Virtual Museum: What’s up there? NMIH’s P&H Overhead Crane

This short presentation will describe the artifact every visitor to the Museum walks under, the massive P&H overhead crane in the Museum Lobby. Learn what it did, how it worked, and how it compares to some of the other cranes operated by Bethlehem Steel in this fun Friday afternoon lecture with NMIH’s historian Mike Piersa.

This lecture is presented by NMIH Historian Mike Piersa. Mike graduated with a bachelor’s in history from Moravian College and a master’s in history from Lehigh University. He has been with NMIH for over 17 years and has been instrumental in the research and interpretation behind the museum’s collections as well as the restoration of historical industrial equipment both at the museum and at outside facilities. His quarry machinery preservation work resulted in him becoming an MSHA Certified Miner and taking leading roles in important restoration and preservation projects across the country, including the Bangor Quarry Hoist Project, a collaboration between the Totts Gap Arts Institute, the American Industrial Mining Company Museum, and the Borough of Bangor, PA. Mike has presented across the country on his work with industrial heritage and in 2019 published The Big Green Machine, a short book detailing the history, preservation, and operational restoration of NMIH’s 115-ton stationary steam engine.

Part of NMIH’s Virtual Museum Live Programs. Get more info at http://nmih.org/virtualmuseum