National Register of Historic Places

Harbison-Walker Refractories Company

Mount Union, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
Listed
March 20, 1990
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
90000392

About this property

The Harbison-Walker Refractories Company is a national historic district and historic refractory brick manufacturing complex which is located in Mount Union in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It originated as the Star Firebrick Company on March 7, 1865, with Articles of Association by a group of Pittsburgh and Allegheny residents. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It is located in the Mount Union Historic District, established in 1994. On January 30, 1875, Hay Walker Sr. and Samuel P. Harbison entered Articles of Agreement to purchase the interests in Star Fire Brick Company and formed the Harbison and Walker Company. Then on July 30, 1894, Harbison & Walker was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, finally being chartered as Harbison-Walker Refractories Company by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on June 30, 1902. Ultimately this company was merged into Dresser Industries in 1967. The company was part of the Fortune 500 from 1955 until 1967. In 2015, a successor company in Pittsburgh adopted the name HarbisonWalker International. A national historic district and historic refractory brick manufacturing complex which is located in Mount Union in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company property consists of fourteen contributing buildings and twenty-seven contributing structures, which were built in two sections; the No. 2 works date to 1899 and the No. 1 works date to 1905. Principal buildings and structures include brick kilns; mixing, molding, and drying facilities; storage and shipping sheds; a pattern making building; and crushing and screening facilities. HABS No. PA-5973, "Refractories Company Towns", 59 data pages HABS No. PA-6004, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Manager's House, 213 Shirley Street", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page HAER No. PA-242, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company", 9 photos, 1 color transparency, 5 data pages, 3 photo caption pages HAER No. PA-242-A, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Engine Repair House", 4 photos, 1 color transparency, 2 photo caption pages HAER No. PA-242-B, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Kiln", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page HAER No. PA-242-C, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Molding Room", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page HAER No. PA-242-D, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Packing Shed", 1 photo, 1 photo caption page HAER No. PA-242-E, "Harbison-Walker Refractories Company, Rotary Dryer and Storage Silos", 2 photos, 1 photo caption page

Location

Mount Union, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
40.38675, -77.88868

Categories

INDUSTRY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Mount Union Historic District
Civil War
0.3 mi
Andrews, H. O., Feed Mill
Industrial
2.9 mi
Smalley, Lewis, Homestead
Industrial
3.5 mi
Pennsylvania Canal Guard Lock and Feeder Dam, Raystown Branch
Industrial
6 mi
Leas, Benjamin B., House
Industrial
6.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle at Fort Shirley (PA, 1756)
1756Colonial
2.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Harbison-Walker Refractories Company listed on the National Register?

Harbison-Walker Refractories Company was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Harbison-Walker Refractories Company?

Harbison-Walker Refractories Company is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Harbison-Walker Refractories Company?

The period of significance for Harbison-Walker Refractories Company is recorded as the listed era.

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