History Keeps Bethlehem Steel from Going off the Rails: Moving a Complex Community Process toward Success

This article chronicles an on-going effort of local community and cultural groups to preserve and interpret the abandoned historic buildings of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Advocates for the site, with help from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH), are working with private developers to adapt and re-use the site. Outlining the complex process of persuading city of.cials and developers of the value of saving the plant and the interplay of local, state, regional, and national in.uences that shape the project, the author raises questions about the fragility of a public/private/nonpro.t alliance, suggests new strategies public historians might adopt for industrial sites, and comments on the danger that the expense of saving industrial sites poses to communities, even when history is a community priority. Documents and news coverage relating to the project can be read in full at www.march.rutgers.edu/bethsteel.htm.

BETHLEHEM HOT-ROLLED SHEET XF SERIES

BETHLEHEM HOT-ROLLED SHEET XF SERIES alloys B50XF, B60XF, B70XF and B80XF are high strength low alloy steels. The numbers in the alloy designations refer to minimum yield strengths. The steels are made using ladle desulfurization which virtually eliminates harmful stringer type inclusions. The steels were developed for parts that are difficult to form using conventional high strength low alloy steels. This datasheet provides information on composition, microstructure, hardness, tensile properties, and bend strength as well as deformation, and fatigue. It also includes information on forming and machining. Filing Code: SA-383. Producer or source: Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Originally published August 1981, Bethlehem B50XF thru B80XF.

ASTM A 514

ASTM A514 covers quenched and tempered alloy steel grades of structural quality. A514 is intended primarily for welded plate work in bridges and other structures. This datasheet provides information on composition, hardness, and tensile properties. It also includes information on heat treating and joining. Filing Code: SA-459. Producer or source: Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

ASTM A 588

ASTM A588 covers low strength, high-alloy steel grades. They are used primarily in boldly exposed situations, architecturally without painting. These steels are commonly referred to as weathering steels. This datasheet provides information on composition and tensile properties. It also includes information on corrosion resistance as well as heat treating and joining. Filing Code: SA-460. Producer or source: Bethlehem Steel Corporation.

ASTM A710

ASTM A710 is a low-carbon, precipitation hardening high-strength alloy steel plate. It is well suited to critical applications. This datasheet provides information on composition and tensile properties as well as fracture toughness. It also includes information on heat treating and joining. Filing Code: SA-446. Producer or source: Bethlehem Steel Corporation.