Visitors to the popular event are encouraged to bring their prized possessions* to the History Center and meet with professional appraisers as KDKA-TV cameras roam the museum. The most unique items will be featured as part of special 30 minute programs on KDKA later this year hosted by KDKA-TV’s Ken Rice and History Center President and CEO Andy Masich.
Nearly 50 appraisers from a variety of disciplines will assess the historic significance of your items and provide a verbal assessment of potential monetary value. Among the areas of expertise discussed by appraisers:
•Civil War and World War II items •Political and presidential memorabilia •Books and documents •Antique coins and jewelry •Household items (glass, China, silver, vases, etc.) •Classic toys •Textiles (wedding dresses, quilts, etc.) •Fine arts •Furniture •Historic photographs
In addition to the appraisers, a variety of conservators will be on hand to provide tips on how to preserve your treasures, including conservation expert Gail Joice from the Smithsonian.
The “Pittsburgh’s Hidden Treasures” event is free for members and is included in the regular History Center admission price for non-members: $10.00 for adults, $9.00 for senior citizens, $5.00 for children ages 4-17 and students with valid ID, and free for children under age three.
Special Members-Only Access
History Center members will be allowed to enter the event at 9 a.m. on July 17, one hour before the museum opens to the public, to attend a "members only" appraisal session.
Throughout the day, History Center members will also have access to a fast-track line that will expedite their opportunity to meet with appraisers.
For more information about becoming a History Center member, please contact Megan Kuniansky at 412-454-6436 or membership@heinzhistorycenter.org.
*Each visitor is allowed to bring two items for appraisal. These can be of any size that fits through a standard doorway. It is required that visitors be able to move their item(s) through the event on their own. Antique firearms will be permitted, but subject to inspection and restraints before being brought into the History Center.
By: Kelly Anderson, publications intern, Senator John Heinz History Center
Remember Me: Civil War Letters Home from a Hospital Steward, 1862-1864; Daniel McKinley Martin By Alan I. West (Chicora, Pa.: Firefly Publications, 2010) 328 pps., softcover $29.95
“The life of a soldier is a hard one.” Writing to his wife and family in Pittsburgh, Daniel McKinley Martin recounted the daily struggles of a hospital steward in the Civil War. Martin’s letters illustrate major issues of the day, such as the relationship between husband and wife, abolition, and 19th century medical practices on the battlefield. Local author Alan West has carefully transcribed those letters and, with his additional commentary, put Martin in his historical context for the modern reader.
The Texture of Contact: European and Indian Settler Communities on the Frontiers of Iroquoia, 1667-1783 By David L. Preston (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2009) 395 pps., hardcover $45.00
In a fascinating work based on primary source research, Citadel professor David Preston takes another look at history’s preconceived notions regarding settler and Indian interactions in the colonial period. Focusing on the daily contact between colonists and Native Americans, Preston argues that the groups adapted to one another in an unofficial manner, since “[c]ulture did not always overshadow the settlers’ common humanity.” His area of interest includes the Ohio River valley in the 18th century, especially the Delaware community near Fort Kittanning.
A Mother’s Story: Memories from the Turtle Creek Valley By Maryann B. Lawrence(New York: iUniverse Inc., 2010) 131 pps., softcover $14.95
In the small town of Turtle Creek, on top of a hill known as Electric Plan, Maryann Lawrence experienced the tumult and tranquility of early 20th century America. Her memoir recounts life as the granddaughter of German and Polish immigrants, her family’s struggles through the Great Depression and World War II, and the prosperity they witnessed in the 1950s and ’60s. Readers who enjoy tales of small town life and the American experience will appreciate Lawrence’s touching vignettes.
Pennsylvania Crude: Boomtowns and Oil Barons By Paul Adomites (Bradford, Pa.: Forest Press, 2010) 116 pps., hardcover $39.95
Western Pennsylvania’s oil heritage, both past and present, comes to life in Paul Adomites’ latest work. The Pittsburgh native recounts the history of petroleum in the region, from Native Americans’ use of the substance to Drake’s famous well and the modern industry, with side trips to other points of interest. Colorful characters and events are portrayed in vivid detail through the lens of photographer Ed Bernik. Newcomers to the subject as well as oil history buffs will also enjoy Pennsylvania Crude’s bonus DVD that takes viewers on an enjoyable road trip through the area’s oil fields.
Citizen Environmentalists By James Longhurst (Medford, Mass.: Tufts University Press, 2010) 238 pps., softcover $35.00
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse professor James Longhurst uses Pittsburgh-based Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) to illustrate the involvement of average citizens in the fight against pollution during the late 1960s and early 1970s. His account details the beginnings of the anti-pollution movement, especially amongst middle class women, and further investigates their clash with anti-regulation groups. The drama is set against the backdrop of the declining steel industry in Pittsburgh at the time and in the context of the national environmentalist movement. Images of America: Cascade Park By Anita DeVivo and the Lawrence County Historical Society (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing Company, 2010) 127 pps., softcover $21.99
Anita DeVivo, with the help of the Lawrence County Historical Society, has composed a photographic walk through New Castle’s historic Cascade Park. Now 113 years old, the picturesque grounds have attracted citizens of Western Pennsylvania and the nation at large to its roller coasters, dance hall, and famous vinegar-drenched French fries. Photographs of Cascade Park capture its long history, from Victorian picnics and Roaring Twenties boat rides, to 1940s dance scenes and modern efforts of local citizens to restore their community’s park to its former glory.
Letters from the Storm: The Intimate Civil War Letters of Lt. J. A. H. Foster, 155th Pennsylvania Volunteers By Linda Foster Arden, edited by Dr. Walter L. Powell (Chicora, Pa.: Firefly Publications, 2010) 351 pps., softcover $29.95
After reading the letters of her great-great grandfather John Alexander Foster, author Linda Foster Arden felt compelled to share his impressions of service in the Civil War with a wider audience. A jeweler from Rural Valley, Armstrong County, Foster volunteered to serve with the Army of the Potomac in 1862. His letters to his wife detail life in camp, his various engagements, and his concerns about family affairs, and also provide a unique look at a passionate 19th century marriage.
By: Kelly Anderson, publications intern, Senator John Heinz History Center To Petersburg with the Army of the Potomac: The Civil War Letters of Levi Bird Duff, 105th Pennsylvania Volunteers By Levi Bird Duff, Edited by Jonathan E. Helmreich www.mcfarlanpub.com (800)-253-2187
The correspondence between Levi Bird Duff and his wife Harriet presents an extraordinary look into the emotional and physical challenges facing a young soldier and his family during the Civil War. Duff served as a soldier in the Army of the Potomac from 1861 to 1864. His letters show an advanced level of “literacy, descriptions and continuity, the strength of opinions expressed and their source” a young private who rose through the ranks of the army and express the difficult decisions many soldiers had to make “between the conflicting calls of duty and affection.”
A Country Storekeeper in Pennsylvania: Creating Economic Networks in Early America, 1790 – 1807 By Diane Wenger (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press 2008) 280 pps., hardcover $55.00
In the early days of America, the general store was a small-town staple that has all but disappeared from towns and cities. In A Country Storekeeper in Pennsylvania, Diane E. Wenger analyzes the records of Samuel Rex, a small town shop owner in Schaefferstown Pennsylvania. These records provide “the means for contesting the established model of how early American commerce functioned.” In Wenger’s detailed account of Rex, she has given the early American shopkeeper a “much broader historical” historical context as she uses his records to exemplify a model of early American commerce and small town trade.
Ukrainians of Western Pennsylvania By Stephen P. Haluszczak (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing 2009) 128 pps., softcover $21.99’
Local historian Stephen P. Haluszczak’s latest work was written in the hopes that “readers will develop a better understanding of the Ukrainians who immigrated to the region.” This book is a testament to the hardworking past to the Ukrainians, and their individual achievements, which built upon the “strong and colorful Western Pennsylvania” community. Haluszczak uses the imagery of the worker bee in order to illustrate the ways in which communities were set up, and how immigrant families were able to preserve their rich heritage throughout all four waves of Ukrainian immigration to the United States.
Postcard History Series: Pittsburgh 1900-1945
By Michael Eversmeyer (Charleston, SC : Arcadia Publishing 2009) 127 pps., softcover $21.99
The history of Pittsburgh has been preserved in many ways: architecturally, in archives, museum exhibits, heritage festivals, and in many more varieties. One outlet that is explored in this book is the postcardmania that overtook the region between 1900 and 1945. Eversmeyer explores the cultural history of Pittsburgh using this phenomenon as the basis for showing the city to “illustrate the power, wealth, and beauty of the city. . . during its era of industrial greatness.”
Images of America: Pittsburgh 1758-2008
By The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing 2008) 127 pps., softcover $21.99
Images of America constructs Pittsburgh’s “evolution from strategic fort in the wilderness to bustling industrial workshop to high-tech center for universities and health care.” This book was prepared from and earlier book A Pittsburgh Album which commemorated the city’s bicentennial and following this tradition, Pittsburgh 1758-2008 was published to make the city’s 250th birthday. This photo story helps to tell the history of Pittsburgh through images that connect all aspects of Pittsburgh life and culture, from immigration, food, and churches, and clubs, no aspects of the traditions of Pittsburgh are forgotten.
Norvelt: A New Deal Subsistence Homestead By Sandra Wolk Schimizzi with Valeria Sofranko Wolk, Introduction by Michael Cary (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010) 127 pps. Softcover $21.99
In 1934, the town of Norvelt, named for Eleanor Roosevelt, was established as a U.S. government New Deal Community. Located in Westmoreland County, the new town was situated on a plot of 1,500 acres of prime farmland. The federal government constructed 250 homesteads of varying size and families were selected from a pool of over 1,850 applicants. The town boasted self-sufficiency through co-op programs designed to foster economic growth and keep revenue in the community. Neighborhood activities brought everyone together for dances, meetings, and social events. This remarkable collection of photographs shows the towns formative history and shares the experience of the hundreds of families who found new hope in Norvelt during the Great Depression.
This American Courthouse: One Hundred Years of Service to the People of Westmoreland County
Michael D. Carey, D.A. and Timothy Kelly, Ph.D., eds. (Latrobe: Saint Vincent College Center for Northern Appalachian Studies, 2007) 131 pps. Hardback $28.00
This American Courthouse delves into the architectural, social, and legal history of the judicial system of Westmoreland County. A collection of individual essays, the book looks at early law practices, courthouse construction, the changing role of judges, architectural style, and the history of the Westmoreland Bar Association. Colorful illustrations and a sizeable photograph collection augment the text and complement the already intriguing text of the book.
By: Lauren Lamendola, publications intern, Senator John Heinz History Center Remembering Monroeville: From Frontier to Boomtown
By Zandy Dudiak (Charleston: The History Press 2009) 128 pps., softcover $21.99
Zandy Dudiak, native of Penn Hills and winner of more than 80 awards for journalistic endeavors, focuses her latest work on the history of Monroeville. The modern Pittsburgher knows Monroeville as a Mecca of shopping, nightlife, and traffic. However, Remembering Monroeville sheds new light on the history of the town as an evolution of a “sleepy hamlet” into the “hub of the suburbs.” The rich history of the quiet pastoral land is rediscovered in Dudiak’s history of the new boomtown.
Next Saturday, Dec. 12 from 1 to 4 p.m., gather your favorite ladies - grandmothers, mothers, daughters, aunts, nieces, friends, and sisters - at the History Center for a special Mother Daughter Tea With the Lincolns, sponsored by Robert Peirce & Associates.
This Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., celebrate the History Center's 130th anniversary and mingle with more than 50 regional authors during our Annual Holiday Book Fair, sale and book-signing.
Authors include Art Rooney, Jr., Roy McHugh, Jennifer Antkowiak, Dave Crawley, Jim O'Brien, and many more of your favorites.
Plus, you'll enjoy live music and free hot beverages. Books make great holiday gifts! History Center and Sports Museum Members receive 10% off all book purchases.
To become a member, please contact Megan Kuniansky at 412-454-6436 or e-mail membership@hswp.org.
The Senator John Heinz History Center will be livestreaming Live and Learn Weekend beginning Friday, Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10:30 a.m. and will feature a live question and answer session.
My Confederate Kinfolk: a 21st-century Freedwoman Discovers Her Roots by Thulani Davis (2007) We're very excited to be livestreaming this program around the world, but please bare with us as it is our very first Webcast!!
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 28, every donation made to the History Center on pittsburghgives.org will be matched $0.50 to the $1.00 by the Pittsburgh Foundation.
Participants must act fast as the Pittsburgh Foundation's generous offer of $300,000 is not just available to the History Center, but hundreds of other non-profit organizations across Western Pennsylvania. The challenge match will be in effect until 12 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29 or until matching funds are exhausted. Here are some easy tips for getting started:
2.) Click the green LogIn link at the top-right corner of the homepage.
3.) Click "Create Login."
4.) Complete the registration form and click "Register."
Then tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 28 beginning at 10 a.m. visit http://pittsburghgives.guidestar.org/, enter "Senator John Heinz History Center" under "Find Nonprofits," and make your minimum donation of $50 by credit card.
Hosted by History Center President and CEO Andy Masich and KDKA-TV news anchor Ken Rice, the 30-minute program highlights collectibles and family heirlooms nearly 2,000 members and visitors brought to the History Center for appraisals last fall. The event encouraged visitors to bring in their prized paintings, antique toys, sports memorabilia, and more to the History Center. Visitors met with professional appraisers for a verbal assessment of potential monetary value.
KDKA-TV camera crews roamed the History Center in search of the most unique items to be included in the nine-part series.
The unique Super Bowl display - which includes all six trophies resting on a steel beam with a mural of the Super Bowl victories behind it - will provide excellent photo opportunities for Steelers fans.Don't miss your last chance to get up-close-and-personal with the six Lombardi trophies before they return to the Steelers team headquarters.
Copyright Pittsburgh Steelers/Mike Fabus
In conjunction with the six Super Bowl trophies, the Sports Museum today also launched Behind the Scenes with the Pittsburgh Steelers: Photographs by Mike Fabus, a new exhibit featuring the work of team photographer Mike Fabus, who has shot hundreds of thousands of images over his almost 30-year career.
From sideline shots of the Steelers' legendary teams to the pre-game rituals and post-game celebrations of the teams' Super Bowl XL and XLIII victories, fans will get an intimate look at the players and team executives behind closed doors.
The exhibit, which includes nearly 50 never-before-seen photographs, will be showcased in the History Center's fourth floor Campbell gallery through Feb. 7, 2010. To learn more, please visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org.
Hosted by History Center President and CEO Andy Masich and KDKA-TV's Ken Rice, each 30-minute episode highlights collectibles, heirlooms, and other prized possessions that nearly 2,000 Pittsburghers brought to the History Center for appraisals last fall.
KDKA-TV will air the seventh and final episode of the season on Monday, July 20 at 7:30 p.m.
The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center has been nominated as the best museum for kids in Pittsburgh by Parents' Picks Awards 2009.
In 1908, city leaders developed plans for one of baseball’s iconic stadiums. Legendary Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss opened Forbes Field, the world’s first three-tiered steel and concrete stadium, one year later in 1909.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of one of America’s most famous parks, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum will honor Forbes Field throughout the summer with a new exhibition.
Forbes Field: A Century of Memories, an exhibit that opens on Thursday, June 27, will celebrate the iconic park through a series of photographs, fan memorabilia, and never-before-seen artifacts from the park’s illustrious history.
Forbes Field: A Century of Memories focuses on several key events in Forbes Field history, including the legendary 1909 World Series between the Pirates and Detroit Tigers, which featured Hall of Famers Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb, and the 1960 World Series, which featured one of baseball’s most famous moments, when Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off homerun beat the New York Yankees for the World Series title.
Fans of all ages will enjoy rare artifacts and unique memorabilia from local baseball history, including:
Forbes Field construction photographs, along with a ticket and invitations from the first game in 1909
Team owner Barney Dreyfuss’ personal day planners from the Pirates’ World Series championship years in 1909 and 1925
1910 baseball cards of Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb
An original Homestead Grays uniform from the 1940s
A baseball signed by Babe Ruth on the day he hit three homeruns at Forbes Field in 1935
An original Forbes Field window and signage, along with seats, and banners
Dozens of never-before-seen photos of Forbes Field throughout the years
Roberto Clemente’s game-used bat from 1966
The pitching rubber from the 1960 World Series
Scorecards, tickets, and game programs from throughout the iconic stadium’s history
Forbes Field: A Century of Memories also explores Pittsburgh’s other ballparks (including Exposition Park and Three Rivers Stadium), the unique fan experience at Forbes Field, and a look back at the other teams and events hosted at Forbes Field, such as Negro League baseball, professional and collegiate football, boxing, and much more.
Fans are also invited to learn more about local sports history by visiting the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a dynamic museum-within-a-museum located on the History Center’s second and third floors.
(1861? Yes, you read that correctly. I’m starting to get up there, but you know what they say, “You’re only as old as you feel!”)
I made a surprise visit during a preview reception for the exhibition and read excerpts from that speech, delivered from my balcony at the Monongahela House hotel en route to my inauguration. After captivating the audience with my speech, History Center Chairman of the Board Steve Tritch signaled for the firing of a Civil War-era cannon and with that, my exhibit was officially open.
You can watch video highlights from the preview reception below:
Make sure to come back and visit my bLog soon. Videos, blogs, online slideshows, wow. Now if I can only figure out this cell phone thing…
By: Brian Butko, publications director, Senator John Heinz History Center
Ice Cream U: The Story of the Nation's Most Successful Collegiate Creamery By Lee Stout 72 pages, 41 color/60 b&w illustrations, $19.95 cloth
It’s not just alumni who know of Penn State’s famous creamery. Fans around the world recognize the university’s program and its ice cream as one of the school’s great success stories. This large-format book does the story justice by exploring the history of the creamery from modest beginnings as an agricultural college to today’s internationally recognized research and education facility.
Dairy studies began there as early as 1865, and two short courses were launched in 1892. A correspondence course was also started that year. Experimental work focused on both fundamental and practical research to provide information to both farmers and commercial producers. The Creamery began selling its excess output in 1902, and by 1912, 195 farmers were supplying milk for total sales of nearly $70,000.
But enough of that — I know you want to hear about ice cream! That’s here too, from Peachy Paterno to WPSU Coffee Break, in glorious color. After detailing the history of the program, the book comes alive with sections on the flavors, the new Creamery, the ice-cream making process (from cow to cone in 4 days), and dairy farms. And more than ice cream is made there; milk, sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, and yogurt are also produced and packaged. The images, both vintage sepia and modern shots, are laid out and reproduced beautifully.
The curators at the History Center are busy putting the final touches in preparation of Saturday’s opening. Boy, with all these great photos and artifacts, you might say that I’ve never looked better!
Our friends at CBS Radio Pittsburgh put together a wonderful video preview of the exhibit that I wanted to share it with you all. Click on the play button below:
Isn’t technology great?
In my day, we didn’t have fancy computers or the Internet, just an old fashioned pen and paper. Although I’ve heard the telegraph is quite a neat invention….
I’ll look forward to seeing everyone at the History Center beginning this Saturday. Don’t forget to wear your top hats.
By: Brian Butko, publications director, Senator John Heinz History Center
The History Center is pleased to announce the content of Western Pennsylvania History Magazine, stretching back to 1918, has been scanned and is now available online at no cost to the public.
The thousand pages of text were scanned and made searchable by the Office of Digital Scholarly Publishing at Penn State. Now anyone with an Internet connection can search the text back to 1918 and instantly access any article. For now, 2002 is the latest year scanned but that will be brought closer to the year of publication. Enjoy!
On Sunday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., professional appraisers from a variety of disciplines will assess the historic significance of your items and provide a verbal assessment of potential monetary value.
Throughout the day, KDKA cameras will roam the History Center seeking out the most unique and unusual items that visitors have uncovered. Among the appraisers’ areas of expertise are:
The event is free for members and is included in the regular History Center admission prices. Stay tuned to www.heinzhistorycenter.org for details on special members-only privileges and a list of appraisers scheduled to attend.
More than 14,000 visitors flocked to Avella, Pa. last season to see the new enclosure on the 16,000-year-old Rockshelter, the earliest site of human habitation in North America. The new observation deck allows families and large groups to explore the oldest and deepest parts of the Rockshelter with trained, on-site interpreters who explain what life was like for North America’s first inhabitants.
Alongside the Rockshelter, a National Historic Landmark, Meadowcroft also boasts a new 17th century Indian Village that provides visitors with a glimpse of life in Western Pennsylvania prior to the arrival of European settlers. Visitors will explore a recreated walled village and experience hands-on activities of everyday life in a prehistoric Indian village.
The Eastern Woodland Indian Village allows visitors to travel 400 years in the past and explore the interior of a wigwam, inspect carefully recreated prehistoric artifacts, and try their hand at using an atlatl, a prehistoric spear thrower.
Forty years ago this June, Meadowcroft first opened its doors to the public and made a reality out of Albert and Delvin Miller’s vision to preserve our region’s rural heritage.
As a unique asset to the Western Pennsylvania region, Meadowcroft joined forces with the Heinz History Center in 1993, with long-term development plans for the outdoor museum and world famous archaeological site.
The first phase of development was completed last spring at Meadowcroft Rockshelter - the oldest site of human habitation in North America - with the opening of a new, visitor-friendly enclosure and the addition of a recreated 17th century Indian Village.
Future plans for the National Historic Landmark include a complete renovation of the visitor center and the addition of new program areas. The result will be a complete look at how people have adapted to the land over the past 16,000 years and shaped their environment in Western Pennsylvania.
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