Ernest Weir built Weirton Steel into the world’s biggest tin plate maker and West Virginia’s largest employer. He also helped run the town of Weirton by providing water, trash pickup, and other services. In 1927, he became the head of National Steel, with Weirton as its hub. In the 1930s, he resisted government efforts to allow unions in his mills.

Weirton Steel helped support West Virginia's struggling economy during the Great Depression and made weapons and other key materials during World War II. But by the 1960s, foreign competition was making things harder for Weirton and other steel plants. By the 1970s, the steel industry was struggling.

In 1982, workers saved Weirton Steel by buying it themselves through a special plan. They gave up part of their wages but later earned money through profit-sharing. The company did well in the 1980s, but in the 1990s, jobs started to disappear due to foreign competition again. Even though Weirton had the biggest worker-owned company in the U.S., the number of workers kept dropping. In the 21st century, Weirton continued declining and was sold several times before closing.