John A. Roebling's Sons Company, Kinkora Works

Hailing from Mühlhausen, Germany, John A. Röbling left Prussia in 1831 hoping to create a technological utopia in America. Roebling arrived in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, and was soon employed to work on a canal system that would cross the state. Prior to his emigration, Roebling attended Berlin’s Royal Polytechnic Institute where he received technical training in engineering. With a background in engineering, he was able to manufacture wire rope as an alternative to the breakable hemp rope used at the time. After receiving a patent for his wire rope invention, Roebling’s innovation contributed to many suspension bridges and aqueducts.

Demand for wire ropes increased, prompting Roebling to move his family to Trenton, New Jersey where he established a business in 1848. During this time, twisted wire cables produced in his factory were used on the Delaware Aqueduct, Sixth Street Bridge, Covington & Cincinnati Bridge, and Niagara River Gorge Bridge. Roebling is best known for the Brooklyn Bridge, which he designed with the help of his son. Following his death in 1869, Roebling’s brothers retained ownership of the company and began planning the site layout for Kinkora Works.

In 1904, after renaming the business John A. Roebling Son’s Company, the Roebling brothers purchased 200 acres of farmland where the Kinkora Works factory would soon stand. The wire produced in this facility would be sold in coils or finished as rope, insulated wire, or flat wire at the Trenton factory. The Kinkora factory’s location, settled near the Delaware River, was optimal for easy access to barge traffic, powering machinery, and dumping waste. The remaining acres would be used to house around one thousand workers and their families. Roebling’s “Progressive Town” and the corresponding steel mill allowed the company to operate at maximum efficiency.

The steel produced in Roebling Son’s Co. factories was not limited to bridges and aqueducts. Throughout the span of manufacturing, Roebling factories were called on to produce high/low carbon steel for various items, including: harbor nets, hoisting slings, aircraft control cords, screen cloth, and communications transmission wire. Workers in the Kinkora factory also manufactured the wire used in the Golden Gate and George Washington Bridges. To meet the increased demand, two more mills were added, providing jobs to 8,000 more workers; in addition to adding new factories, both the Kinkora and Trenton mills were expanded. 

Following decades of success, John A. Roebling Son’s sold their steel mill empire to Colorado Fuel & Iron Inc. in 1952. After taking over the company, CF&I sought to modernize the Kinkora Works steel mill. Unfortunately, inadequate financial commitment and increasing environmental requirements forced Kinkora Works to close for good in 1974. At its closing, the steel mill had expanded to 70 buildings. By 1985, after the site was deemed a threat to public health and an environmental hazard, a lengthy period of demolition and cleanup began. At their peak, John A. Roebling Son’s Company boasted four plants with 258 buildings that covered 4.5 million square feet. All that is left of the lucrative Kinkora steel mill is the worker's village; however, the history of the region is all but forgotten. 

Roebling Company Kinkora Works, New Jersey Historic Trust. Accessed January 31st, 2021. https://www.njht.org/dca/njht/funded/sitedetails/roebling_kinkora.html

Kinkora Works, a factory complex once owned by the Roebling Company, served as a wire and steel-making establishment during the 1900s. One of many factories owned by John A. Roebling's Sons Company, all that is left of Kinora Works is the company town. This source details the fate of the factory once their doors closed for good. Providing information about the cleanup of the plant after its closure, this source will be most useful when discussing the current state of Kinkora Works.

Sneddon, Matthew. JOHN A. ROEBLING'S SONS COMPANY. KTNKORA WORKS, HHH Collections Management Database. August 1997. Accessed January 19th, 2021. https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/nj/nj1600/nj1651/data/nj1651data.pdf.

The historical and descriptive data provided within this source will be most useful when detailing the origins of Roebling's wire rope, the manufacturing of steel, and the construction of Kinkora Works. This source focuses on the rise of steelmaking, as well as John Roebling's beginnings- both of which are important when providing background information on how his factories came to be.

Roebling Museum, Accessed March 2nd, 2021. https://www.roeblingmuseum.org/about.

The Roebling Museum is located in an area that is currently fenced off. Decades ago, parts of the Kinkora Factory stood where the museum now resides. This source is most useful when looking to book a tour to learn about Roebling's extensive history. A short background of John Roebling and his family is provided on the museum's "About" page. However, location and contact information are provided for guests who want to experience the town that Roebling and his family built.

The Roebling Company's Kinkora Works, Delaware River Heritage Trail. Accessed March 15th, 2021. https://delawareriverheritagetrail.org/Roebling-Companys-Kinkora-Works.html.

This source provides information on Kinkora Works from its opening until the final teardown and cleanup. Located on the Delaware River, the Heritage Trail website touches on the additional manufacturing equipment added to the new mill, as well as the bold new strategy the plant represented. Roebling's steel mill experienced decades of success, the Kinkora location doubled in size within the first decade. Unfortunately, the Roebling Company's plants were turned over to a new owner and later closed for good. The Delaware River Heritage Trail website provides detailed information on the fate of the Roebling mills, the cleanup efforts, and the environmental restoration needed to revitalize the riverfront property after demolition.

Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge, Library of Congress. June 12th. Accessed March 28th, 2021. https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/june-12/#:~:text=On%20June%2012%2C%201806%2C%20John,to%20connect%20Manhattan%20with%20Brooklyn.&text=Roebling%20came%20to%20design%20suspension%20bridges%20through%20his%20earlier%20work%20on%20canals.

Supplied by the Library of Congress, this source provides a brief background on John Roebling and extensive information on the projects he was involved in. The data within this source details the history of Roebling's most notable contributions- the Brooklyn bridge. Although he passed before the completion of the bridge, his brother took over the project. The hardships Roebling and his steel company faced- including financial setbacks, death, and fraud- are addressed in the Library of Congress source. Information about the Brooklyn Bridge and other Roebling works are included as well as photos, engineering details, and the technicalities of the bridge.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1904-08-13/ed-1/?sp=4&q=kinkora+works&r=-0.087,-0.252,1.463,0.631,0

Provided by the Library of Congress, this newspaper article from the New York Daily Tribune contains a piece announcing employment for Roebling Company's new plant, Kinkora Works. Appearing in the paper on August 13, 1904, this source primarily shows the importance of John A. Roebling Son's Company and the opening of a new plant. Kinkora Works was important for a number of reasons, but this article indicates that the new plant will provide at least a thousand jobs to skilled men. In a way, the small article would catch the eye of men looking for work while gaining recognition throughout the northeast.