American Industry Tour
The American Industry Tour showcases the industrial heritage of the Northeastern United States. As many other historical trails in North America, the tour follows migration routes from east to west, with a chronology from colonial times to the present day. Starting in Boston in the 17th and 18th centuries, we visit the 19th century factory clusters around Albany and New York City, and carry on through industrial regions of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, which had their heyday during the 20th century, ending in Chicago.
The rather small area along this trail contains much of America's industrial heritage, with a majority of the country's industry-related National Historic Landmarks, National Historic Sites and National Historical Parks. Many of the rest are in Minnesota.
Understand
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From 1776 to 1945, the United States transformed from an agrarian country of 2½ million inhabitants to the world's leading superpower, and the home of 140 million people. Most feats of innovation and engineering happened in the north-east. However, the Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom, which held eastern North America as a colony (see Early United States history). In the Market Revolution during the early 19th century, the textile business was an early adopter of industrial processes.
From the mid-19th century, steam-powered factories became more common, and railroads started replacing canals and roads as main transport routes. During the American Civil War, the industries of the Northeast were mobilized to produce arms, supplies and ships, contributing to the Union victory. The colonization of the Old West truly began during the War, as the Southern secession from Congress allowed investment in rail lines and other colonization policies. See Industrialization of the United States for a guide to the political, social and cultural history of the whole country from the 1860s to the 1940s.
The late 19th century was called the Gilded Age, with a rising capitalist class, and increased corruption, especially in large industrial cities. The turn of the century saw the rise of organized labor, not least in Chicago. The early 20th century was known as the Progressive Era, with labor reforms, antitrust laws, and women's suffrage.
World War I again increased demand for military supplies. The automobile had its breakthrough during the Roaring Twenties, and Detroit became known as the Motor City. The 1929 Wall Street Crash caused the Great Depression, which hit the north-east hard, though the New Deal during the 1930s provided some relief. As World War II in Europe began in 1939, the USA supplied the Allies with arms. The 1941 Pearl Harbor attack brought America into the Pacific War, and brought large-scale industrial mobilization. After the war ended in 1945, industry shifted to consumer products. Since the 1960s, Northeastern industries have been downsizing, moving south, west, and abroad, causing unemployment and urban decay, causing the region to be renamed the Rust Belt. Though the 2000s financial crisis hit industrial towns hard, some of them are revitalizing today. See also Post-war United States.
Get around
[edit]| “ | You can't work in a steel mill and think small. Giant converters hundreds of feet high. Every night, the sky looked enormous. It was a torrent of flames – of fire. The place that Pittsburgh used to be had such scale. | ” |
—Jack Gilbert | ||
The journey is around 1,250 miles (2,000 km) in total. By car, the trip takes around a week (or two, as long if all venues are visited). However, as railroads were an integral part of industrialization, and most of the sights are in major cities, many legs of the tour can be done by rail.
Some itineraries that give a background to early American history are:
- From Plymouth to Hampton Roads: a road trip along the Atlantic coast, which showcases colonial and antebellum history.
- Touring Shaker country: The Shakers are a Christian sect, which played an important role in the early industrialization of America.
- Black Belt: The plantation region which many African-Americans left for the North during the Great Migration.
Go
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Day 1: Boston area
[edit]Our chronology starts in the 17th century in Boston, Massachusetts, where some industries could be found already during the Colonial era.
Before the Age of Steam, industry took use of rivers for propulsion and transport. The humid climate of New England allowed many waterwheel-powered workshops. The textile mills used locally produced flax and wool, as well as cotton from the South. New England also has abundant wood, and enough iron ore was available for the first metalworking industries.
- 1 Plimoth Grist Mill Museum, 6 Spring Ln, Plymouth, Massachusetts (off Summer St., a short walk away from the waterfront). late Mar to end of Nov, open 7 days a week, 9AM - 5PM. Formerly known as the Jenny Grist Mill but now affiliated with Plimoth Plantation. An authentic working mill rebuilt on the site of the original 1636 mill. Tours and exhibits. Adult $11; Senior $9.90; Child $8; Free for members.
- 2 Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site
- 3
- 4 The Quincy Quarries
- 5
- 6
- 7 Waltham, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, with the remnants of the Boston Manufacturing Company. A center for the American textile industry already in the early 18th century, and the birthplace of the Waltham System; an early version of the assembly line. In the 19th century, Waltham Watch Company made the city known as the Watch City. The car company Metz made the first American Motorcycles here.
- 1 Charles River Museum Of Industry
- 2 Waltham Museum, 25 Lexington Street, ☏ +1 781-893-9020. Saturdays 10AM-2PM. An extensive collection of memorabilia including watches, clocks, automobiles and other industrial products made in Waltham. Adults (18+) $10; Seniors & Children 5+: $5; Active Military & Children under 5 Free.
- 1 Charles River Museum Of Industry
Day 2: Upper Massachusetts
[edit]Day 3: Upstate New York
[edit]The Mid-Atlantic had thriving industrial cities even before the Civil War. Their productivity helped bring the Union to victory. Many immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Greece and Eastern Europe settled here. Since the 1960s manufacturing crisis, many industrial buildings have been redeveloped for other purposes, such as hospitality, entertainment and residential areas.
Connecting itinerary: The Erie Canal was New York State's main transport route before the railroads, connecting upstate industrial cities such as Syracuse and Buffalo to the Atlantic.
- 15 Harmony Mills, Cohoes
- 16 Troy
- 18 Watervliet Arsenal Museum
- 19 Albany. A center for the wood, paper and print industry, with many of the nation's first high-rise buildings. Owes its importance at least in part to the Erie Canal.
- 20
- 21 Kingston (New York)
- 24 Poughkeepsie
- 25 Locust Grove, 2683 South Rd (Poughkeepsie). The former estate of Samuel F.B. Morse, whose patent of the electromagnetic telegraph revolutionized human communication. Set on 150 acres, the Italianate villa was designed by architect Alexander Jackson Davis.
Day 4: Metropolitan New York
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Since the 1830s, New York City has been the largest metropolitan region of the United States. As NYC is today a center for finance, entertainment and administration, one might forget that manufacturing was the city's most important business sector until the early 20th century. With astronomical land prices, most factories have been torn down to make room for housing and office buildings, but quite a few others have been converted to loft apartment buildings, and thus maintained in a number of now-luxury neighborhoods, including SoHo.
- 26 Silk City, Paterson, New Jersey. "The Silk City" was the nation's first planned industrial city.
- 27 Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
- 28 Meatpacking District
- 29 Chelsea Market, 75 9th Ave (between 15th and 16th Streets; Subway: A C E L to 14th St/8th Av). The original Oreo cookie factory is now a block-sized market selling gourmet foods, flowers, and knick-knacks, and offering restaurants, bars, art space and special shows. Has free wireless Internet access throughout and smells like a slice of heaven.
- 30 High Line Park
- 31 Brown Building
- 32 DUMBO, Brooklyn/Downtown, New York City. Industrial buildings redeveloped for more urban purposes.
- 33 Lower East Side Tenement Museum National Historic Site
- 34 Clark Thread Company Historic District
- 35 Thomas Edison National Historical Park
- 36 Speedwell Ironworks
- 37 Phillipsburg
Day 5: Eastern Pennsylvania
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- 39 (Philadelphia). An industrial zone under redevelopment.
- 40 Bethlehem. The city was industrialized already before the Civil War; it is best known for the Bethlehem Steel Company, once the country's second-largest steel manufacturer, which was dismantled during the 2000s. The main industrial area has been transformed to a casino resort.
- 41 National Museum of Industrial History, 602 E. Second St (Bethlehem). A Smithsonian affiliate dedicated to preserving America's rich industrial heritage. Exhibits on steel-making and manufacturing.
- 42 America On Wheels Museum
- 43 Coplay Cement Company Kilns (Lehigh County).
- 44 Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
- 45
- 46 The Number 9 Mine and Museum, 9 Dock St (Lansford, near Jim Thorpe). Travel into a real coal mine and learn about the area's coal mining past.
Day 6: Central Pennsylvania
[edit]- 48 Electric City Trolley Museum
- 49 Scranton Iron Furnaces
- 50 Golden Age Air Museum
- 51 Cornwall Iron Furnace.
- 52 Hershey's Chocolate World (251 Park Blvd, Hershey). Great for children. A free tour experience shows the workings of how cocoa beans become Hershey's chocolate. The tour ends with a free sample. Other attractions available at Hershey's chocolate world include a "factory works" experience, a Trolley tour of the town, a food court, a 3D show, and shops with souvenirs and plenty of Hershey's products. price varies.
- 53 Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station
- 54 Harrisburg. A cluster for iron and steel production during the late 19th century, with several museums and tours. Infamous in later times for the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear incident.
- 55 The State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North St (Harrisburg). A museum with a variety of exhibitions about Pennsylvania's history.
- 56 Harley Davidson Factory Tour (York (Pennsylvania)). The legendary American motorcycles are assembled here.
- 57 Wolfgang Candy Company Factory Tour, 50 E. 4th Ave (York (Pennsylvania)). Take the Wolfgang Factory Tour! Free samples of chocolate on the tour and discounted chocolate for sale at the end. Free.
- 58 Rockhill Trolley Museum
Day 7: Western Pennsylvania
[edit]Connecting itinerary: The Buffalo-Pittsburgh Highway is a north-south road between upstate New York and West Virginia.
- 59 Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum (in Maryland). A railroad museum.
- 60 Allegheny Portage Railroad (near Altoona). A railroad, operating 1834 to 1854, which became an early gateway between the Atlantic and the Midwest. Contains the Staple Bend Tunnel; the first American railroad tunnel.
- 61 Carrie Furnace, Rankin (8 miles (13 km) south of Pittsburgh). Operated from 1884 until 1982.
- 62 Pittsburgh. The "Steel City" was once at the core of American industry, and the seat for United States Steel, at its time the world's largest corporation. Though many steel mills have closed down during the 20th century, Pittsburgh has revitalized its industrial heritage.
- 63 Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St (Pittsburgh). 10AM-5PM daily. An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. Featuring 6 floors of permanent and changing exhibitions, this museum gives a very detailed look at the past 250 years in Western Pennsylvania, with displays on Pittsburgh-area innovations, people, and industries. Notable exhibits include artifacts from the French & Indian War, a hall dedicated to the Heinz company, a room full of old vehicles, and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum - a two story exhibit dedicated to a wide variety of Pittsburgh-area sport legends. $15 adults, $13 seniors, $6 children/students/military, children 5 and under free.
- 64 Titusville. The birthplace of American oil industry, with the Drake Well Museum.
The rich natural resources, such as grain, iron, coal, wood and hydroelectric power, together with the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal, and the Mississippi river system, allowed the Midwestern cities to boom during the Industrial Revolution. Since World War II, manufacturing has declined, and the region is today known as the "Rust Belt", with high unemployment and urban decay.
- 65 Youngstown (Ohio). The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor can be found here.
- 66 American Toy Marble Museum, Akron. This museum preserves and disseminates the history of the American toy industry in the city where it all started: Akron, Ohio.
- 67 Cleveland, Ohio. The birthplace of Standard Oil, the Rockefeller dynasty, and the early motor industry. The country's fifth largest city during the 1920s. As most other cities in the once industrial heartland it has fallen to a "rust belt" image, but a revitalization is underway and the somewhat negative reputation of the city is almost entirely undeserved.
- 68 Mad River Railroad Museum (Bellevue (Ohio)). A railroad museum.
Day 9: Michigan
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Connecting itinerary: The Motorcities Tour is a showcase of the automotive industry in and around Detroit.
- 69 Detroit. The "motor city", the name "Detroit" was long a metonym for the US automobile industry. As the industry downsized since the late 20th century and population moved to the suburbs, much of the city lies deserted. The already-struggling city was hit hard by the housing crash of 2007/2008; though there are signs of recovery and "new urbanism", a long way remains to go.
- 70 Automotive Hall of Fame
- 71 The Henry Ford
- 72 Highland Park Ford Plant. The second production site for the Ford Model T.
- 73 Walter P. Chrysler Museum, 1 Chrysler Dr (Auburn Hills). Sixty-five historic vehicles on three floors; history of Chrysler, AMC and their predecessors. On Chrysler corporate campus, available for groups and meeting rentals but not otherwise open to the public. On rare occasions, a group may rent the facility for an event (such as the annual CEMA car show in June) to which the public is invited; this might be the only window for public museum visits.
- 74 Alfred P. Sloan Museum, Flint, 1221 E. Kearsley St, [email protected]. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su noon-5PM. Sloan Museum and the Buick Gallery & Research Center are devoted to the documentation and interpretation of local history. The Buick Gallery and Research Center one block away at 303 Walnut Street features several dozen classic GM cars, including several concept designs. $6 adults, $5 seniors, $4 children (3-11), $3 student school programs, free for children (2 and under), teachers.
- 75 R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, Lansing (Michigan). A museum dedicated to the founder of Oldsmobile, which was later bought by GM and was for years a popular US auto brand. Many traces of R.E. Olds still remain in Lansing. The tallest building in the city, the Boji Tower (noted for its large red clock), was built as the Olds Tower, after its major financier, R.E. Olds. The area near the location of an old Olds factory is now called REO Town, after R.E. Olds. The Lansing Lugnuts, a minor league baseball team plays in a stadium formerly known as Oldsmobile park near downtown Lansing.
- 76 Little River Railroad, Coldwater. A heritage railway.
Day 10: Chicago
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While much of Chicago was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871, it rose to become America's second city during the Industrial Revolution, and the capital of the meatpacking industry, a haven for organized crime during the Prohibition, and a hotspot for blues and jazz. An important city in the history of organized labor, with the Pullman District, and the Haymarket Square Massacre, the date of which is remembered in most of the world (though not the US or Canada) as a worker's holiday on May 1st.
- 77 Gary, Indiana
- 78 Historic Pullman District (Chicago (Far Southeast Side)).
- 79 Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago (Hyde Park)), 5700 S Lake Shore Dr & E 57th St (Take CTA buses 2, 6, 10, 28, 55, or the Metra Electric Line). Spend hours upon hours looking at really cool stuff you never even knew you didn't know about. So much to do, so little time. You can return for free the following day if you take your ticket to "Will Call" on the way out on your first day. Great for kids, with many hands-on exhibits and the famous Coal Mine; adults will enjoy the display of the German U-boat 'U-505'. The immense, beautiful building was itself built as part of the White City in 1893, and is the last of the grand buildings left in Hyde Park.
- 80 Chicago History Museum (Chicago Historical Society), 1601 N Clark St (Clark/Division Red Line, Sedgwick Brown Line). A creative urban history museum. Exhibits include The Pioneer, the first railroad locomotive to operate in Chicago, and the bed upon which Abraham Lincoln died; more fun for kids is the Chicago-style Hot Dog showcase, which supplies all the giant plastic ingredients you'll need to turn yourself (or your little brother) into a life-sized hot dog (no ketchup, of course). They also host regular tours of different CTA lines and walking tours of Lincoln Park and Old Town.
Go next
[edit]In Chicago, our chronology reaches the 1950s, as the city was at its peak. Since the 1960s, the industries of the Northeast started downsizing, due to automation and outsourcing. Crime-driven emigration to the suburbs made the city centers decline, though in the 21st century, many city centres are experiencing a renaissance due to gentrification.
America's center of gravity for population and industry moved on to the southwest, with especially California as the new land of opportunity, together with the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and Texas. Minneapolis/St. Paul, St Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Denver are some other important industrial cities in middle America. Historically, the iron ore for all that steel came primarily from Northeastern Minnesota, and a considerable amount of ore is still shipped out of Duluth and adjacent Superior. The whole region has numerous active mines and exhibits of its industrial past. Before the advent of the Interstate Highway System there were just a few highways and railroads across the Rocky Mountains, and only the elite could afford air travel. Some of the classical routes are still available today:
- Empire Builder has run from Chicago to Seattle since 1929.
- California Zephyr, a streamliner train service opened in 1949 across scenic terrain, to the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Lincoln Highway (1913-1930), the first transcontinental highway, reaches San Francisco. These named auto trails predated the 1926 US Highway System.
- Route 66 (1926-1985) was the legendary highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles. It was replaced, piece-by-piece, by the Interstate system (established in 1956) with the last segment bypassed near Williams (Arizona) in 1984.
See also
[edit]- Aviation history in the United States
- Industrial Britain
- The Jazz Track
- Northeast China, another rust belt
- Route der Industriekultur, a similar route in Germany
- History of organized labor
- Underground Railroad
- United States National Trails System