Pittsburgh’s Hidden History

Opens April 26, 2025
This spring, the Heinz History Center is unlocking the vault and unveiling a treasure trove of artifacts from its vast collection.

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Wander through a whimsical world of wonders inside the dynamic new exhibition, Pittsburgh’s Hidden History, featuring a yinzsplosion of rarely and never-before-seen objects that tell stories from Pittsburgh’s past like never before.

From scary to stunning, tiny treasures to magnificent marvels, the everyday and the extraordinary, the exhibition takes you on a thematic journey through artifacts, photographs, and documents that connect with our region’s history.

Explore objects from iconic Pittsburgh institutions like The Original Hot Dog Shop, Primanti Bros., Kaufmann’s, and Kennywood.

Inspect the getaway sleigh used in an infamous shootout with the Pittsburgh police and the notorious Biddle brothers following a prison break in 1902 – a story so dramatic that it was later made into a Hollywood film!

Other highlights include:

• A spooky section on Scary Pittsburgh, featuring creepy dolls, haunting clown masks, and the ghoulishly green Vampiress from Kennywood’s now-shuttered dark ride Le Cachot
• Some of the oldest objects in the collection, from an 18th century key to Fort Duquesne to an unfinished flint tool unearthed at Meadowcroft Rockshelter that dates back 14,000 years
• Rare sports treasures like a 1910 Honus Wagner trading card and the Oakmont jacket worn by Eric Springer, the first African American member of Oakmont
• Couture clothing, like an Alcoa aluminum mini dress by legendary fashion designer Oscar de La Renta, an 1880s pink afternoon dress made by Madame Vignon, and a Gilded Age gown

It’s a cornucopia of curiosity. A magical menagerie of memories.

A little bit of this n’at!

Intrigued? Step right up, grab your ticket, and peel back the curtain to uncover Pittsburgh’s Hidden History.

This exhibition is on view through Oct. 5, 2025.