From Slavery to Freedom

Explore more than 250 years of African American history in the History Center’s exhibition, From Slavery to Freedom.

The long-term exhibit, presented by BNY Mellon, 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.

Immerse yourself 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 Pa.

Exhibit Must-Sees

• Rare African artifacts, textiles, and tools.
• Four life-like figures, including one of Medal of Honor winner Alexander Kelly of the 6th USCT and Martin Delany, a prominent Pittsburgh abolitionist and the highest ranking African American officer in the Union Army during the Civil War.
• Original hardware of slavery dating from the 17th to 19th centuries.
• Nearly 60 manumission, indenture, and freedom papers from the History Center’s Detre Library & Archives discovered by the Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds Office.
• A gourd fiddle from the 1850s, on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, that was created by enslaved Africans in America.
• Original fiber art quilt, “The Guiding Light” by quilter Ruth Ward.
• Several 19th century paintings that depict everyday life for African slaves, including “Slaves Waiting for Sale,” by Eyre Crow, on loan from the Heinz Family Foundation and “Higher Law” by David Blythe on loan from the Carnegie Museum of Art.
• Touch-screen interactive activities that allow visitors to explore Pittsburgh-area safe houses along the Underground Railroad.