Description: “The birth of Midland Steel Newspaper articles began to appear during the summer of 1905. The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette got the first scoop. The newly formed Midland Steel Co. had purchased 1,019 acres of land spanning two miles of Ohio River frontage. By the time the newspapers began reporting the endeavor, the company had already begun construction of a blast furnace and a boiler shop. The newly formed Midland Steel Co. had purchased 1,019 acres of land at what was called Neel’s Landing, spanning two miles of Ohio River frontage and sitting between Phillis and Georgetown islands.

“The land purchased by Midland Steel included the 397-acre farm belonging to the heirs of J.A. Neel, one of the area’s early settlers. Other tracts were bought from the Brucker, Kaine and McCoy families. In October of 1906, the blast furnace was blown in. By that point, Midland Steel had built nearly 50 houses for workers, an amazing feat in such a short time. Still, demand greatly outdistanced supply, which required the company to bring in the Nicola Building Co. to continue the building effort. Soon, a full-fledged community had been built, and Midland Steel concentrated on expanding their mill site.

“Midland Avenue would be the main street of the new town, a business district to rival any in the region. The first building completed on the avenue was the Cook Building, followed by the Midland Hotel and the First National Bank. The Presbyterian church was dedicated in December 1906, and a small school house on Seventh Avenue was opened during the same winter. Before the land purchases of Midland Steel, only a handful of farmers and their families lived on the plateau between Phillis and Georgetown islands. Five years later, the 1910 U.S. Census reported that Midland was home to 1,244 residents.

“By 1911, Midland had grown by leaps and bounds. A full borough government was operating, along with a fire department and police department. Midland Steel founded the Midland Water Co. to supply the town in 1907, and the Beaver-Steubenville Interurban street railway provided both transportation and electricity to the town. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad had a station near the corner of Sixth Street and Railroad Avenue, offering service across the country.

“On Jan. 26, 1911, a big announcement was made in Midland. Pittsburgh Crucible Steel, a subsidiary of the Crucible Steel Company of America, purchased the Midland Steel works. Crucible immediately made a promise to spend $7.5 million updating and expanding the mill. Included in the purchase were two lucrative land tracts, one directly across the river that contained an abundant supply of coal and another in New Castle that was the site of a limestone quarry.

“Crucible went to work expanding the Midland plant, building eight 60-ton open hearth furnaces and a 40-inch blooming mill in 1913. A 24-inch bar mill and a maintenance shop opened in 1914, two more open hearths went into production in 1915, and a 28-inch billet mill completed the early expansion in 1916. In 1919, Crucible’s Midland operation was employing 2,700 people.”

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