Collections

Historic Pittsburgh comprises a variety of primary and secondary sources from multiple partners about the greater Pittsburgh region, including a wide range of publications, maps, manuscripts, visual images, and audio-video materials, that support personal and scholarly research.

PPG Industries Records

Visual images from the PPG Industries Records reflect the company’s place in the industries of glass, paint, and chemical production, and include depictions of glass, chemical, and paint manufacturing as well as images of product promotion, employees, product development, community engagement, production facilities, and PPG Place.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Patricia Clapp Papers

The Patricia Clapp Papers contain records collected and created by Clapp throughout her career as an advocate for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Western Pennsylvania.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Paul Lawrence Peeler Papers and Photographs

Includes depictions of Paul Lawrence Peeler with various choirs and ensembles throughout his career as a musician and educator and contains photographs of the Peeler family as well as the Carnegie Institute of Technology campus (now Carnegie Mellon University).

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Paul Slantis Photographs

Visual images taken by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Paul Slantis from 1946-1956 depict a variety of Pittsburgh and regional scenes, including industry, streets, portraits, aerial shots, notable personalities, people and activities, and architecture.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pennsylvania Railroad Photographs

Visual images document construction and repair projects to the Pennsylvania Railroad's lines, both within the city of Pittsburgh, as well as across the Midwest from 1907-1917; featured prominently in the collection is the renovation and construction of the second track for the Ohio Connecting Railway Bridge, located just north of downtown Pittsburgh.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pitcairn Historical Society Collection

Visual images depict street scenes, businesses and industries (in particular the Pennsylvania Railroad), people, homes, schools and churches, sports, and community organizations, events, and activities in the Borough of Pitcairn from 1885-2011.

Contributor: Pitcairn Historical Society

Pittsburgh Academy of Medicine Records

This collection contains material related to the founding of the Pittsburgh Academy of Medicine in the late 1800s, its membership and ongoing business and presentations, and its decline in the 1970s.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Bureau of Building Inspection Photographs

Visual images document the disrepair of residences and businesses across the city of Pittsburgh, including those in the neighborhoods of the Southside, North Side, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, and the Hill District. The buildings, most have since been razed, were inspected by the Bureau from 1940 until 1947.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh Census Tract Maps and Data

Maps and data on the Pittsburgh Census for the 1910, 1920, 1930, 1970, and 1980 Decennial Censuses.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection

Visual images from the 1900s-1970s commissioned by the Pittsburgh Department of Public Works show parks, recreation facilities, and athletic events as well as hospital exteriors and interiors, mayoral events, traffic situations, and general street scenes of Pittsburgh.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Folk Festival Records and Photographs

The online collection of Pittsburgh Folk Festival Records and Photographs features images that capture festival activities from the 1960s through the 1980s. The photographs depict the celebration of ethnic traditions across the world, showcasing an array of dances, musical performances, traditional attire, and culinary offerings from participating groups.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Records

The Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is an annually held educational and cultural complement to the Pittsburgh Lesbian and Gay Film Society's year round program meant to foster appreciation and visibility through film media. The Festival hosts members of the film industry from Pittsburgh, Ohio, and West Virginia; it aims to educate, enlighten, and entertain audiences while increasing unity, community, and pride among lesbians and gay men of the tri-state region. The digital collection primarily comprises programs created for the promotion of the festival and select press clippings.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Photographic Library Collection

Images documenting the redevelopment of Pittsburgh dating from the early 1950s.

Contributor: Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Prints from the Collection of Wesley Pickard

Lithographs, etchings, watercolors, and engravings from the 1840s-1920s depict a variety of Pittsburgh landmarks, including bridges, downtown buildings, commercial and industrial establishments, and civic institutions that show the city before and during the period of industrial development in the 19th century.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Public Administration Reports and Studies

The collection contains both published and unpublished reports and studies of public projects and agencies that focus primarily on Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Public Schools Photographs

Visual images from the 1910s-1970s show events and activities of students, teachers, parents, and board members of the Pittsburgh School District.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh Railways Company Records

Visual images from the 1870s-1970s depict many styles and views of street railway cars owned by this company; many Pittsburgh neighborhoods, such as the South Hills, Oakland, Downtown, Homewood, and Mt. Washington, are included.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Renaissance Project: The Stanton Belfour Oral History Collection

This collection contains oral history interviews documenting the Pittsburgh Renaissance from the viewpoint of Pittsburghers’ own lives and activities. The project sought to supplement the written record with a “living record.” The interviews were conducted in 1971-1973 by the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Speech and Society Project

Focuses on disseminating research and educational materials relevant to the Pittsburgh dialect and includes conversational interviews that capture examples of such dialect.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Posters

Visual images of concert posters documenting Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) performances for audiences in Pittsburgh and around the world.

Contributor: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Archives

Pittsburgh Theatre

Photographs, publications, and other archival material related to theater within the City and the University of Pittsburgh.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Waste Book and Fort Pitt Trading Post Papers

Contains documents known as the Pittsburgh Waste Book and Papers of the Fort Pitt Trading Post (1757-1765), which are reputed to be the first known accounts of trade at Fort Pitt.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Youth Olympiad photographs

Photographs and ephemera from the 1968 Pittsburgh Youth Olympiad. The event was a city-wide sporting event hosted by Pittsburgh's Department of Parks and Recreation as part of their summer program for that year.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company Records

Visual images from the 1880s-1970s show various branch lines controlled by the New York Central and then by Penn Central as well as many non-railroad activities and scenes in urban and rural areas of Western Pennsylvania's Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Lawrence, and Washington counties and some of the bordering counties of West Virginia and Ohio.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, and Chicago Railway Company Photographs

Visual images from 1903-1924 depict railroad construction projects, bridges, and stations.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Point Park University Archives

Visual images from the 1970s-1980s visually document Point Park University and surroundings in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Contributor: Point Park University Archives

Proceedings of the Allegheny County (Pa.) Office of the Coroner's Open Inquest into the death of Jonny Gammage

This collection consists entirely of the transcription of the Coroner's Inquest into the death of Jonny Gammage. This case was covered by the media around the United States, as the death of Jonny Gammage occurred during a traffic stop where law enforcement brutality lead to his death. Thirty-seven individuals were called to testify during the inquest.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Progress Photographs: William Penn Hotel

Visual images from 1914-1916 show the construction of the William Penn Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh every two weeks, starting with the groundbreaking ceremony held on July 7, 1914.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh