Tom Zielinsky
WEIRTON — Weirton resident Tom Zielinsky has completed his third and final book about Weirton Steel, having now written three books, all entitled, “The Final Days of Weirton Steel.”
Zielinsky’s first book was released in 2010, covering the mill in its last five years, prior to its bankruptcy.
It took a look at what exactly happened behind closed doors.
“The book has been an enjoyable and blessed experience I have had the privilege to write,” he said, noting his first attempt at writing was in 2008.
He explained he had no experience when it came to writing a book.
“I learned the hard way,” he said. “It took nearly two years to finish.”
With the implosion of the basic oxygen plant in 2019, Zielinsky noted he had been capturing before and after photos of the mill, knowing that if someone hadn’t documented the events, “the history of the mill would be lost.”
“Changes were happening quickly — changes in ownership, then the landscape. I knew the importance of documenting everything for historical purposes,” he continued.
“So, with documentation and photos in hand and a little more experience in publishing, I decided to redo my first book,” he stated. “I included the new information as a second-edition release.”
Zielinsky’s book was printed by a different publishing company and released in 2021.
It covered all of the events at the steel mill, as well as its demolition, which occurred when Cleveland Cliffs took over, he explained.
His new book contains his first two works, along with the final chapter of the mill’s history.
Color photos of what is left of the various mill buildings and the downtown area are included.
One section describes the events of how the ESOP came about, and another reveals future events for the city.
Pictures show the building of the Form Energy battery plant and information tells of the new transformer initiative in the Half Moon area of Weirton, Zielinsky explained.
“The book contains the complete history of events from 1909 to 2024,” he said. “The city of Weirton has a new future waiting to be released,” he concluded. “It would be interesting to see how this city looks in 10 to 20 years.”
Zielinsky’s books are in limited supply and can be purchased at the gift shop at Historic Fort Steuben.
Books can also be purchased at the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center on Saturdays at the cost of $15.
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