Friday, April 24, 2015
History Center Exhibit Exploring Pittsburgh and World War II Opens Tomorrow
Like the rest of the country, Pittsburgh weathered World War II. But it also had an outsize impact on the war.
We Can Do It! WWII is the title (playing off the famous Rosie the Riveter poster) of the new Senator John Heinz History Center exhibit exploring wartime Pittsburgh, during the 1940s. The exhibit is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the war, which began with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939.
“The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will explore Western Pennsylvania’s incredible impact on the home, industrial, and battle fronts during World War II,” according to a History Center press release. “Visitors … will learn about the development of the jeep, a uniquely American invention produced by the American Bantam Car Company in Butler, Pa., and reveal the stories behind ‘Rosie the Riveter’ and the local Tuskegee Airmen whose contributions helped to turn the tide of the war.”
The exhibit features more than 275 rare artifacts, including four jeeps, plus photography, interactive displays and interactive installations.
Four new “life-like museum figures” include local people prominent in the war effort, including Uniontown-born Gen. George C. Marshall, Tuskegee Airman Lt. Carl J. Woods, Sgt. Michael Strank and Rosie the Riveter, a figure inspired by the Westinghouse Company.
Other aspects focus on the contributions of local industry. There’s also a recreated 1940s living room and the Veterans Voices room, “featuring recordings from Western Pennsylvania [World War II] veterans and 7,000 recreated dog tags suspended from the ceiling.”
The exhibit was developed by the History Center in partnership with institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Veteran’s Voices, Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Fort Pitt Chapter, the Tuskegee Airmen of the Western Pennsylvania Region, Zippo/Case Museum, Butler County Historical Society and more.
The History Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. We Can Do It! runs through Jan. 3.
The History Center is located at 1212 Smallman St., in the Strip District. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (ages 62 and over), $6 for students and children (age 6-17), and free for children (age 5 and under) and History Center members.
We Can Do It! WWII is the title (playing off the famous Rosie the Riveter poster) of the new Senator John Heinz History Center exhibit exploring wartime Pittsburgh, during the 1940s. The exhibit is timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the war, which began with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939.
“The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will explore Western Pennsylvania’s incredible impact on the home, industrial, and battle fronts during World War II,” according to a History Center press release. “Visitors … will learn about the development of the jeep, a uniquely American invention produced by the American Bantam Car Company in Butler, Pa., and reveal the stories behind ‘Rosie the Riveter’ and the local Tuskegee Airmen whose contributions helped to turn the tide of the war.”
The exhibit features more than 275 rare artifacts, including four jeeps, plus photography, interactive displays and interactive installations.
Four new “life-like museum figures” include local people prominent in the war effort, including Uniontown-born Gen. George C. Marshall, Tuskegee Airman Lt. Carl J. Woods, Sgt. Michael Strank and Rosie the Riveter, a figure inspired by the Westinghouse Company.
Other aspects focus on the contributions of local industry. There’s also a recreated 1940s living room and the Veterans Voices room, “featuring recordings from Western Pennsylvania [World War II] veterans and 7,000 recreated dog tags suspended from the ceiling.”
The exhibit was developed by the History Center in partnership with institutions including the Smithsonian Institution, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Veteran’s Voices, Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival, Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Fort Pitt Chapter, the Tuskegee Airmen of the Western Pennsylvania Region, Zippo/Case Museum, Butler County Historical Society and more.
The History Center is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. We Can Do It! runs through Jan. 3.
The History Center is located at 1212 Smallman St., in the Strip District. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (ages 62 and over), $6 for students and children (age 6-17), and free for children (age 5 and under) and History Center members.
Tags: Heinz History Center , We Can Do It! , World War II , Rosie the Riveter , Image
