Latest in a series of posts on Bethlehem history
National Museum of Industrial History
NMIH virtual exhibit
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Dear friends and members of the Bethlehem community,
I’m excited to share with you an upcoming event that presents new research on Bethlehem Steel’s global impact and long-standing relationship with Latin America, which is part of an ongoing project with support from the Lehigh Valley Engaged Humanities Consortium.
On January 23rd at 3 pm EST, Dr. Cory Fischer-Hoffman, Professor of International Affairs at Lafayette College and public historian Javier Rojas of La Serena, Chile will present a virtual, bilingual talk entitled Digging up Bethlehem Steel’s History in Latin America: Chile and Transnational Flows of Raw Materials and People at the National Museum of Industrial History.
From 1913 until 1971, the Bethlehem Steel Corporation operated iron mines in Chile, shipping ore to the US through the Panama Canal. Chilean iron ore was essential to Bethlehem Steel’s World War II production, and various engineers, geologists, and Bethlehem Steel executives worked on the Chilean mining projects. Many brought families who lived for years in the mining towns or surrounding areas near La Serena, Chile, and through these connections Chileans also came to study, work and live in the Lehigh Valley. This talk will explore the history of Bethlehem Steel’s iron mining operations in Chile, the transnational flows of raw materials and people and Bethlehem Steel’s legacy in Latin America.
To receive the link to attend the free, virtual event, please visit https://steelinchile.
Visit the accompanying virtual exhibition curated by Chilean public historian Javier Rojas, who was born in the mining town of El Tofo, here http://chile.nmih.org/.
If you have memories, memorabilia, or documents related to Bethlehem Steel’s history in Latin America that you would like to share with the project, please visit https://forms.gle/
We hope to see you on January 23rd! Please feel free to forward this email to anyone who may be interested in attending.
Anna Smith
Outreach Coordinator, Bethlehem – Chile Project
