Making History Blog
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From Kenny’s Grove to Kennywood, Part 1 of 2
In the late 1800s, the breezy hilltop southeast of Pittsburgh that is now home to Kennywood Park drew people from across the region for picnics, dancing, and other, less-wholesome entertainment. Kenny’s Grove wasn’t the only picnic ground in the region, and not the only one to grow into a trolley park, but its struggle to evolve and survive is unique for the past 125 years.
Crossroads of the World: How Urban Renewal Changed the Hill
From 1910 to 1970, the Great Migration brought over six million African Americans to northern and western cities including Pittsburgh. New arrivals escaped Jim Crow laws, only to find opportunities still limited based on race in employment, housing, and accommodations. In navigating their new cities, a helpful tool for Black Americans was “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” published from 1936 to 1967 by Victor Green.
Romper Room: A Look at Pittsburgh’s Playful Preschool
Put on your thinking caps, boys and girls: “Romper Room” debuted 65 years ago in Pittsburgh on May 19, 1958.
Glassware on Record: Bryce Brothers and Lenox, Inc., Records
The History Center has been home to Pittsburgh’s legacy in glass for 25 years. The city’s roots as a center for glass manufacturing can be traced to the late 18th…
Esther Bubley Goes Greyhound: Photographing Pittsburgh’s Streamline Station in 1943
In 1943, photographer Esther Bubley snapped some of the only known interior views of Pittsburgh’s Greyhound bus station.
Pioneers on Ice
Most of the Pittsburgh Pennies weren’t looking to break barriers or change the world when they laced up their skates and took to the ice in 1973, but now 50 years later, they are seen as trailblazers. The Pennies came of age in the era of Title IX when opportunities for girls and women to participate in organized athletics began to expand. The team was homegrown, formed by a small group of young women and some of their parents who came to know each other at the Alpine Arena in Swissvale. A love of the game and a desire to compete initially brought them together. What they created is now recognized as integral to the establishment of competitive hockey for girls in the region.
Crandall-McKenzie & Henderson: Keeping Pittsburghers Clean
In a report on Pittsburgh’s “smoke nuisance” in the early 20th century, academic researchers attempted to calculate the economic burden caused by the city’s air pollution. They found that Pittsburghers,…
Damar Hamlin and the Freedom House Ambulance Service
On Monday, Jan. 2, National Football League fans in Pittsburgh and around the world witnessed a traumatic event unfold before their eyes during ESPN’s Monday Night Football telecast of the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game.
Pittsburgh’s First (and Peculiar) Park
It was an ash dump, a firehall, a market for butchers, a place to relax for Chinese residents, and home to an alligator that roamed the city at night. Most oddly, it was in the middle of a street. It was Pittsburgh’s first park—erased for the past century, though you can still easily find its location.
Stepping Through History: Pittsburghers Reflect on City Steps
Steps and steam hammers. Steps and polio. The Titanic. Porky Chedwick, and the World Series. These are a few associations Pittsburghers made when recalling their memories for my article, “Stepping…