On Friday, November 10, the IUP Punxsutawney and IUP Northpointe History class took a field trip to Pittsburgh to tour the Carrie Blast Furnace, have lunch at the Pump House, and end the day with a tour of the Frick Museum grounds and the Car & Carriage Museum.
The Carrie Blast Furnaces tower over 92 feet in the air and are rare examples of pre-World War II iron-making technology. Students experienced guided tours of this landmark site, addressing both the science and history of iron making as well as the experiences of the mainly immigrant and Black workers who operated the mill.
Lunch at the historic Pump House featured “Pittsburgh” style food, including many Polish dishes. The Pump House, which dates back to 1892, was built by the Carnegie Steel Company and was the site of some of the most violent encounters during the Homestead Strike in 1892. The building tells the history of the steel-making industry in the region and workers’ efforts to achieve better wages and working conditions.
At the Car and Carriage Museum, the students learned about the role Pittsburgh had in the automobile industry and toured their special exhibit focused on the physical, economic, and social mobility of the Black Great Migration to Pittsburgh. On display at the museum, visitors can experience the time of horse-drawn carriages and some of the first horseless carriages and historic automobiles dating back to the turn of the twentieth century. Until February 2024, visitors can also learn about the Great Migration and the ways in which it shaped the Hill District into a thriving Black community.
