Guide to the Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company Photograph Collection, ca. 1965 AIS.1971.11
- Repository
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Title
- Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company Photograph Collection
- Creator
- Firth-Sterling Steel Company
- Collection Number
- AIS.1971.11
- Extent
- 98 photographs
- Date
- ca. 1965
- Abstract
- One photograph album containing 98 photographic prints documenting processes, equipment, and personnel at the Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
- Language
- English .
- Publisher
- ULS Archives & Special Collections
- Address
- University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
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Previous Citation
Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company Photograph Collection, ca. 1965, AIS.1971.11, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Preferred Citation
Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company Photograph Collection, ca. 1965, AIS.1971.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Copyright
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Gift and Exchange in 1971.
History
The Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company was founded in 1896 by Lewis John Firth, originally of Sheffield, England. The company was located on 15-acres not far from the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge.
The Firth's have a long history in steel manufacturing. Lewis John Firth's father, John, was the brother of Thomas and Mark Firth, founders of Thomas Firth and Sons Ltd. which began in 1837 in Sheffield, England. Thomas Firth and Sons Ltd. were known for steel production of tools, tires, casting and forging. The aim of the Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company was to expand the family business in England with the Sterling Steel Company founded in 1889 in Demmler, Pennsylvania. At its organization, the Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company had two departments. One department focused on tool steel and was managed by Lewis John and L. Gordon Firth (son of Lewis). The second department focused on projectiles and was managed by Firth-Sterling president, Charles Y. Wheeler, the co-inventor of a steel-chrome alloy which was used to create armor-piercing projectile. Wheeler was also the former president of the Sterling Steel Company.
The company closed in the mid-1960s.
Scope and Content Notes
One photograph album containing 98 photographic prints documenting processes, equipment, and personnel at the Firth-Sterling Stainless Steel Company in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Photographs are grouped by number assigned by the photographer and appear to follow a specific, though unidentified, process.
Subjects
- Firth-Sterling Steel Company
- Firth, Lewis John
- Wheeler, Charles Y.
- McKeesport (Pa.)
- Business and Industry
- Steel industry and trade -- Pennsylvania -- McKeesport
- Stainless steel