Senator John Heinz History Center

The History Center brings Western Pennsylvania’s rich heritage to life through interactive and innovative programs for adults, students, and young children – making history relevant in their lives and encouraging them to become good leaders and informed citizens. The History Center offers a variety of educational programs, including: guided tours for students and adults; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs; Experience Workshops, allowing students to experience history first-hand; Act 48 Teacher Professional Development workshops; National History Day Pittsburgh; Scout Badge Programs; Hop into History, an interactive program designed for children age 2-5; Archives & Library workshops; Museum Conservation Center programming; lectures; and more. Unique public programs also provide exciting opportunities for visitors, including: Vintage Pittsburgh; Hometown Homegrown; NFL Play 60; Pittsburgh’s Hidden Treasures; Books in the Burgh; History Uncorked; and more.

Explore more than 250 years of African American history in the History Center’s exhibition, From Slavery to Freedom. The award-winning exhibit highlights the enslavement of Africans and its impact on the American economy, the history of the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and the impact of 19th century activism on the modern quest for civil and human rights in Pittsburgh. Visitors to From Slavery to Freedom will immerse themselves in the evolution of the region’s African American community, embarking on a journey that begins in 18th century Africa, crosses the Atlantic Ocean on a recreated slave ship, toils in bondage on plantations of America, joins the Underground network of freedom seekers, fights for freedom in the Civil War, organizes for civil rights, and ends in 21st century Western Pennsylvania. Programs, lectures, and film series are held regularly in conjunction with the From Slavery to Freedom exhibition.

Re-opening 2014 The History Center is proud to feature the world's best collection of Heinz materials. Millions of visitors annually view the 42.5 feet high iconic Heinz neon ketchup sign on the side of the building. As visitors continue inside the museum, Heinz materials are featured on most floors—the Heinz 57 exhibit is wildly popular (fourth floor) and the rich history of the company is preserved in the Detre Library & Archives (sixth floor). The History Center will install the new Heinz 57 exhibit in the 3,500 square foot fourth floor Community Gallery, centrally located in the heart of the building. This unique gallery allows for dramatic displays of artifacts and will link interpretive content in the stairwell directly to the gallery. In addition, the History Center will continue to manage and preserve the Heinz archival material and artifacts in its possession, including the neon ketchup sign, and offer related public programming on an ongoing basis.

Innovators from this region have changed the world. Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation recognizes the incredible impact our region has had on peoples’ lives. The 16,000 square-foot exhibition tells Pittsburgh’s definitive story. rom the first people who battled over this land, key to controlling the interior of the country, to those who built the region’s reputation as a steel capital and workshop of the world, to the advances made in medicine, robotics, and green building in recent years, the exhibit unravels the process and products of innovators that have shaped this region’s unique history and influenced people around the world. In July 2016, additional content will be added to this popular exhibition, including: new hands-on interactives that make innovation more accessible to children; improved wayfinding; and elements that make the exhibition more immersive.

The Sigo Falk Collections Center contains a vast array of unique pieces from Western Pennsylvania’s history. The Special Collections Gallery is home to the largest collection of original items from the set of the popular television show “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The Special Collections Gallery also houses a changing textile gallery which features outstanding examples of clothing from the collection. In addition, a large window into the Grace M. Compton Conservation Lab, provides behind-the-scenes views of museum professionals at work. The newly opened Visible Storage Gallery offers visitors an unprecedented snapshot of how the museum preserves Western Pennsylvania history for current and future generations. Artifacts ranging from George and Marguerite Westinghouse’s Tiffany china to John Cigna’s legendary Harley-Davidson motorcycle provide a sense of the huge variety found in the History Center’s collection.