Pittsburghers know the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces. But very few actually know who Carrie was.
At a ceremony on Thursday, historians with Rivers of Steel, a non-profit organization that preserves the region’s industrial history, publicly answered for the first time who the Carrie Blast Furnaces were named after. And on what would have been her 163rd birthday, there was once again a celebration for the furnace’s namesake, Carrie Clark.
Who was Carrie Clark?
“Carrie Clark was a wealthy white woman, and she came from a family that was very connected to industry,” said Emily Balawejder, the director of marketing and communications for Rivers of Steel. “She was born in Ohio, but she grew up in Lawrenceville, she went to Vassar College and she died very early at 25. But women are often erased from this industrial history, so we’ve been really putting together those stories.”
In the late 1800s, it was common to name blast furnaces after wives, daughters and sisters of mill owners. There was an Eliza Furnace, as well as an Isabelle, Jane, Dorothy and Bernice.
Carrie Blast Furnaces
(Photo: KDKA)
Historians traced Clark’s name to the iron works after discovering an old newspaper article naming her the namesake and saying that she lit the first flames at the works.
Mystery still surrounds blast furnaces’ namesake
And while researchers have been able to find out much about Clark and her life recently, now they are asking for the public’s help to try and not only learn more, but to potentially lay eyes on her for the first time since her untimely death in 1888.
“We are very certain that there is an image of Carrie Clark that exists, but that’s the one thing that we haven’t found yet,” said Balawejder. “So that’s kind of our mystery that remains. We are beginning to piece this woman’s life together, but we haven’t yet found a photo of Carrie Clark.”
So, if you are a historical gumshoe and you find out more about Carrie Clark or you find a photo of her, reach out to Rivers of Steel at 412-464-4020 or at info@riversofsteel.com. For more information on Carrie Clark, visit the Rivers of Steel’s website.
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