Heinz History Center

Heinz History Center Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Heinz History Center, History Museum, 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA.
(2024)

Voted the #1 History Museum in America, the Heinz History Center preserves and interprets the history of Western Pennsylvanians through six floors of interactive exhibitions. From the pre-revolutionary drama of the French & Indian War to the legendary match-ups of the Super Steelers, discover 250 years of Pittsburgh history at the Senator John Heinz History Center. The History Center presents the

most compelling stories from American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection, all in an interactive environment perfect for visitors of every age! HISTORY CENTER ADMISSION

Adults: $18
Senior Citizens (62+): $15
Retired & Active Duty Military: $2 off admission
Students with a Valid School ID: $9
Children ages 6-17: Free for the month of October, thanks to UPMC! Children ages 5 and Under: Free
History Center Members: Free

All rates include admission to the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, the Detre Library & Archives, and all exhibitions at the History Center.

This month in 1973, history was uncovered layer by layer when Dr. James Adovasio and a team of University of Pittsburgh ...
06/23/2026

This month in 1973, history was uncovered layer by layer when Dr. James Adovasio and a team of University of Pittsburgh students began what would become one of the most significant archaeological excavations in North America at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter.

Over the course of six years, the team unearthed nearly two million artifacts and ecofacts including stone tools, pottery shards, and fire pits dating back to the Ice Age. Their discoveries revealed that this quiet rock overhang once sheltered prehistoric hunters and gatherers over 19,000 years ago.

Want to stand where history was made? Plan your visit to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village.

📷 Excavation of Meadowcroft Rockshelter, c. 1973.

This piece of art featured in the My America: An Illustrated Experience exhibition reflects on the promise of an America...
06/22/2026

This piece of art featured in the My America: An Illustrated Experience exhibition reflects on the promise of an America where liberty, justice, and equality extend to everyone.

In “Many Identities, One Country,” artist June Edwards envisions a nation where the founding ideals of the United States embrace all citizens, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community. As Edwards explains, “To build on the progress we’ve made, and to realize the core tenets of our constitution, we must continue to resist intolerance and discrimination.”

This Pride Month, explore My America and discover how artists from across the region have interpreted their American experience. The exhibit is on view in the museum's fifth floor Barensfeld Gallery.

🎨 “Many Identities, One Country” by June Edwards.

☀️ Happy First Day of Summer! ☀️ For many Pittsburghers, the start of summer brought an important milestone: finally bei...
06/21/2026

☀️ Happy First Day of Summer! ☀️

For many Pittsburghers, the start of summer brought an important milestone: finally being tall enough to ride that ride!

Was it the Steel Phantom? The Pitt Fall? The Laser Loop? How long did you spend waiting to hit the height requirement?

We're looking for stories about the local amusement park rides that marked a childhood milestone. Did your family have a tradition for measuring your height each year or celebrating when you were finally "big enough"? Maybe there was a special treat, souvenir, or photo to mark the occasion?

Share your memories in the comments!

📸 Riders aboard Kennywood's Wild Mouse, c. 1958–60. Kennywood Collection, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center.
📸 Riders aboard The Pit Fall.
📸 The Laser Loop.

Following his arrival in Pittsburgh in 1897, Josip Marohnic opened the first Croatian bookstore in the United States. Re...
06/20/2026

Following his arrival in Pittsburgh in 1897, Josip Marohnic opened the first Croatian bookstore in the United States.

Recognizing the rising number of Croatian immigrants assimilating to American life, he helped bridge the gap between old and new worlds by compiling the first English-Croatian and Croatian-English dictionaries in 1900 and 1901.

Dedicated to supporting his fellow immigrants, he became active in the Croatian Fraternal Union, the leading Croatian American mutual aid society, which provided members with benefits such as injury and death assistance before modern social safety nets existed.

Interested in discovering your own Croatian roots? Join us for the Croatian Genealogy Workshop on Sunday, June 28 to learn research strategies, explore historical records, and receive expert guidance. Register now on our website!

📸 Josip Marohnic (left) posing with fellow Croatian Americans. Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation Collection, MSS 1278, Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center.

On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers, led by Major...
06/19/2026

On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, reached Galveston, Texas with word that the Civil War had ended and those enslaved were now free.

Long celebrated by the African American community, Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the bill making Juneteenth the eleventh American federal holiday.

This anti-slavery pitcher, made by E. Ridgeway & Abington, Hanley, England, c. 1853, from the Heinz History Center collection was specifically designed for the anti-slavery movement. Items such as this pitcher generated funds for anti-slavery activities in the U.S. and England.

Learn more about the history of African Americans in Western Pa. in our From Slavery to Freedom exhibition, which explores the enslavement of Africans, 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.

📸Anti-slavery pitcher, made by E. Ridgeway & Abington, Hanley, England, c. 1853. Gift of Julia A. Grimstad, Heinz History Center.

From the late 1980s through the early 1990s, amid the ongoing AIDS crisis, Thursday Night Live (TNL) provided a welcomin...
06/17/2026

From the late 1980s through the early 1990s, amid the ongoing AIDS crisis, Thursday Night Live (TNL) provided a welcoming space for Pittsburgh's gay men and le****ns to connect, build community, and foster professional and social networks beyond the city's bar scene. The group met monthly on Thursday nights at the Top of the Triangle, a restaurant that once operated atop the U.S. Steel Building in Downtown.

As threats to Pittsburgh's gay-rights ordinance emerged in 1990, TNL members stepped into the public spotlight to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and raise awareness across the region. Their efforts helped foster visibility, community, and change during a pivotal moment in Pittsburgh history.

📸 On June 27, 1992, TNL members marched in Pittsburgh's third Gay Pride Parade, wearing pink ties as a symbol of the city's gay professionals.
📸 Ephemera related to Thursday Night Live. Courtesy of Tim Ziaukas.

Congratulations to the 2026 History Makers Award Dinner honorees! The Heinz History Center was thrilled to recognize th...
06/15/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 History Makers Award Dinner honorees!

The Heinz History Center was thrilled to recognize these exceptional individuals and their contributions to our region and the world at the annual black-tie benefit last week.

Left to right: Robert J. Cindrich, Event co-chair Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, Terry Bradshaw, Dr. Karen W. Feinstein, History Center President and CEO Andy Masich, Daniel G. Kamin, Carole L. Kamin, Edda L. Fields-Black, Ph.D., Event co-chair Eric Boughner

in 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thir...
06/14/2026

in 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution which stated: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

Since then, we’ve pledged allegiance to it, paraded it, and saluted it. The American flag remains a powerful symbol of patriotism, pride, and the spirit of the United States.

Celebrate that spirit this Flag Day and join the Fort Pitt Museum on Saturday, July 4 at 11 a.m. for a special flag-raising ceremony on Independence Day.

Fort Pitt staff, scouts, and local veterans will raise a 36-foot American flag in the Fort Pitt Block House yard, thanks to an ongoing partnership with the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, owners of the Fort Pitt Block House – the oldest building in the region. 🇺🇸

📸 Irene Kaufmann Settlement children salute American Flag, c. 1925. Irene Kaufmann Settlement Photographs, Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center. See less

The Ice Age has arrived at the (Pre)History Center! Trade the summer heat for Pittsburgh's coolest adventure and journe...
06/13/2026

The Ice Age has arrived at the (Pre)History Center!

Trade the summer heat for Pittsburgh's coolest adventure and journey into the frozen world of our newest exhibition, Planet Ice: Mysteries of the Ice Ages!

Explore how the region’s earliest inhabitants lived off the land and come face-to-face with Ice Age giants like mastodon, American lions, and short-faced bears that once roamed the Pittsburgh area.

Fun for all (ice) ages, the exhibit is free for kids 17 and under, courtesy of the Kamin “Free for Kids” Initiative!

06/11/2026

🧊Planet Ice: Mysteries of the Ice Ages opens in just two days!

See real prehistoric objects from Western Pa. and step back in time to a frozen world transformed by glaciers, a changing climate, and people who adapted to survive.

Explore how the region’s earliest inhabitants lived off the land and come face-to-face with Ice Age giants like mastodon, American lions, and short-faced bears that once roamed the Pittsburgh area.

Fun for all (ice) ages, the exhibit opens this Saturday, June 13!

Address

1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA
15222

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(412) 454-6000

Website

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