Location: Conshohocken, Montgomery County
Dates of Operation: 1832 to 1977 (site operated by ArcelorMittal today)
Owners: James Wood; Alan Wood & Co.; Alan Wood Iron & Steel Company
Historical Significance: Alan Wood Steel Company represented the power of smaller steel companies in the early 1900s. In 1920, the company produced about 500,000 tons of steel a year. While this was only a small percentage of the national steel capacity, it had a big, positive impact on the local economy. By the 1970s, these small producing companies could not compete with big businesses (like United States Steel) or endure the influence of foreign steel. A portion of the Conshohocken site still operates today under ArcelorMittal.
