Guide to the Collection of Richard Linder, 1814-1982
- Collection Number
- MSS#2
- collector
- Richard Linder
- Title
- Collection of Richard Linder
- Date
- 1814-1982
- Extent
- .25 (1 box)
- Abstract
- Richard Linder, a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, was an active member of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania for over forty years. The collection includes photocopies of historical articles and government documents, printed items, and other sundry items relating primarily to the Allegheny Arsenal and various Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
- Repository
- Detre Library & Archives, Heinz History Center
- Language of Materials
- 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
- Senator John Heinz History Center
- Publisher
- Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
- Address
- Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
library@hswp.org - Date
- Summer, 2001
Biographical Sketch of Richard Linder (1924-)
Richard Linder, a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, was an active member of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania for over forty years. Mr. Linder was educated in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and graduated in 1948 from the University of Pittsburgh. He spent World War II in the United States Army and served in the Eighth Armored Division in the European Theater. Mr. Linder has made numerous contributions to the Historical Society's Library and Archives Division and Museum Programs Division and has served on the advisory committee of the Society's Western Pennsylvania Jewish Archives. From 1959 to 1979, he served as activities director and history teacher at Gladstone High School in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1979, he moved to the Arsenal Middle School in the Lawrenceville neighborhood and served there as activities director until his retirement in 1986. While at Arsenal Middle School, he helped to coordinate the school's Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration in 1982. His historical interests primarily revolve around Pittsburgh history, Western Pennsylvania's Jewish history, the Civil War, and the schools and their neighborhoods where he worked while with the Board of Education. Mr. Linder's additional memberships include numerous local and national historical, educational, and cultural organizations in Pittsburgh and the advisory committee of the Historical Society's Jewish Archives.
A great deal of the material in this collection is related to the Allegheny Arsenal. The Arsenal was built on 37 acres along the Allegheny River (present day Lawrenceville) in 1814 on land the federal government purchased from William B. Foster, father of musician, Stephen C. Foster. The War of 1812 prompted the establishment of a federal arsenal and Pittsburgh was considered an ideal location because of the city's many iron works, an essential resource in the manufacturing of ammunition. In addition, the city's proximity to three rivers allowed ammunition to be easily transported to other parts of the country. Benjamin Henry Latrobe designed the Arsenal and surrounding buildings that extended from the Allegheny River to the Philadelphia Turnpike (now Penn Avenue). During the Civil War, the Arsenal produced cannons, small arms, and cartridges for union troops and employed approximately 1200 people, mostly young women and girls from the Lawrenceville area. In 1862, a portion of the Arsenal exploded, killing 74 people. The manufacturing of ammunition ceased in 1868 and the buildings were used as storage by the federal government until the land was sold by public auction in 1907. The land changed hands several times, but was eventually bought in 1926 by the Board of Public Education of the City of Pittsburgh. The Board originally used the Arsenal for a trade school. After debate on a permanent use for the site, the Board decided to establish a new junior high school on the property. Arsenal Middle School was built on that site in 1932 and served the communities of Lawrenceville, Garfield, Bloomfield, and East Liberty.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection includes photocopies of historical articles and government documents, printed items, and other sundry items relating primarily to the Allegheny Arsenal and various Pittsburgh neighborhoods. This collection is not comprehensive on any topic, but would appear to be of strong use to those working on the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. For Lawrenceville, the collection includes early maps of the area and the history of the Allegheny Arsenal. Material specifically related to the Arsenal includes primarily photocopies of items on the explosion on 1862, floor plans of the Arsenal, and government records with correspondence from John C. Calhoun. There is information on the community of Hazelwood with published materials from Gladstone High School. Other published materials include bond and stock certificates from Pittsburgh companies including the Pittsburgh Exposition Society (1888-1912), invitations to the 1905 and 1906 U.S. Grant Celebration Dinner sponsored by the Americus Republican Club, and a program from the 1925 University of Pittsburgh graduation ceremony.
The Richard Linder Collection is housed in one box and is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Subjects
- Allegheny Arsenal (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Americus Republican Club (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Pittsburgh Exposition Society (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Pennsylvania Railroad (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Arsenal Middle School (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Linder, Richard (1924-)
- Grant, Ulysses S. (1822-1885)
- Hazelwood (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Arsenals -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Hotels, Taverns, etc. -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Railroad Stations -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Railroads -- Pennsylvania
- Schools -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
Corporate Names
Personal Names
Geographic Names
Other Subjects
This collection is open for research.
These materials were received in at least three accessions and combined into one collection in 1993.
Acc# 1973x Gift of Richard Linder, (Photographs and printed material).
Acc# 1980.155 Gift of Richard Linder, (Collection of material on the Hazelwood neighborhood).
Acc# 1985.68 Gift of Richard Linder, (Collection of Allegheny Arsenal material).
Collection of Richard Linder, 1814-1982, MSS# 2, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
This collection was processed by Ruth Salisbury Reid in c1985. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Rachel Balliet on May 1, 1993.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on June 7, 2001.
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.