Exhibits
These exhibits focus on a subject or topic created by our partners that draw upon content found in Historic Pittsburgh.
All In: The University of Pittsburgh in the Great War
In response to the escalation of the war in Europe the University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees issued the following on March 26, 1917:
“ Resolved, That the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh place all the available resources of the University which the Government of the United States may require, in case of threatened or actual war, at the disposal of the Government. ”
With this resolution the University of Pittsburgh began its work in support of the war effort just a few weeks before the U.S. officially entered the war. University faculty, staff and students in the sciences volunteered and were assigned to tasks in support of our government’s efforts.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Bud Harris: A Career in Photography
Forrest “Bud” Harris was a commercial and advertising photographer. Born and based in Pittsburgh, Pa., his professional clients included a variety of local corporate and non-profit institutions. Working mainly between the late 1960s and 1990s, Harris captured a multifaceted view of not only the corporate manufacturing world of Koppers and Alcoa, but also the local communities that allowed these institutions to thrive. This exhibit highlights a few of the special moments Bud captured throughout his career.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh in the 18th and 19th Centuries
The question mark following “Free at Last?” is appropriate because freedom never came to most of Pennsylvania’s slaves. It came to their children, and then only when they reached the age of 28. And, once obtained, freedom required constant vigilance to sustain legal papers. Although Quakers had been condemning slavery since 1688, and other patriots throughout the North American colonies had joined the condemnation by 1780, it took 85 more years and a bloody civil war to silence the powerful who vociferously defended the practice. After the war’s end, no person of moral and ethical standing has ever defended it again. The documents, stories, and images, and sounds in this exhibition captured those years of transition from what at one point was morally acceptable to what at another was morally abhorrent.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Get to The Point!
This exhibit from the illustrates the vast changes of the Point over the last 250 years. It comprises early drawings, paintings, postcards, engravings, maps, and photographs of the Point between 1758 and 2013. It’s hard to believe the Point State Park we enjoy today once looked like it did!
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh and Beyond: The Experience of the Jewish Community (National Council of Jewish Women Oral History Collection)
The NCJW Oral History Project provides a compelling insight into the growth of an important American Jewish community and the contributions made by the people interviewed. Over a span of 32 years, the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Pittsburgh Section, conducted more than 500 oral history interviews focused on the Jewish community – the history, the traditions, the contributions – of its members.
The hundreds of interviews and thousands of hours of audiotape accumulated by a surprisingly small group of dedicated volunteers are an invaluable resource. The interviews provide windows into the Jewish community's impact on academic, business, civic, cultural, medical, political, religious, and social evolution and development in Pittsburgh, as well as national and international events.
Oakland: A Look Back over the 20th Century
Selected from collections held by the ULS Archives Service Center, the images in this exhibit provide a glimpse into the past while hinting at changes that would eventually lead to the development of Oakland as a hub of medical, cultural, and educational significance known well beyond Pittsburgh. Featured are landmark buildings designed by leading architects of the time as well as vivid street scenes.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Pitt Football: Through the Years
From humble beginnings at the Western University of Pennsylvania to a nine-time national championship program, football has been active at Pitt since 1889. This site features 15 historic Pitt football photographs from the University Archives, which include Bowl champions, All-Americans, and Heisman Trophy winners. Some of these men, like Pop Warner and Jock Sutherland, made a lasting impact on the game of football and others, like Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka, went on to Hall of Fame-worthy professional football careers.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Maps
The Historic Pittsburgh Maps Collection comprises several maps series helpful for studying and tracing the physical development and changes in the Pittsburgh area landscape.
Pittsburgh's Bicentennial: Bridging Pittsburgh's Past to Present
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was officially incorporated as a city on March 18, 1816. Over the course of its 200 years, our city has evolved from a military fort to become a center for commerce, industry, technology, athletics, and education. As the city has grown the geography has demanded the construction of bridges connecting valleys, crossing rivers and streams, and enabling the transportation of people, goods and services.
Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Stories of the Library: 50 Years of Hillman
The story of Hillman Library’s first fifty years is a story of change, but also of underlying consistency. The photos in this exhibit depict various library activities, some showing scenes from long ago, but all containing familiar elements of today’s Hillman. As we look back and celebrate the last half century, we are excited to see what the next 50 years will bring for Hillman Library.