Bethlehem Steel

The Lehigh Valley Railroad established the Bethlehem Iron Company in 1860 along the Lehigh River in South Bethlehem. The Bethlehem Iron Company manufactured the largest steel axle to date to support the first Ferris wheel at the 1893 World’s Fair. Bethlehem Iron Company became Bethlehem Steel in 1899. In 1904, Charles Schwab incorporated the company, and ultimately, it became the second-largest steelmaker in the United States. Bethlehem Steel built battleships, such as the USS Massachusetts and USS Missouri, and bridges, such as the Golden Gate and George Washington, and provided steel for iconic structures, such as the US Supreme Court Building and Madison Square Garden.