Odds are if you ask a historian of industry to tell you about The Industrial Revolution, they will respond with, “Which one? There have been four.” If they are from Pennsylvania, they may even add that Pennsylvania has many places associated with all four of them. So, what are these four industrial revolutions and what Pennsylvania places are associated with them, you ask?
Revolution #1: The Mechanical Revolution (Roughly pre-Civil War)
This revolution saw the use of water and steam to power machines to create products, such as flour and textiles. An example of a Pennsylvania place associated with this first industrial revolution is Strode’s Mill, a stone grist mill built in 1721 in East Bradford Township, Chester County. The mill was in operation from 1721 until the mid-twentieth century.
South and east elevations of Strode’s Mill. Ned Goode, Photographer, 1958. Courtesy of the Historic American Buildings Survey.
Revolution #2: The Technological Revolution (Roughly post-Civil War)
This revolution saw the standardization of the production process, for example with the adoption of the assembly line in the automobile industry, and the rapid industrialization of the United States. An example of a Pennsylvania place associated with this second industrial revolution is the Carrie Blast Furnaces Number 6 and 7 property in Munhall and Rankin boroughs, Allegheny County. This furnace provided the iron that was transported across the Hot Metal Bridge to the Homestead Works, where it was converted to steel.
General view of the Carrie Furnaces from the top of the Homestead Works Water Tower. Carrie Furnaces 6 and 7 are on the left and furnaces 3 and 4 are on the right. Jet Lowe, Photographer, 1989. Courtesy of Historic American Engineering Record.
Revolution #3: The Automation Revolution (Roughly World War II and after)
This revolution was brought on by the computer age which started during World War II and extended long afterwards. This revolution saw the rise of automation and the transition from analog to digital technology. An example of a Pennsylvania place associated with this third industrial revolution is the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, where the first completely electronic, programmable computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC, was built from 1943 and 1945. It remained at the University of Pennsylvania until 1947, when it was moved to the Army’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.
Two women operating ENIAC at the University of Pennsylvania. Unidentified Army Photographer, 1946. Courtesy of the United States Army.
Revolution #4: The Digital Age (Post-2000)
With roots in the previous revolution, this revolution has seen the growth and adoption of “smart” technology, including robotics, Big Data, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence. An example of a Pennsylvania place associated with this fourth industrial revolution is Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, home of a nationally renowned robotics program.
Carnegie Mellon University as seen from the Cathedral of Learning. Dllu, Photographer, 2015. Used under Creative Commons License.
As is often the case with “periods” created by historians to understand the past, there are rarely sharp breaks between them and they tend to bleed into each other. In addition, in the case of industrial revolutions, when a new period begins, the places associated with the previous period do not just disappear; often, examples of the different periods co-exist, side by side. An example of this co-existence could be seen at the village of Reitz up until around the mid-twentieth century. In 1832, Andrew Specht bought land in the area that would become the village of Reitz and, in 1844 built a dam and water-powered sawmill on the eastern bank of Dark Shade Creek, south of where today’s Township Route (T) 712 (Whispering Pines Road) crosses Dark Shade Creek.
Undated photo of the former sawmill at Reitz. Unknown Photographer, Unknown Date, Courtesy of the Reitz Family File at the Somerset Historical Center.
Andrew Specht died in 1856 and the property passed to his son, George Specht. Soon after he took ownership of the property, George Specht built a grist mill to the north of the sawmill.
Undated photo of the former gristmill in Reitz. Unknown Photographer, Unknown Date, Courtesy of the Reitz Family File at the Somerset Historical Center.
Both of these mills were associated with the first industrial revolution, the mechanical revolution.
The Construction of the Rockingham Bridge
In 1885, the Rockingham Bridge was constructed to carry T 712 over Dark Shade Creek, just north of the gristmill. The bridge is a single span, 57-foot long wrought and cast iron Pratt pony truss bridge with a deck width of 12.2 feet; it is currently supported on stone abutments. The bridge is significant for engineering as an early and relatively complete example of a cast and wrought iron Pratt pony truss bridge. It is in fact, the earliest bridge of its type in Somerset County. Based on the use of rolled wrought iron I-beams for its compression members and its lower chord bars with bolted lap-joint splices, the bridge was likely built by the Columbia Bridge Works of Dayton, Ohio, a bridge builder that was active in Pennsylvania in the 1880s.
Rockingham Bridge, facing northwest. Jeremy Ammerman, PennDOT, 2018.
Rockingham Bridge, facing southeast. Jeremy Ammerman, PennDOT, 2018.
In keeping with the second industrial revolution, the technological revolution, truss bridges were emblematic of the standardization of the production process and the rapid industrialization that characterized the United States in the post-Civil War period. In fact, they were designed to be disassembled and moved as a standardized product that could fit many water crossings. The two mills ceased operation around 1938. At some point between that time and 1958, aerial photographs show that both mills were demolished, leaving only the Rockingham Bridge to represent the village of Reitz’s association with America’s industrial history.
Rockingham Bridge Today
Unfortunately, the bridge is slated for replacement because it can no longer meet the needs of the crossing. But, while the mills of the village of Reitz have been demolished, the bridge does not have to be. As mentioned previously, its standardized design and construction mean it can be disassembled and moved to a new location, like your trail or path! After serving the village of Reitz for 140 years, it could serve your users through whatever the next industrial revolution may be.
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Today’s Guest Contributor is Keith Heinrich. Keith is the aboveground Cultural Resource Professional (CRP) for PennDOT districts 9-0 and 12-0 and has served in that role since September of 2020. Prior to his time at PennDOT, Keith spent 13 years as a reviewer for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) program at the State Historic Preservation Office, as well as stints at numerous consulting firms, working as an archaeologist early in his consulting career and as an architectural historian later on.
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