In March 2007, a contract was let to demolish the New Boston Coke Corporation in New Boston, Ohio. This ends the legacy of the steel mill which built the town, employing the vast majority of its able-bodied residents for 104 years. Abandoned takes a peek at the rise and fall of New Boston, which mirrored the steel industry as a whole.

 

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New Boston Coke Corporation was once part of a long legacy of steel making in the Portsmouth, Ohio region. The beginnings of the steel industry in New Boston began with the discovery of iron ore in the foothills of southern Ohio, along with the vast virgin forest tracts, and the availability of two major rivers. This led to the construction of numerous blast furnaces and the district soon became a major iron producing center -- spawning such namesake towns as Ironton.

 

 

The first steel plant was constructed in 1831 in Portsmouth, however, it was destroyed by fire in 1898. A move to the adjoining town of New Boston, where land was more plentiful, allowed the facility to expand and become a leader in the production of steel. It featured the first overhead electrical cranes for steel making in the nation that was used in the transport of hot metal and heavy machinery.

 

In 1916, the first coke plant was constructed adjacent to the steel mill, followed by the "Old Susie" blast furnace. This completed the integration of the plant. Several years later, additional components were constructed within the plant boundaries, and by 1948, it was considered the most modern steel mill in the country -- employing 3,800. The factory was also notable for its contribution to the World War II effort, becoming the largest center of production of 500-lb. bombs that helped the United States win the war against Germany and Japan.

 

 

In the 1950s, the plant continued to expand, employing 4,800 -- most of them residing in the town of New Boston. In 1965, the coke plant was rebuilt and modernized, and a steam plant was constructed. The good times were coming to a close by the 1970s, however, due to increased foreign competition. Gradual shutdowns of the massive steel facility began in 1972, and in 1980, the steel-producing plant was closed. By the time of the closure on May 31, the steel mill and coke plant employed just 1,200.

 

 

The coke plant continued on, gaining contracts from the Rouge River Steel Corporation, a subsidiary for the Ford Motor Corporation. The good times for the coke facility lasted until the late 1990s, when the Ohio EPA reported that the plant was releasing air pollution "worse than some of the largest industrial sites in the United States." Cancer rates in the adjoining New Boston were some of the highest in the United States. The coke plant was closed in 2002, eliminating just 200 jobs. The closure meant that the last component of the steel industry left after more than 104 years in New Boston.

 

Today, the site is being redeveloped for various businesses including a Wal-Mart and various industries. In March 2007, contracts were awarded for the demolition of the remainder of New Boston Coke Corporation. Demolition is expected to be complete in October.

 

 

Abandoned takes a sobering look at what was a massive steel factory in the heart of southern Ohio. It's fortunes mirrored much of the steel industry in the United States, where jobs decreased from 400,000 to 140,000 from 1970 to 1990. A lengthy look at its history is now online, combined with dozens of photographs inside and out. Find out more about New Boston Coke Corporation!

Very good!  I recall this plant when it was in operation, drove by it and couldn't help but notice that very strong rotten egg smell. 

 

They where already redeveloping that adjacent steel mill back in the 1990s with some strip centers. 

 

New Boston itself is pretty gritty.  Two streets of rows upon rows of identical houses wedged in between the mill and the hills.  I had a secretary who came from there, her father worked in that mill.  Sounds like it was a rough place to work, a rough town. 

 

That whole Hanging Rock iron region still has old charcoal furnace ruins scattered about.  A fellow from the area with the handle "The Old Forester" maintains a site on the region, and has a good little article on the remaing furnaces Condition of Iron Furnaces in the Hanging Rock Iron Region.  I think the last charcoal furnace went out of blast sometime around WWI, and it wasn't too far from that New Boston plant, south of it a few miles, towards Coal Grove.

 

There where two stand-alone blast furnances (using coke) still in operation inland from the river as late as the 1960s, in Jackson County. One blew up and ceased operating, the other just shut down I think.

 

 

thx for posting this seicer!

Kudos from a son of a steelworker, Seicer!

Fascinating!

Portsmouth rules!