The Kirwan Heights Industrial District November 1, 2018

Copyright © 2018                               John F. Oyler 

November 1, 2018

The Kirwan Heights Industrial District

I had the pleasure recently of giving a presentation to the Collier Township Historical Society in the township’s magnificent Community Center. My subject was the industrial complex between Kirwan Heights and the Pennsylvania Railroad, that thrived from the early 1900s through World War II.

When Sal Sirabella, the acting president of the Society, first discussed the possibility of this presentation, I suggested I discuss the J. B. Higbee Glass Company. We jointly concluded that the whole industrial complex of which Higbee was a part would be a more appropriate subject.

Its story begins with the arrival of C. P. (Casper Peter) Mayer in Bridgeville in 1879. Mr. Mayer was a remarkable gentleman, a charismatic entrepreneur long before either term became popular. He went to work at the Bridgeville Mine and soon became superintendent.

In 1886 he opened a general store; six years later he acquired a lumber company. Around the turn of the century he purchased a large block of land in Collier Township, on the opposite side of Chartiers Creek from Bridgeville.

He quickly recognized the value of the land adjacent to the Pennsylvania Railroad and began to plan for its development. The first tenant was a new company, the Mayer Brick Company, which he organized in 1903 to take advantage of a valuable deposit of shale on the hillside.

The brick company was immediately successful, capable of producing 20,000 paving blocks or 30,000 face bricks each day of operation. The pavers, stamped with variations of Mayer Brick Company and Bridgeville, Pa., are a familiar artifact everywhere bricks are collected. The brick yard operated well into the 1950s, producing millions of bricks.

The next firm to locate in the complex was the Flannery Bolt Company. The Flannery Brothers began with a very successful funeral home in Homewood, managed by James Flannery. His younger brother, Joseph, had aspirations for a more challenging vocation. In 1904 he acquired the Tate patent for staybolts. The staybolt is an essential component of a steam boiler, designed to keep the shell plates separated at a specific distance.

The Flannerys incorporated the Bolt Company for $9,000 and built a plant in Kirwan Heights to produce staybolts. Their unique design and the use of “Vanadium steel” quickly took over the large market for staybolts for steam locomotive boilers and ensured success of the company.

Joseph Flannery recognized the value of vanadium as an alloying agent for producing this very special type of steel and decided to go into the vanadium business. In 1906 he and his brother incorporated the American Vanadium Company and began construction of a plant adjacent to the Flannery Bolt facility. They purchased a vanadium ore mine at Minas Ragra in Peru, shipped the ore to Kirwan Heights where it was refined into ferrovanadium. When the company was sold to the American Vanadium Corporation in 1919, it was the largest vanadium producer in the world.

The J. B. Higbee Glass Company was Mayer’s next tenant. John B. Higbee was a principal of Bryce, Higbee and Company, a prominent glass company in Homestead. The combination of a severe flood and discovery of embezzlement by Mr. Bryce forced the company into bankruptcy. Mr. Higbee’s son Orlando (Ollie) was able to purchase the company’s proprietary assets, primarily patterns, and build a new facility in Kirwan Heights.

The J. B. Higbee Glass Company quickly became a major supplier of affordable pressed glass tableware and specialties. They had retail outlets in downtown Pittsburgh and in New York, as well as warehousing to third party outlets across the country. They typically introduced a new pattern each year and manufactured several dozen different items in it.

In addition to being a fine businessman Ollie HIgbee was an innovator, with numerous patents, including several for the first thermos bottles. Perhaps his most successful innovation was the introduction of the unique Higbee trademark. It consists of a bumblebee with the letter H on one wing, I on the body, and G on the other wing. Today J. B. Higbee glass is a popular collectible item; the presence of this trademark in the center of the base of each piece is confirmation of its authenticity. 

In 1919 Ollie Higbee died and the plant was sold to General Electric. They converted it to a facility manufacturing lighting fixtures – light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, etc. With the exception of three years at the depth of the Great Depression when GE shifted production to Niles, Ohio, the “Glass House” operated profitably until 2017 when it finally was shut down.

The Universal Rolling Mill Company was incorporated in 1908. They purchased used equipment from the Waynesburg Forge, Sheet, and Tin Mills, where Walter Baker had been superintendent. He became superintendent of the new mill when it was constructed in the Kirwan Heights complex. They went into production in 1909.

By 1918 they were successfully producing specialty steels; that year they changed their name to the Universal Steel Company. In 1936 they merged with Cyclops Corporation, of Titusville, Pa., to form the Universal-Cyclops Corporation, a major supplier of tool and specialty steels. In 1992 it was acquired briefly by ARMCO, who then sold it to an employee group who renamed it Universal Stainless and Alloy, Inc.

The resulting firm is still operating profitably in Kirwan Heights, with other plants in Titusville, Dunkirk, New York, and North Jackson, Ohio. They have a reputation of utilizing leading edge technology in the production of stainless, tool, and specialty steels.

From 1910 into the 1950s the Kirwan Heights complex was an impressive collection of highly productive industries, providing employment for several thousand local residents. During World War II Flannery Bolt achieved national attention by earning one of the first Army-Navy “E” Awards, in recognition of their production of machine gun barrels.

The Collier Township Historical Society is in the early stages of reviving an organization that existed thirty years ago. We are highly supportive of their efforts. Our vision is for each local community to have its own, strong historical society with its own unique focus and for all the individual societies to work together closely and coordinate their efforts.

Our area is rich with historical assets and local societies. The Neville Plantation, the Walker-Ewing Log House, Old St. Luke’s, the Gilfillan Farm, and the Oliver Miller Homestead are wonderful sites to visit, particularly when they have special events. Community societies in Bridgeville, South Fayette, Mt. Lebanon, and Canonsburg, as well as Collier Township, provide a powerful mechanism for individuals to explore and enjoy local history.

The value of these resources is certain to increase as our culture evolves. The impact of automation will continue to impact employment, ultimately increasing our available leisure time. The same may be said about the effect of longer life spans for retired folks. The additional leisure time should be exploited by activities that enhance our mental, emotional, and physical health.

It is easy to foresee a major increase in the importance of local institutions to take advantage of the additional leisure time – libraries, book clubs, adult participative sports, musical organizations, arts and craft centers, etc. We think there is an important place for historical organizations in this mix; certainly the history buffs we know are the antithesis to couch potatoes.