Guide to the Photographs of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh, 1903-1993
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Photographs of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh
- Creator
- Traffic Club of Pittsburgh
- Collection Number
- MSP#343 ( MSR#343)
- Extent
- 1.3 cubic feet (5 shelf volumes and 3 oversize folders)
- Date
- 1903-1993
- Abstract
- The Traffic Club of Pittsburgh began on December 8, 1902 in the Frick Building offices of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. The club's purpose was to promote the traffic business of the Pittsburgh area by bringing together industrialists and railroaders in a single organization. This collection contains photographs of Presidents and officers of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh (1904-2001)
The Traffic Club of Pittsburgh began on December 8, 1902 in the Frick Building offices of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. The club's purpose was to promote the traffic business of the Pittsburgh Area by bringing together industrialists and railroaders in a single organization. The Club elected a President, two Vice-Presidents, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Board of Governors annually. A Constitution and Bylaws was adopted and amended as appropriate to ensure the club pursued this purpose. Bi-monthly meetings were held and members were expected to contribute yearly dues to the Club.
As the Club grew, so did its bureaucracy. Committees were formed and assigned tasks such as nominating a slate for elections or planning the annual dinner. Accurate records were kept regarding the financial situation of the Club, legal correspondences, membership statuses and all other facets regarding the running of the Club. The reports of each committee and officer were presented, discussed, and sometimes voted upon at the bi-monthly meetings.
An annual dinner has been a tradition for members of the Traffic Club and their guests since 1903 with the exception of 1942-1945, due to the Second World War; 1924,due to the death of the president of the New York Central Railroad; and 1974, due to the national energy crisis. This was a formal affair including dinner and a keynote address. Speakers were usually prominent men, including future President of the United States Dr. Woodrow Wilson. Other events were held throughout the year as well, including holiday dinners, golf outings, and gin rummy nights. The Club rented out rooms to keep as headquarters over the years in several locations throughout the Pittsburgh area, including the William Penn Hotel and Americus Club. The quarters were used for official club business and well as providing a place for members to congregate. They were invited to use the quarters, located on the third floor of One Oliver Plaza and complete with a ding room, as an entertainment for themselves, family and friends. In the mid 1980s, official club quarters ceased to exist. The reason was a complex combination of increasing rent, a drop in membership and the problems involved in maintaining such quarters. Events continued to be held at other locations in the Pittsburgh area and Club property was put into storage to be sold at a later date.
Today the Club maintains its goals while expanding into the 21st century. They continue to expand their membership, which now includes women, minorities, and increasingly anyone who has a vested interest in maintaining high standards in the traffic industry. It continues to hold its annual dinner and looks forward to celebrating its centennial in the near future. The Club has launched a website at www.trafficclubofpittsburgh.org to provide more information to the public regarding its actions in the community.
Scope and Content Notes
The Photographs of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh are housed one oversize archival folder (MSR #343) and five oversize shelf volumes (MSP #343) and are arranged alphabetically by topic. The majority of the photographs depicts officers of the Traffic Club at various events and do not include other members or typical events.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These records were received in one accession in 2000.
Accession # 2000.0207 Gift of Daniel J. Stuthers for the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh.
Preferred Citation
Photographs of the Traffic Club of Pittsburgh, 1903-1993, MSP# 343 ( MSR#343), Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Kaitlin E. Ehrhardt in July 2001.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on March 8, 2002.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Traffic Club of Pittsburgh
- Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, PA)
- Organizations -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh