The Edgar Thomson Steel Works, by William Rau, Braddock, PA, 1891.


Edgar Thomson Steel Works, Near Braddock's, 1891, by William Rau.
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In 1875, Andrew Carnegie opened his first steel plant, the Edgar Thomson Works, in Braddock, Pennsylvania. Carnegie named his flagship steel mill after Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) president Edgar Thomson, his former mentor. Always looking for an advantage, Carnegie located the mill between the PRR and B&O main lines so that the two railroads would reduce their rates to win his business.