shows how propane was used in the country during World War II.
Rotating Gallery
The museum also has a gallery that changes its exhibits. This gallery has 3-D printers. These are loaned to the museum by Lehigh University and Northampton Community College. In May 2017, a new exhibit opened called "Making America's Pastime." It showed how Major League Baseball equipment is made.
Museum Artifacts
The museum has over 200 amazing artifacts. The museum building itself is an artifact! It was built inside the old Steel plant's Electric Repair Shop from 1913. In the section about the 1876 World's Fair, you'll see machines and items that were shown there. These include huge engines and pumps from the 1800s and 1900s.
Many of these machines went to the Smithsonian Museum after the World's Fair. But the Smithsonian has given some to Bethlehem's museum. The museum's director, Amy Hollander, said these items are special. Some were the first ever made, or worked the longest, or were the very last produced. These objects help tell bigger stories. This includes the first piece of steel rolled in Bethlehem. It also includes the last piece of special armor made there.
The Machinery Hall has 21 items loaned from the Smithsonian Institution. These were once shown at the National Museum of American History. Items from the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia are on display here. The biggest item is a huge 115-ton Corliss steam engine. This engine pumped water for York, PA, starting in 1914. The hall also has a large crane and an H-beam from Bethlehem Steel. Other items include things workers used, like punch cards, hard hats, and whistles.
The Silk Gallery Hall shows the history of the Lehigh Valley Silk industry. The most important item here is the Jacquard loom. This loom was used to make fabric for the White House for almost eighty years. It was used until Bill Clinton was president. A special piece of fabric made for John F. Kennedy is also in this exhibit.
In the Propane Gallery, a popular display is an interactive hot air balloon simulation. Visitors can step into a hot air balloon basket. They learn how propane fuels these balloons. They also get a feeling of what a real hot air balloon ride is like. Glenn Koehler, the museum's marketing person, thinks this is the most popular interactive exhibit. Moving floorboards and aerial videos make the experience very realistic. The goal is to show how widely propane gas is used.
Images for kids
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A steam drop forge at the museum
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A hot air balloon interactive exhibit
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The museum's entrance
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Plant display
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Jaquard loom
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Baseball bat production
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Baseball glove production
See also
