Making History Blog
Behind the Scenes: Night at the History Museum
Have you ever wondered what the History Center is like after the visitors leave? Recently, nearly 150 Girl Scouts and their chaperones discovered first hand at the Night at the History…
Bringing History to Life This Summer at the Fort Pitt Museum
The Fort Pitt Museum, located in historic Point State Park, is preparing for an active summer season you won’t want to miss. The 18th Century Frontier Speaker Series The new…
Researching & Writing with the Italian American Program
Bruno Calabro and his mother, Agostina, in May 1943, only days before Agostina’s death. Bruno was on his way from Washington, Pa. to an Army base when he received the…
“Sandy Andy” & “Sunny Suzy” from the Wolverine Toy Company
Close up of a Wolverine Toy Company toy on display in the Toys of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s exhibition. The Wolverine Supply and Manufacturing Company, later known as the…
The Childhood Toy You Wish You Had
Take a moment and think back to your childhood. What was the one toy you desperately wanted but never received? Maybe you remember flipping through a catalog and circling it…
The Heinz Passover Ad Campain’t
Every spring, readers paging through the mid-century Pittsburgh Jewish press could expect to see an advertisement different from all other advertisements: The Jewish Criterion, April 16, 1954, p. 18. Pittsburgh…
Of Bells and Fire: Artifacts Recall April 10, 1845
The old city hall bell as it now hangs in the Senator John Heinz History Center. Made by A. Fulton & Sons in 1866, the bell hung in Pittsburgh’s city…
The History Center STEAMs Ahead
Pittsburgh Woolslair students reviewing the concepts their classmates shared from a historical empathy activity imagining life without electricity and before reliable train transit. Monique displaying the attribute she identified in…
Doll or “Action Figure”
With the success of Barbie for Mattel in the early 1960s, the Hasbro Company saw an opportunity to break into an untapped market – dolls for boys. The only problem…
Using Theater to Teach History
Lifelike figure of young John Brickell, who was captured in the 18th century, on display in the Captured by Indians exhibit at the Fort Pitt Museum. Indian captivity was an…