Alan Wood Steel Co. Marks 150th Year
by Ed Dybicz 1976
Alan Wood Steel Company, the industrial giant that straddles the Schuylkill River in Upper Merion and Plymouth townships, is observing its 150th anniversary. The company was formed in 1826.
The story about Alan Wood Steel Co. is more than a history of organization; it is a chronicle of community involvement and assistance.
Rich in tradition, Alan Wood Steel Co. is meeting new demands on industry; consumerism, environmentalism, equal rights and other movements “were” manifested into law.
The company takes great pride, not only in that it has undergone modernization and expansion, but in the fact it has provided, over the years, a progressive spirit to the people around it.
Harleston R. Wood, chairman of the Board and former President, is a descendant of the founding Wood family.
It is quite appropriate to mention, especially during the Bicentennial year of the United States, that Alan Wood Steel Company, too, proudly has stood the test of time.
Since 1826, when the steel company was formed, it has been a producer of quality steel. Its products include cold and hot rolled sheet and steel, billets and slabs. It is known nationally for its AL Algrip and AW Super Diamond plates.
According to Harleston R. Wood, “James Wood was granted a patent in 1825 (signed by James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, as President and Secretary of State, respectively) for improvements in making shovels described as follows: “The blades are entirely of iron and steel, the blade being attached to the handle by means of steel straps fastened to the blade and also to the handle by rivets, said blades being made of a single piece of steel rolled to the proper dimensions and not hammered.”
The Alan Wood Steel Co. has three subsidiaries: The Upper Merion and Plymouth Railroad Co., which provides switching service for the company and nearby industries; Penco Products of Oaks, which produces steel shelving, lockers and cabinets and Alan Wood Coated Metals, Inc. of Cornwells Heights, which pre-coats metal sheet and strip.
Alan Wood Steel Company’s contributions to local progress is prominently known. It has donated land for many projects including fire houses in Plymouth Township and Swedeland, as well as for playgrounds, a school in Upper Merion and stone for a church in Conshokocken.
Previous to 1918, there were only three streets in the community of Swedeland. In two years, through the influence of the steel company, Swedeland had grown more than it did 50 years before. Alan Wood Co. had more than 100 homes built. Swedeland became a mill town, but a most modern one, replete with electricity, water, paved streets, curbs and a private sewer system, the first in Upper Merion township.
The company also donated land to eliminate dangerous curves in River rd. all the way from adjoining Swedesburg.
Since a modern town needed fire protection, Alan Wood employees, under direction of the company, pushed for the organization of the Swedeland Volunteer Fire Company in 1920. Not only did the steel company provide ground for the erection of the fire house, it donated bricks and other material, plus 3,000 feet of hose.
But that wasn’t the end of Alan Wood’s generosity . . . when the need for a new public school arose in Upper Merion, the steel company donated three acres of land on March 7, 1921 for the Swedeland educational facility. Again, they supplied pipe and installed water and sewer connections to the building.
Over the years, land and other donations were made for school additions, playgrounds, churches, area fire companies and other facilities. The story of Alan Wood Steel Company’s 150th anniversary is indeed filled with fascinating, human, dramatic and colorful series of events.
