On behalf of all of us at Steel City Shredding, Happy “H” Day!
On July 19, we celebrate “H” Day—the day Pittsburgh officially reclaimed the “H” in its name. Originally named after William Pitt, a Scottish statesman, Pittsburgh followed the Scottish tradition of ending city names with “burgh,” just like Edinburgh or Fraserburgh.
But in 1891, the federal government attempted to standardize city names by dropping the final “h” from all “burgh” endings. Many Pittsburghers refused to comply. Institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Gazette, and the Pittsburgh Stock Exchange proudly held on to the traditional spelling.
Thanks to this community-wide resistance, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names reversed its decision on July 19, 1911—officially restoring the “H” and preserving Pittsburgh’s heritage.
Just 17 years later, in 1928, Steel City Shredding was founded as Iron City Industrial Cleaning Corporation. With Pittsburgh pride in our foundation, we remain committed to serving our city and its people with the same grit and spirit that brought the “H” back home.