Rebecca Lukens: Founding Mother of Iron and Steel in Coatesville

Thur July 21st 5:30pm – 7:30pm

National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum, 50 S 1st Ave, Coatesville, PA 19320


Celebrate the life and times of Rebecca Lukens, American’s first female industrialist, and her descendants. Although by far not the only woman who managed iron furnaces in the 19th century, Rebecca was the only documented woman to manage multiple businesses. The list of National Historic Landmark properties along South First Avenue includes her home Brandywine Mansion, Terracina, and the steel industry that evolved from the original iron business. The proximity of these homes and offices to the mill reflects the Lukens and Huston families’ long-standing commitment to living and working close to the factory and community. Learn about the owners of the mills and the men and women who worked in them.

There are multiple tours throughout the evening. After parking sign up for one of the tours in the main building. Registration starts at 5:30.
Parking & Registration
National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum,
50 South 1st Avenue, Coatesville

Exhibition on railroads and several online presentations

Across the Continent. “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”, 1868,Frances Flora Bond Palmer, published by Currier & Ives
The Grolier Club in New York City has an exhibition “Travelers, Tracks and Tycoons: The Railroad in American Legend and Life” on display through July 30, 2022. The exhibition is from the very extensive Barriger Railroad Collection of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri-St.Louis. Nicholas Fry is curator of the Collection and of this exhibition.Mr. Fry writes: We look at railroads as relics of a simpler age, but in reality the railroad age was just as chaotic to its citizens as our modern age is to us. The story is told through printed works, objects, and artwork. It is a maker of legends that still impacts our lives.Here are details:The exhibitionThe exhibition is on display only through July 30t,h at the Grolier Club at 47 East 60th Street.in New York City. The exhibition is free, but advance reservations through eventbrite are recommended–please click here to make your reservation. Exhibition Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.The online catalog of the exhibition is here.Online lecturesThere are live online presentations coming up on July 19th and 20th–see below.The video of the opening reception includes a brief overview and tour of the exhibition. Click here.Nicholas Fry, the curator, is presenting a three-part lecture series, on Travelers, Tracks, and Tycoons:Part 1: Travelers: Journeys on the Railroads from the Early Surveys to Modern Vacation will be presented on Tuesday, July 19th 2022 at 6 P.M. Click here to register. This program is presented in conjunction with The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen.Part 1 was also presented on May 25 by the Grolier Society, and you can watch the video herePart 2, Tracks: Images Documenting the Building of the Railroads, was presented on June 29th. You can watch it online here.Part 3: Tycoons: Men, Money and Monuments. will be presented on Wednesday, July 20th, at 1:00 PM. Click here to register. It will also be recorded for future viewing.

This information came from a Roebling Chapter email. You can sign up to get mailings from them at:

https://www.roeblingsia.org/