The Mohawk Ironworkers: Rebuilding the Iconic Skyline of New York

4 minute read

For more than a century, ironworkers descended from the Mohawk Indians of Quebec have helped create New York City’s iconic skyline, guiding ribbons of metal into the steel skeletons that form the backbone of the city. In the tradition of their fathers and grandfathers, a new generation of Mohawk iron workers now descend upon the World Trade Center site, helping shape the most distinct feature of Lower Manhattan—the same iconic structure their fathers and grandfathers helped erect 40 years ago and later dismantled after it was destroyed in 2001.

Driving some 360 miles south to New York from the Kahnawake reserve near Quebec, these men work—just as their fathers did—in the city during the week and spend time with their families on the weekends.

One year ago, around the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, photographer Melissa Cacciola began documenting some of these workers—not an easy task given that the roughly 200 Mohawks (of more than 2,000 iron workers on site) are working at a frantic pace, helping One World Trade Center to rise a floor a week.

Cacciola, a photographer with a background in chemistry and historic preservation, is one of few photographers who work exclusively with tintypes, images recorded by a large-format camera on sheets of tin coated with photosensitive chemicals. Having previously photographed members of the armed-forces for her War and Peace series, Cacciola looked to document those continuing to help the city move past the shadow of tragedy.

“It seemed like a real New York thing,” she told TIME. “And it made sense as the next chapter in the post-9/11 landscape. Rebuilding is part of that story.”

Just as towers like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center mark the height of America’s skyscraper architecture, tintype photographs are inherently American. Tintype developed in the 1850s as early American photographers looked for alternatives to the expensive and finicky glass-plate processes popular in Europe. Recycled tin was a readily available resource in the new nation—less than 100 years old—and so the tintype grew in popularity, earning its place in American photographic identity. Even Abraham Lincoln’s campaign pins contained an inlaid tintype portrait of the candidate.

“You don’t find tintypes on other continents,” Cacciola said.

Slightly blurry and sepia-toned, Cacciola’s portraits feel timeless, save for the occasional modern stickers on her subjects’ hardhats. Each portrait focuses tightly on the men’s strong facial features.

The 30 tintypes in the series are each made from bulk sheets of tin, although Cacciola has also used recycled biscuit jars in prior tintype projects. Coated first with a black lacquer and then a layer of collodion emulsion to make them light sensitive, the plates are dipped in a silver bath immediately before exposure to form silver iodide—a step that bonds actual particles of silver to the emulsion. Nothing could be more fitting for men working with steel to be photographed on metal.

In the tradition of 19th-century photography, Cacciola’s process is slower than today’s digital systems. But the finished plates are more than simple portraits; rather, they hold their own weight as tangible objects. Just as histories often reflect the blemishes of times past, Cacciola’s tintypes are fragile, containing marks and slight imperfect artifacts that reflect the medium’s limitations. Working by hand rather than machine, each portrait records the artist’s intentions as much as her subject’s.

“These tintypes are so much a part of me,” she says. “Like the fact that you get partial fingerprints or artifacts from the way I’m pouring collodion on the plate—it’s all human. The way silver and light interact in this chemical reaction is a testament to the Mohawk iron workers and this early [photographic] process—it’s unparalleled in terms of portraiture.”

Melissa Cacciola is a New York-based tintype photographer.

Geggs Martin 15 years, Connector "One job I'll always remember is working on the transit hub at the World Trade Center. Some of the iron was huge. I'll never forget that feeling of seeing those pieces of iron, some 13 ft. high and 60 ft. long, flying at you. Awesome."Melissa Cacciola
Jim Morris 42 years, Foreman “I grew up playing on steel, on a bridge built in the late 1800's—The Company Pacific Railroad Bridge. My father was an ironworker. I was in college to become an accountant. I took a semester off to do some ironwork. Once I got into it, I really enjoyed it and never went back to school. My father put up a tower crane on the original WTC site. Last year, I erected a crane in Tower 2. It was a strange feeling going down into the footprint of the building, knowing that so many people had died there.” Melissa Cacciola
Peter Jacobs 32 years, Connector/Signal-man “My whole family, from my dad’s side right on down, is in the business. That’s how I got into it. Seeing my father and grandfather, I always wanted to be an ironworker since I was 9 or 10 years old. It’s been an honor to build the tallest building in the United States. I can tell my grand-kids that I helped build this. The WTC, Tower 1, would be the highlight of my 30-year career as an ironworker. Knowing the height of the building and what it means to the people who lost their loved ones…it is like a victory for us and the people.” Melissa Cacciola
Harrison Printup, Jr. 42 years, Journeyman “I got into ironworking because it was a family tradition—my father, all of my uncles and my grandfather were all ironworkers. The freedom, the pride, seeing something each day that wasn’t there before, traveling….these are the things I enjoy most about ironworking.” Melissa Cacciola
Preston Horn 29 Years, Journeyman/Bolter-up “My father, grandfather, great-grandfather and uncle were all iron-workers in New York. My father worked on the original WTC; my dad taught me everything I know.” Melissa Cacciola
Martin Montour 1.5 years, Apprentice “What do I like most about ironworking? Working hard, having pride in my work, continuing tradition, living in NYC, building the best city in the world and learning and experiencing life!” Melissa Cacciola
Tommy Herne 27 years, Journeyman "I got into ironworking because everyone back home was doing it. My brother had started doing it and I needed a job. I really liked working on the WTC site and seeing it rebuilt—seeing the progression of the construction and the building as it went up and looking down (from Tower 4) and seeing the memorial. We all learn something on every job—it may not be something new, but it may be that you get reminded of something. It's an ongoing thing."Melissa Cacciola
Joseph McComber 36 years, Journeyman "My father was an ironworker and his father. It was a family thing. It's a good living—that's for sure. I worked with my father at the Meadowlands and Tower 56--he taught me everything I know. What do I like most about ironworking? Challenging your brain with work situations and meeting strange and unusual people."Melissa Cacciola
Adenharis’hon Jacobs-Lahache 10 years, Connector/Foreman “I had been welding in a fabrication shop back home in Canada when I heard of the ironworker recruit-men and decided to give it a shot. My grandfather and a few of my uncles had been ironworkers, but had long since hung up their belts. The Mohawk men that come out here to work so far from our homes and family, come out here to do hard, honest work that we are good at. We may have fun doing our work, but at the end of the day I miss being with my family.” Melissa Cacciola
William Jacobs 32 Years, Journeyman It is an honor to work at the WTC. It's a proud moment that my son got to work on this building on his first job. Working with my son here would have been something that I would have loved to have done with my Dad, but he passed when I was 16 years old. If someone were to see my portrait, I'd want them to know you're looking at someone who did their best to carry on the tradition of the Mohawks and that you could see that I worked hard."Melissa Cacciola
John McGowan 30 Years, Bolter-up “As a kid, I used to play on the bridge back home in Kahnawake, walking on the iron archway and spans under and over the river. At the time I became of age, I wanted to give ironworking a try. All of my friends and relatives were in the business. They all talked about the jobs they’ve worked on and how proud they were of doing this job. My father and grandfather were ironworkers and I wanted to keep the tradition and honor alive. It’s a great honor to work on the WTC site because my father and grandfather both worked on the original site. I was there for the search and rescue, as well as the clean-up on 9/11, so I wanted to be part of the rebuilding.” Melissa Cacciola
Turhan Clause, Jr. 27 Years, Journeyman “My father, grandfather and uncles were ironworkers. All of my brothers are also ironworkers. My father once told me, 'Son, I don't have a lot of money or a house to leave you when I pass on. The only thing I can do is show you an honest way to make a living.' So he took me to my first job as an ironworker. It was exciting and a little scary at the same time. And I still haven’t found anything better!”Melissa Cacciola

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com