New tours celebrate impact, history of Bethlehem Steel

Local residents and visitors to the Lehigh Valley can help celebrate the history of Bethlehem Steel with walking tours of the Hoover-Mason Tressel.

Through a partnership between the Steelworkers’ Archives and the National Museum of Industrial History, the walking tour will explore he legacy of Bethlehem Steel.

According to a release, each Thursday, Saturday and Sunday through December, former steelworkers or guides trained by former steelworkers will lead sidewalk and Hoover-Mason Trestle tours through the Bethlehem Steel plant site.

"Through these tours we will keep the legacy of steelworkers and their families alive for generations to come,” said Joe Mayer, president of Steelworkers’ Archives.

Guides will show the site’s history from the evolution of iron making in the Lehigh Valley to the history of the Bethlehem Plant from its opening to closing, including its importance in World Wars I and II.

Meyer said guests will also learn about the remaining buildings on the plant site, life in the ethnic neighborhoods surrounding the plant, and what it was like working at the plant.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Steelworkers’ Archives to welcome both local residents and visitors to the area to explore the legacy of the Bethlehem Plant workers through their unique perspective. Keeping these stories alive for future generations is an integral part of our mission.," said Andria Zaia, president & CEO of NMIH.

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