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: 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.
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.
By: Sherrie Flick, editorial assistant, Senator John Heinz History Center
What the Heart Can Bear: Selected and Uncollected Poems, 1979-1993 By Robert Gibb (Pittsburgh: Autumn House Press, 2009) 150 pps., softcover $19.95
Poet Robert Gibb was born in Homestead, Pennsylvania. His latest collection, out with Pittsburgh-based Autumn House Press and his eighth book of poetry, is a selection of his early work. As Michael Waters notes, “This book belongs among those worn American classics crammed on the rough-hewn shelf nailed onto the mudroom walls.” Nature and earth and poignant observations of the world around him abound: “The fires of the fields rattle my sight, / And out in what I say is the wind, the dead go on / Without us, flaking in the falling air.”
Monongehela Dusk: A Novel By John Hoerr Illustrations by Bill Yund (Pittsburgh: Autumn House Press, 2009) 310 pps., softcover $19.95
This novel by veteran labor journalist and McKeesport native John Hoerr, author of And the Wolf Finally Came, works its way from 1937 to 1950. Labor turmoil sweeps across Western Pennsylvania as traveling beer sales person Pete Bonner picks up a hitchhiker Joe Miravich. This fateful meeting forms an unlikely alliance to thwart the economic and political powers conspiring against them and which, 40 years later, turn the mill towns of the Monongahela Valley into blighted relics of the industrial era.
Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend By Larry Tye
(New York: Random House, 2009) Photographs, index, 398 pps., hardcover $26
Just a small section of journalist Larry Tye’s thick book focuses on the Pittsburgh years for Satchel Paige and his time with the Pittsburgh Crawfords. Chapter 3, “The Glory Trail,” chronicles 25-year-old Paige’s meet up with Crawford’s owner Gus Greenlee, the rivalry between the Homestead Grays and the Crawfords, and Paige’s rise to Negro league’s 1934 All-Star player. Tye notes that by the 1930s “Pittsburgh was to America’s black sports scene what Harlem was to its literary and arts life.”
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…
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.
Today, I stopped by the History Center for a sneak peak and was rather impressed with my (I’ve got to stop saying that!), I mean, their exhibit which takes an intimate look into my life, my personal and professional struggles, and my determination to lead America through one of its most challenging times.
I think the biggest highlight of the exhibit is the actual bed and bedroom set from the Monongahela House, the downtown Pittsburgh hotel where I stayed on Feb. 14, 1861, en route to my inauguration. That’s right – I did sleep here, Pittsburgh. It’s not a myth!
The History Center museum curators were busy reconstructing the bed today, but I managed to sneak a photo to share with you all – don’t’ tell!
I’ll be back soon with more behind-the-scenes photos and details from the new exhibit. Until then, check out www.heinzhistorycenter.org for the very latest.
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!
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.
As the oldest cultural institution in Western Pennsylvania, the History Center has become a major cultural asset in the region, an important economic generator, and an integral part of the region’s heritage tourism strategy.
The museum traces its roots back to 1879 with the formation of a group called the Old Residents of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and later, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Help the History Center celebrate 130 years throughout 2009 with a wide range of award-winning exhibitions, educational activities, publications, and outreach activities.
By: Sherrie Flick, editorial assistant, Senator John Heinz History Center
Recently received Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania edited by Jennifer Baron, Greg Langel, Elizabeth Perry, and Mark Stroup. [Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2009, 204 pp., SC, $29.95] Pittsburgh turned 250 years old in 2008 and what better way to celebrate than with photographs of its landscape’s signs? From New Model Bakery to the YMCA to Walsh’s Lounge and Bar, nostalgia and love shine forth from neon tubing as well as billboards and flaking brick walls. Four-color images with insightful captions and mini-essays are scattered throughout and make a city proud.
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