Exhibits

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

Courtesy: Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the University Archives presents selections from our collection that highlight Chatham’s unwavering commitment to encouraging civic engagement in all levels of the political system. This exhibition, Celebrating Women’s History: Chatham Women in Politics, demonstrates student civic engagement tracing back to the earliest days of the Suffragette movement, when students paraded through downtown Pittsburgh in support of women’s right to vote.
 
Courtesy: Chatham University Archives

The Chatham University Archives invites you to explore Chatham Leadership: The Presidency of Cora Helen Coolidge, an exploration of a president whose ceaseless dedication to women’s education steered Chatham through one of its most tumultuous chapters.
 
Courtesy: Chatham University Archives

Have you ever wondered how Chatham got its name or why it was changed from Pennsylvania College for Women?  If so, you might want to check out this online exhibit which tells the tale of how the school came to cosider a name change, the various names considered, and the reception of the name at the time.

Courtesy: Chatham University Archives

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

As part of this year’s University Day celebration, JKM Library and the Chatham University Archives are pleased to present an exhibit titled From May Day to University Day: Exploring Connections between Chatham Traditions. This exhibition focuses on the history of Chatham’s May Day pageants and other end-of-the-semester festivities, such as Toe Dabbling Day, Buckets and Blossoms, and University Day. Photographs, programs, and ephemera documenting Chatham’s many springtime celebrations, some dating all the way back to the early twentieth century, will be exhibited at the JKM Library and in the lobby of the Women’s Institute. We even have a special presentation of some recently preserved film footage of the 1935 May Day pageant on the main floor of JKM Library!
 
Courtesy: Chatham University Archives

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

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.

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