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.

Rachel Carson Collection

Images, records, and publications from the 1920s to 1990s document the student experience of Rachel Carson and her ongoing relationship with her alma mater, Chatham University.

Contributor: Chatham University

Railroad Stock Certificate Collection

Contains 51 stock certificates dating from 1857 to 1970 documenting the history of railroads in western Pennsylvania, including various items such as correspondence, bills of lading, telegrams, valuation of baggage tickets, dividend check, a lease, and employee transit passes for the Pennsylvania Railroad Lines West of Pittsburgh.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Reverend David J. Beale Collection

Visual images of different areas of Johnstown, PA in the late 19th through the early 20th centuries, depicting street scenes from before and after the 1889 flood, significant buildings and shelters, and more. Of note are several photographs taken in the aftermath of the 1889 Flood that highlight the destructive force of this event and its impact on the Johnstown community as well as images from the earliest incarnations of the American Red Cross.

Contributor: Johnstown Area Heritage Association

Richard E. Rauh Photographs

Visual images primarily depict Bertha Rauh, her family, and her swearing in as Director of Charities, later called the Pittsburgh Department of Public Welfare; other images illustrate her efforts to transform Mayview Hospital into a modern psychiatric hospital (1891-1930s).

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Robert G. Pflaum Photograph Collection

Visual images focus on streetcars and their routes through downtown Pittsburgh, its neighborhoods, and surrounding areas, including the South Hills, Dormont, and Castle Shannon between 1958-1971.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Robert J. Walker Papers

Contains a letter book presumably created by Walker of copies of correspondence with several prominent 19th Century political figures.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Robert McKnight Diaries

Consists of two volumes of bound personal diaries that contain details of McKnight's social and business life in Pittsburgh (1842-1843, 1846-1847).

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Robert Stobo Papers

Contains an original French and Indian War era letter written by Robert Stobo to Colonel Innes, who were officers in the British Army.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Rodef Shalom Congregation Photographs

Visual images document the congregation's historic buildings, rabbis, religious practices, and aspects of congregational life from 1900-1977.

Contributor: Rodef Shalom Congregation

Rolling Rock Training Camp Ledger

Contains information from July 9 to August 4, 1917 of guard duty in the military training camp near Ligonier, Pa.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Royal Kane Photographs

The Royal Kane Photographs contain images used in advertisements for local and national corporations. This collection also includes portraits of individuals taken by Kane, images of Kane and his family taken by Kane and his children, materials related to an exhibition after his death, and Kane's personal papers. This collection contains photographic prints, slides, and negatives.

Contributor: Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center

Russell H. Heffley Photographs

Visual images document downtown Johnstown (Cambria County, Pa.), local businesses, advertising, parks, and daily life in this city from 1924 through the 1950s.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh

Rust Engineering Company Records

Visual images from the 1900s-1960s depict views of the construction of equipment and facilities for heavy industry, including furnaces, boiler settings, industrial chimneys, and entire manufacturing and processing plants in Pittsburgh and Holt, Alabama, as well as promotional books featuring Rust Engineering's projects.

Contributor: University of Pittsburgh