Guide to the Oversize Records of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (Pittsburgh, PA), 1886-1986(bulk dates c1920-c1950)
Arrangement
Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Oversize Records of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation,
Creator
Westinghouse Electric Corporation
Collection Number
MSO #424
Extent
7 boxes
Date
1886-1986
Abstract
The majority of the materials contained in this oversize collection are posters, articles, magazines, and advertisements published by or about the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Maps of the East Pittsburgh plant, management organizational charts, and blueprints for various pieces of electrical equipment such as generators are some of the more original items in this collection. A copy of the legal charter for the company is also included, as well as a few 50th and 100th anniversary materials.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Cassandra Nespor.
Sponsor
Funding for this project was made available by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission through the Archives and Records Management program.
The Westinghouse Electric Company was started in 1886 in Pittsburgh, P.A. The name was changed to Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in 1889 and to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1946. The Company was founded to build commercial and industrial electrical equipment for the generation, transmission, and application of electricity. Their early equipment included the first transformer in the U.S., generating stations, meters, motors, and transmission lines. During the first half of the 20th century, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company had a period of rapid growth and diversity of products. Among the new additions were household appliances, broadcasting, nuclear power, defense contracts, and transportation equipment. Fueling these developments was an active Research and Development Laboratory, later called the Science and Technology Center. In 1997 its name was changed to CBS and its headquarters were moved to New York.
Scope and Content Notes
Series I: Advertisements
This series contains Westinghouse advertisements from newspapers and journals. Most of these advertisements are for specific products and this series has been arranged by broad subject categories. The general folder contains advertisements for Westinghouse Electric as a company. There are also many ads that address the benefits of electricity in general. These have been collected into folder 8. All foreign language advertisements have been grouped in folder 12. This folder contains advertisements in Arabic, Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. There is also a small collection of advertisements from the World Fair of 1965 that spotlight the Middleton Family from the Westinghouse films.
Series II: Articles
This series contains newspaper and journal articles about the Westinghouse Electric Company and electricity in general. The first box contains a scrapbook of newspaper clippings from Westinghouse and other companies pertaining to new developments in electrical appliances from 1899-1902. Of note are copies of newspapers from the Grand Army of the Republic reception sponsored by George Westinghouse at the new Westinghouse plant in 1894, a newspaper from Pittsburgh's Golden Jubilee that deals with electricity, and a number of articles about the closing of the WCI facility in 1990.
Series III: Employees
This series mostly contains posters that were made for Westinghouse employees by the company. It also includes presentation materials about the employees' benefit package and a chart showing the number of employees on payroll at the East Pittsburgh plant from 1920- 1955.
Series IV: Facilities
This series mostly contains maps of the East Pittsburgh plant. Some of these maps are detailed floor plans and some are more basic maps used to help visitors. The map from 1904 is a topographic map of the Pittsburgh area. This series also includes a 1949 chart of all international facilities and their capabilities and basic map of the United States with all Westinghouse business locations marked on it. Folder 4 contains a book of newspaper clippings about the Shippingport Nuclear Power Plant, the first commercial-scale nuclear power facility built in the United States.
Series V: George Westinghouse, Jr.
This series contains calendars and images of George Westinghouse, Jr. The calendars are from 1946 and were printed for the centennial celebration of the birth of George Westinghouse, Jr. There are also four images of George Westinghouse, Jr. working at his desk. Three are ink-on-paper and the fourth is black and white tempera paint.
Series VI: Management Organization Charts
This series contains numerous organizational charts for the top management of Westinghouse Electric. Many of these charts have photographs of the individuals listed.
Series VII: Products
This series contains a variety of materials pertaining to the products of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Advertisements for these products can be found in Series I. In these series you will find blueprints, diagrams, charts, and catalogs for specific products.
Series VIII: Publications
This series contains materials that were produced by Westinghouse for internal use and for distribution to the public. The Keep Posted, Sales Wedge, and Tech Owl newspapers were produced for employees/students. The other publications were produced for promotional or educational reasons and distributed to the public. The collection of comic books pertains to historical subjects such as George Westinghouse, the history of the company, or the evolution of electricity.
Series IX: Westinghouse Anniversary Materials
This series contains materials produced for the 50th and 100th anniversary of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The majority of these materials are preparation or final products meant for distribution to the public. The 1936 Golden Jubilee promotion kit contains examples of publications and advertisements used for the celebration.
Series X: Miscellaneous
This series contains a copy of the company's legal charter papers and a diagram that shows the incorporation of companies in the Westinghouse Electric Corporation.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation by G. Reynolds Clark, Chairman of the Westinghouse Foundation and Executive Director of Corporate Services and Community Affairs, on December 17, 1996.
Preferred Citation
Oversize Records of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, 1886-1986, MSO #424, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Cassandra Nespor in July 2006.
Separated Materials
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation collection also contains 100 feet of paper records which have the catalog designation MSS 424, 56 feet of photographs (MSP 424), two boxes of oversize photographs (MSR 424), and a moving image film collection. Separate finding aids have been made for each of these formats.
Related Materials at the History Center
George and Marguerite Westinghouse Collection, Call # MSS 432 and MSP 432
Joseph C. Rengel Papers and Photographs, Call # MSS 488 and MSP 488
Bernard and Joseph Walter Papers, Call # 1998.0196
Forest Hills Public Library records, MSS 216
Leon McCulloch papers, Call # 1999.0098
Ed Gerstenhaber Papers, Call # 2006.0147
Historical Electronics Museum, Westinghouse Electric Aviation Gas Turbine Division, (Lester, PA) Accession #2005.0306
Dr. Fredrick Pement Papers, MSS 495
George Westinghouse Museum Collection, 1860s-2000s, MSS 920
There are also many related publications in the Library's collection such as brochures, biographies, and cookbooks. Please check the Library catalog for a complete list.
