Phoenix Iron Works (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania) facts for kids
The Phoenix Iron Works was a very important company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. It made iron and steel products for over a century, from the 1800s to the early 1900s. During the American Civil War, the Phoenix Iron Company made many cannons for the Union Army. They also invented a special building material called the Phoenix column, which helped build taller structures. Today, the old factory buildings are part of the Phoenixville Historic District, a special place recognized for its history.
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History of the Iron Works
The Phoenix Iron Company started way back in 1790, first making nails. In 1812, Robert Waln bought the company. Over time, it grew into a huge factory that made different types of iron, like pig iron and wrought iron. The factory had a giant blast furnace and other special equipment.
In 1825, the company did something new: it was the first to use anthracite coal to create steam. This was a big step forward! Engineers at the factory also found a new way to roll and shape wrought iron. This new method allowed them to start making cannons for the United States Army.
Later, in the late 1900s, the iron and steel industry in Pennsylvania began to slow down. By 1984, the Phoenixville factory stopped making products. The company, then called Phoenix Steel Corporation, eventually closed its last plants in 1987.
Even though the factory closed, its history lives on. In 1998, a group called PAEDCO took over one of the old buildings. They worked with the National Park Service to fix it up. Now, part of the historic Foundry Building is home to the Schuylkill River Heritage Center. This museum shares the story of the Phoenix Iron & Steel Company and the area's industrial past. In 2006, the Hankin Group bought the Phoenix Foundry property and turned it into a large event space.
As of 2012, most of the old Phoenix Steel site is empty, and many buildings were taken down. Only the old foundry and company office buildings are left, but they have been fixed up and are used for other things now.
Amazing Products They Made
Besides the famous Griffen Gun and Phoenix Column, the company also made iron for railroad tracks and other railway lines in the eastern U.S. They produced wrought iron for fences and decorations for homes, along with other steel products. Did you know that the Eiffel Tower in Paris used special iron from Phoenixville?
The Griffen Gun
In 1855, a man named John Griffen Jr. (1812-1884) developed the Griffen Gun. The Phoenix Iron Works started making these six-pound cannons. They made hundreds of them! The company's owner, Daniel Reeves, invested a lot to make the factory modern and one of the best iron and steel producers in America.
During the Civil War, the factory made over 1,000 of the Griffen-designed 3-inch Ordnance rifles. These guns were very important for the Union Army. The company's special rolling process made the 820-pound wrought iron barrels very strong. They didn't burst easily, unlike cannons made by smaller companies. At its busiest, the factory was making fifty rifles every week!
You can still find many of these cannons today in parks, museums, and at battlefields like Gettysburg Battlefield. You can tell they were made by Phoenix Iron Company because they have the letters "PIC" stamped on their muzzle.
The Phoenix Column
The Phoenix Column was a special invention patented by Samuel Reeves in 1862. It was a hollow cylinder made from four, six, or eight pieces of wrought iron riveted together. This made the column much lighter and stronger than the solid cast iron columns used at the time.
These columns were a big deal because they allowed people to build huge structures without needing super thick, heavy walls to hold them up. This meant taller and taller buildings could be built on small city plots. The Phoenix Column helped make skyscrapers possible and also allowed for stronger bridges that could handle heavy loads.
Phoenix Bridge Company
Because the Phoenix Column was so successful, a new company was formed to build things with it. This company was first called Clarke, Reeves & Co., then Phoenixville Bridge Works, and finally, the Phoenix Bridge Company. This company ended up building about 4,200 bridges, mostly wrought iron railway bridges.
The Phoenix Bridge Company helped build famous bridges like the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, the Walnut Street Bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and the Calhoun Street Bridge between Trenton, New Jersey, and Morrisville, Pennsylvania. They even worked on projects in faraway places like Chile, Russia, and China!
In 1900, the Bridge Company won a contract to build the Quebec Bridge across the St. Lawrence River. Sadly, this bridge collapsed in 1907. Even with this setback, Phoenix Bridge continued for another fifty years, finally closing in 1962. Many of the bridges they built are now listed as historic places in the U.S.
Here are some of the bridges they built:
- Boston University Bridge, between Cambridge, Massachusetts and Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1927.
- Bridge in West Fallowfield Township, near Steelville, West Fallowfield Township, Pennsylvania.
- Bridge in Upper Frederick Township, in Fagleysville, Pennsylvania.
- Brocton Arch, in Brocton, New York.
- County Line Bowstring, over West Creek, Northwest of Hollis, Hollis, Kansas, and Wayne, Kansas.
- Etters Bridge, between Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, and Lower Allen Township, Pennsylvania.
- Phoenix Bridge, Northwest of Eagle Rock, Eagle Rock, Virginia.
- Trenton City/Calhoun Street Bridge, spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and Trenton, New Jersey.
- Mill City Oregon Railroad Bridge, now a pedestrian bridge. This Phoenix Column bridge was made in 1888 and moved several times before being installed in Mill City, Oregon, in 1919.
- Dingman's Ferry Bridge, in Dingman Township, Pennsylvania and Sandyston Township, New Jersey, built in 1900 using Phoenix columns.
Works in Brazil:
- Complexo FEPASA, in Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil. The railway workshop shed structure was bought in 1890.
- Recife's Bridge at Capibaribe river, was built in 1884.
Gallery
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The restored Phoenix Iron Works foundry building.
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The restored company office building.
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A bridge on the Works site, crossing French Creek, built with Phoenix columns.
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The County Line Bowstring bridge near Hollis, Kansas.
