Westinghouse Artifacts & Archival Materials From the invention of the airbrake and automobile shock absorbers to the development of railroad signaling and the modern day weekend, the Westinghouse story is an integral part of Western Pennsylvania's 250 year history of innovation. As part of the merger with the History Center, all of the Westinghouse Museum's archival materials and museum artifacts were added to the History Center's collections.

Westinghouse Artifacts

Highlights of the Westinghouse artifacts added to the History Center's collections include:

- The Westinghouse families' gold trimmed Tiffany dinner glasses and plates used during elegant dinner parties;

- A Russian tea set presented to George and Marguerite Westinghouse by the Russian ambassador in the mid-1890s;

- A Mazda light bulb display that documents the important role Westinghouse played in lighting the world, first demonstrated on a large scale at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago;

- A variety of household appliances, both big and small, that filled the nation's homes after Westinghouse brought electricity to the nation;

- Patent models showing various design implementations for the Westinghouse air brake, which revolutionized rail transportation and safety;

- An engraved piece of copper cable through which the first electricity was sent from the Westinghouse alternating current generators installed at Niagra Falls in April, 1895;

- A full-size bronze bust of George Westinghouse sculpted by Daniel Chester French;

- An original duplicate of a 1938 time capsule based on the two time capsules buried in New York as part of the 1939-40 World's Fairs; and

- A twelve foot oil painting of the sprawling Westinghouse East Pittsburgh Works in 1920.

Westinghouse Archival Materials

Highlights of the archival materials added to the History Center's collections include:

- Original correspondence and other documents related to the Westinghouse family;

- Marketing materials, including advertisements, brochures, newsletters, posters and programs from various Westinghouse companies;

- Annual reports, newspaper clippings and press releases;

- Signed documents from Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, and others;

- Books, photographs and publications related to the history of the various Westinghouse companies.

Contact Us

If you are considering donating an object to the History Center's Westinghouse collection, please contact Emily Ruby at elruby@heinzhistorycenter.org  or 412-454-6350.

For those interested in learning more about Westinghouse archival materials, Dr. Alexis Macklin at asmacklin@heinzhistorycenter.org or 412-454-6305.

To contact our Westinghouse Historian, please e-mail Ed Reis at ejreis@heinzhistorycenter.org  or call 412-454-6376.