In 1900, Wm. A. Young built his shop at Rice’s Landing to service the Monongahela River sternwheelers that docked there for repairs. The shop’s machines were powered by an intricate system of leather belts on ceiling-mounted wooden pulleys, originally operated by a single steam engine.When Young’s descendants closed the business in 1965, the machinery and tools — some dating back to 1870 — were left intact. Locked and neglected for 20 years, the foundry was purchased by the Greene County Historical Society and is now managed as a Rivers of Steel Heritage Area.
