Soul Stirring
Soul Stirring In July 2006 I was making my periodic trip to Braddock, PA to document the changes in this dying community. Braddock was once a powerhouse of the American steel industry. Located along the Monongahela River just upstream from Pittsburgh it commanded entire valley and fed raw steel to other finishing plants on both banks of the river and both upstream and down. Click for larger image The post-WWII employment was at about 5000 men. They and their families constituted a large portion of the local population. Braddock was home to many more workers who toiled in the East Pittsburgh Westinghouse factory and the towns of Linhart, Rankin and Swissvale. The town, officially the Borough of Braddock, contained a bustling retail and professional business district along Braddock Avenue. When the steel industry failed regional employment plummeted. Urban mobility was once defined by the streetcar tracks and inter urban passenger rail lines. Towns grew up along