Republic Steel

In 1883, E.W. and O. N. Hutchinson founded the Grand Crossing Tack Company to make carpet tacks.  Their small plant was located at 79th and South Chicago Avenue.  As the business prospered and expanded they decide to produce their own steel rather than purchase it.  They built a mill on the east bank of the Calumet River in 1902.  In 1916, Interstate Iron and Steel of East Chicago bought the Grand Crossing Tack Company.  In 1930, when Republic Steel  was formed Interstate became part of the merger that formed the new company. It was the site of a major labor episode, the Memorial Day Massacre which occurred on Memorial Day, 1937 and resulted in the deaths of 10 strikers.  In 1984, Republic Steel was merged with J & L Steel to form LTV Steel, a subsidiary of the LTV Corporation.  The Texas based conglomerate is also in energy, aerospace, and the defense industry. 

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