Hillman Barge & Construction Company, Paul Thomas Boulevard, Brownsville, Fayette County, PA

Significance: The Hillman Barge facility is significant in the commercial and industrial development of southwestern Pennsylvania as a fabricator of shipping vessels. Beginning as a distribution facility for cotton, grains, coal and other goods, the site developed into a barge and boat manufacturing venture integral to the coal and coke trade vital to the region's iron and steel industry. Innovative production procedures, from welding technologies to assembly line construction, led to the emergence of large steel barges capable of supplying raw materials to the mills in Pittsburgh.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N173
Survey number: HAER PA-219
Building/structure dates: 1886-1903 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1903-1918 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1918- ca. 1970 Subsequent Work