Portsmouth Steel Company
Portsmouth Steel Company was an Ohio steel manufacturer whose Portsmouth works operated under several related names before ultimately closing in 1980.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Portsmouth Steel Company was a steel manufacturing enterprise based in Portsmouth, Scioto County, Ohio. Its industrial history was rooted in the Portsmouth Iron Works, an early nineteenth-century operation that benefited from the area's access to iron ore from southern Ohio, nearby timber resources, and river transportation at the junction of the Scioto and Ohio rivers. These geographic advantages made Portsmouth a suitable location for blast-furnace and related ironmaking activity. The works began with Glover, Noel & Company in 1831 and changed ownership several times during the following decades. Thomas G. Gaylord acquired the property in 1834 and later transferred ownership interests to Benjamin B. Gaylord, John P. Gould, and Abram Morrell, while the site continued to be managed by Thomas G. Gaylord & Company. In 1869, the property was leased to the Portsmouth Iron & Steel Company, initially through 1878. The lease was renewed in 1881, after which the enterprise became known as Portsmouth Steel Company. The business therefore represented a succession of operating entities and corporate arrangements centered on the same Portsmouth industrial site rather than a continuously unchanged corporation. The company formed part of the labor and industrial conflicts that accompanied American steel production in the twentieth century. During a strike in the 1930s, two strikebreakers were murdered, and Lee Pressman, then chief legal counsel of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and its Steel Workers Organizing Committee, visited Portsmouth in 1936 in connection with the local dispute. Portsmouth Steel later settled a labor dispute with the CIO in 1949. The company also appeared in a 1948 Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry involving former labor-relations figures and a proposed shareholder lawsuit concerning Kaiser-Frazer. The available historical account records the allegations and testimony but does not establish that Portsmouth Steel was found liable for wrongdoing. In 1915, the Whitaker-Glessner Company of Wheeling, West Virginia, purchased the Portsmouth property, which had previously been associated with Portsmouth Steel as a subsidiary. After the Second World War, Cyrus Eaton hired Harold J. Ruttenberg, a former CIO and SWOC labor-relations official, to work for Portsmouth Steel Corporation. In 1950, Detroit Steel Corporation acquired Portsmouth Steel. Detroit Steel subsequently invested heavily in the site, completing a reported modernization program in 1956 that included a new coke plant and a steam plant designed to generate electricity from waste gases produced by the blast furnace and coke operations. Detroit Steel sold the former Portsmouth Steel assets to Cyclops Steel in 1969. Cyclops began winding down the mill in 1972, and steelmaking ended completely on May 31, 1980. The shutdown eliminated approximately 1,200 jobs. The coke plant was sold to McLouth Steel, but McLouth's bankruptcy in 1981 led to the coke operation being separated into an independent business called New Boston Coke. Environmental regulators later found excessive benzene and butadiene in emissions from the New Boston facility and pursued legal action seeking a permanent gas flare. Unable to finance the required work, New Boston Coke closed in 2002, eliminating a further 200 jobs. The former coke plant was demolished in 2007, while much of the former steelmaking property was removed, remediated, and redeveloped over the following decades.
History
Portsmouth's steel industry developed from the town's favorable location at the meeting point of the Scioto and Ohio rivers. River transportation, nearby forests, and iron ore resources in southern Ohio supported early ironmaking and helped establish the area as a suitable site for blast furnaces. The industrial lineage later associated with Portsmouth Steel began with the Portsmouth Iron Works, operated by Glover, Noel & Company from 1831. Thomas G. Gaylord bought the works in 1834, and later ownership was shared by Benjamin B. Gaylord, John P. Gould, and Abram Morrell. Management remained connected with Thomas G. Gaylord & Company. The site was leased to the Portsmouth Iron & Steel Company in 1869, with the original arrangement extending through 1878. A further lease began in 1881, after which the business became known as Portsmouth Steel Company. The corporate identity consequently changed over time while the Portsmouth works remained the central industrial asset. In 1915, the Whitaker-Glessner Company of Wheeling acquired the property of Portsmouth Steel, which had operated as a former subsidiary. Labor relations became a significant part of the works' twentieth-century history. In 1936, CIO and SWOC legal counsel Lee Pressman visited Portsmouth in connection with local union members' dispute over the deaths of two strikebreakers during a strike. In 1946, industrialist Cyrus Eaton hired Harold J. Ruttenberg, a former CIO and SWOC vice president responsible for labor relations, to work for Portsmouth Steel Corporation. Ruttenberg later became involved in events surrounding a 1948 SEC inquiry. SEC official Anthon H. Lund alleged that Ruttenberg had contacted Pressman about how to initiate a shareholder lawsuit against Kaiser-Frazer. Pressman rejected the allegation during testimony and requested the opportunity to question Lund. The historical record supplied here does not report a definitive finding that Portsmouth Steel or Pressman was liable. In 1949, Portsmouth Steel settled a labor dispute with the CIO. The following year Detroit Steel Corporation acquired the company. Detroit Steel invested substantially in the Portsmouth plant and completed a modernization program in 1956. The reported investment was $150 million and included a new coke plant and a steam plant that used waste gas from the blast furnace and coke plant to produce power. This modernization reflected the integrated character of the works, where coke production, ironmaking, steelmaking, and energy generation were connected within one industrial complex. Detroit Steel sold the former Portsmouth Steel assets to Cyclops Steel in 1969. Cyclops began winding down mill operations in 1972, and the steelmaking operation closed entirely on May 31, 1980. The closure resulted in approximately 1,200 layoffs and ended the site's role as a steelmaking plant. The coke plant was transferred to McLouth Steel, whose bankruptcy in 1981 led to the coke operation being separated into an independent entity known as New Boston Coke. Environmental problems affected the later history of the former site. A state environmental protection survey found that New Boston Coke emissions contained excessive quantities of benzene and butadiene. Regulators filed suit to require installation of a permanent flare to burn off the substances. New Boston Coke was unable to finance the required equipment and closed in 2002, eliminating approximately 200 jobs. The former coke plant was demolished in 2007. During the subsequent decades, most of the former steelmaking facilities were dismantled, remediated, and redeveloped.
- 1980
Steelmaking shuts down
[1]The Portsmouth steelmaking operation closed on May 31, ending operations and causing approximately 1,200 layoffs.
- 1969
Assets transferred to Cyclops Steel
[1]Detroit Steel sold the former Portsmouth Steel assets to Cyclops Steel.
- 1956
Modernization completed
[1]Detroit Steel completed a major modernization of the plant, adding coke and steam-generation infrastructure.
- 1950
Detroit Steel acquisition
[1]Detroit Steel Corporation bought Portsmouth Steel.
- 1915
Whitaker-Glessner acquires the property
[1]Whitaker-Glessner Company purchased the Portsmouth property associated with the former subsidiary.
- 1881
Portsmouth Steel identity emerges
[1]The lease arrangement resumed, and the enterprise became known as Portsmouth Steel Company.
- 1869
Portsmouth Iron & Steel lease begins
[1]The Portsmouth Iron & Steel Company leased the industrial site, establishing the operating arrangement that preceded the Portsmouth Steel name.
- 1834
Thomas G. Gaylord acquires the works
[1]Thomas G. Gaylord purchased the Portsmouth Iron Works and later transferred ownership interests to other local industrialists.
- 1831
Portsmouth Iron Works begins operation
[1]Glover, Noel & Company operated the early Portsmouth Iron Works, the predecessor site in the Portsmouth steelmaking lineage.
Products and positioning
A regional integrated steelmaking enterprise built around Portsmouth's river-connected industrial site and its access to southern Ohio raw materials and fuel resources.
Integrated steelmaking
Blast-furnace iron and steel
The Portsmouth works were built around blast-furnace and steelmaking operations. The site processed regional mineral and fuel resources into industrial iron and steel, supported by river transportation and integrated plant infrastructure. Specific branded grades or finished product names are not identified in the available reference material.
Steelmaking fuel and coke-plant output
Coke
Coke production formed an important part of the Portsmouth industrial complex and supplied fuel for integrated ironmaking and steelmaking. A new coke plant was included in Detroit Steel's 1950s modernization program. The coke operation continued separately after steelmaking ended and later became associated with New Boston Coke.
Controversies
2002
Environmental emissions dispute at former coke plant
State environmental regulators identified excessive benzene and butadiene in emissions from New Boston Coke, the successor operation at the former Portsmouth coke plant, and pursued legal action seeking installation of a permanent flare.
1948
SEC inquiry involving Kaiser-Frazer shareholder litigation
A Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry examined an allegation that Harold J. Ruttenberg of Portsmouth Steel had sought Lee Pressman's advice about filing a shareholder lawsuit against Kaiser-Frazer. Pressman denied involvement, and the supplied account does not report a final finding of wrongdoing by Portsmouth Steel.
1936
Strike-related deaths and labor conflict
A Portsmouth strike involved the murders of two strikebreakers, prompting CIO and SWOC counsel Lee Pressman to visit the city in connection with the local labor dispute. The available material does not attribute criminal responsibility to Portsmouth Steel.
Brand decisions
1980
Close the steelmaking operationOtherBackground
The Portsmouth mill had been declining under Cyclops Steel since the early 1970s.
Action taken
Steelmaking ceased completely on May 31, 1980.
Aftermath
Approximately 1,200 employees lost their jobs, and the remaining coke assets continued under separate ownership.
1972
Begin winding down steel mill operationsStrategyBackground
Cyclops Steel controlled the former Portsmouth Steel assets after acquiring them from Detroit Steel in 1969.
Action taken
Cyclops began reducing operations at the Portsmouth mill.
Aftermath
The wind-down culminated in the complete shutdown of steelmaking on May 31, 1980.
1956
Modernize the integrated Portsmouth plantStrategyBackground
After acquiring Portsmouth Steel, Detroit Steel pursued a large-scale modernization of the Portsmouth works.
Action taken
The program added a new coke plant and a steam plant that used waste gases from the blast furnace and coke plant to generate power.
Aftermath
The investment strengthened the site's integrated production and energy infrastructure, although the mill was later wound down and ultimately closed.
Reported modernization investment. $150 million (Completed in 1956)
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