Steelworkers who labored at the Homestead Works of U.S. Steel are being asked to return to long gone days of molten metal and super-heated air to stoke the fire of imaginations.

It's all part of the Carrie Furnace Hard Hat Tour, to be held at the site Sept. 16 and 30, Oct. 14 and 28.

The tours are being offered by Homestead-based Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, a partner in the Pittsburgh Roars campaign to celebrate the region.

Steelworkers, and particularly those who worked in the Carrie Furnace or Pump House, are asked to call 412-464-4020 to make appointments to give a short oral history of their working experiences to a Rivers of Steel staff member.

Those stories will be woven into guides' narration during the tour. Steelworkers who feel comfortable standing in front of people and sharing their tales will be asked to do so before tour groups.

"It's another way to add another dimension to the story that might give people a different experience," said August Carlino, chief executive officer of Rivers of Steel.

Proceeds will benefit the nonprofit organization, which is committed to preserving and managing historic resources connected to steel and its related industry.

The Carrie Furnaces of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works were built in 1907. They stopped producing iron for the Homestead Works in 1978.

Of the original seven blast furnaces, two, in Swissvale and Rankin, still stand.

The tour begins at the Pump House, site of the 1892 Battle of Homestead. It is the only one remaining of five original pump houses that brought water from the rivers.

After viewing exhibits inside the Pump House, visitors will board a van for the short trip to the Carrie Furnace.

There, guests will see the ore yards, where tons of raw material were unloaded from barge and rail cars to feed blast furnaces.

The next stop will be the hot stoves, which blew the air into the furnaces to start the smelting process. The furnaces still stand, despite being inactive for 20 years.

From there, the group visits the cast house, from which molten iron was sent in torpedo cars across the Rankin Hot Metal Bridge to the Homestead Works.

An original torpedo car can be viewed.

Mr. Carlino said they hoped the event would bring attention to their effort to create a national park on 38 acres of the original mill site that would include the Carrie Furnace, Pump House and Water Tower.

As part of the proposed national park, the two Carrie Furnaces would undergo a $78 million renovation so visitors could climb walkways around the towering giants to see them up close.

Tours will leave hourly from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is $20. Reserve a place by calling 412-464-4020, or visiting www.riversofsteel.com.