Visitors got a chance to travel back in time at the W.A Young and Sons Foundry & Machine Shop at the annual Hammer-In Festival along Water Street in Rices Landing on Saturday, April 15.
That morning the Foundry’s doors were opened to the public, the machines turned on, and area blacksmiths began demonstrations showcasing how the shop’s machines function, blacksmithing processes, and more. Members from the Pittsburgh Area Artist Blacksmiths Association (PAABA) and the Appalachian Blacksmiths Association (ABA) led the demonstrations and auctioned off their artworks to support the Machine Shop, PAABA, and ABA. An audience favorite, an aluminum pour was held in the afternoon. In previous years, aluminum or brass pours were completed during the event.
For over 30 years, the Foundry has welcomed visitors on the third Saturday of April to lift the curtain and peer back into the history of early industry in Greene County. The foundry sits as it did the day it closed, with tools and newspapers still sitting as they were left. It is the only surviving example of the industrial evolution from local blacksmith to mass production machining. The hardware store, located on the upper floor, is a step back in time, its shelves lined with stock and its desk complete with typewriter. Downstairs, the original coke oven remains, with unused coke piled nearby.
The shop’s initial commerce came from steamboat repairs and nearby coal mines. William A. Young opened the machine shop in 1900, added the foundry in 1908, and then electric in 1928. An elaborate system of belts and pulleys throughout the shop runs over 20 pieces of machinery, each independent and fully operational.
After closing in 1965, the foundry sat neglected for twenty years, when it was purchased by the Greene County Historical Society. After repairs, it was opened to the public, and the foundry was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. In 2009, the non-profit Rivers of Steel acquired the foundry and extensive repairs were completed. In 2017, the shop was designated a National Historic Landmark. The foundry is just a small part of Rices Landing’s rich history.
If you missed the Hammer-In this year, you can get a taste of it every Sunday when the shop is open for tours. The one-hour tours cost $10. FMI or to make tour reservations, visit riversofsteel.org.
Take a Trip to Rices Landing!
If you’re making a visit to Rices Landing to visit the Foundry, plan to make a whole Sunday day trip, and check out these places on your trip.
On your way into town, stop by Lindaz Little Bakery for some delicious baked goods and the newly-opened Rices Landing Coffee Co. for a hot coffee.
After your guided tour, head out for a walk on the Greene River Trail or enjoy a picnic lunch and hike in Pumpkin Run Park. Nearby, Pumpkin Run Park has fields, pavilions and picnic tables, and a peaceful stream. The Greene River Trail, passing through Rices Landing on its way to Millsboro to the north and Carmichaels to the south, offers a smooth surface for hiking and biking, with informative displays and artwork along the way. Each of these trails and parks have an abundance of wildflowers and wildlife, so bring some binoculars!
On your way to the Greene River Trailhead, enjoy your drive or walk through the Rices Landing Historic District, which includes the old brick jail built in the 1850s, the 1873 Methodist Episcopal Church, the Rices Landing National Bank building, the remains of the Monongahela River Lock Number 6, Dilworth Mine remnants, railroad bridge and tunnel, and other residential and non-residential buildings. The Borough Building, one of the two buildings remaining from the Lock, also houses a museum (by appointment only).
If you’re looking for lunch afterwards, head back into the Dry Tavern area for barbecue at Big Er’s BBQ or Chinese at the Golden Dragon.
