Volume 23 • No. 1 • summer 2014 MAKING HISTORY The Newsletter of the Senator John Heinz History Center In Association with the Smithsonian Institution The History Center Unearths Treasures of the Arabia New exhibition showcases nearly 2,000 perfectly-preserved objects from the Steamboat IN THIS ISSUE Arabia, which sank and was rediscovered nearly 150 years later in a Kansas cornfield. Ketch-Up to the New Heinz Paddle back in time as the Senator Pittsburgh’s Lost Steamboat: Exhibition This Fall John Heinz History Center examines a Treasures of the Arabia features fascinating story of sunken treasures, nearly 2,000 once-hidden treasures, Page 2 discovery, and preservation by including many items manufactured showcasing the largest time capsule in Western Pa. Highlights include: of pre-Civil War life as part of the new Pittsburgh’s Hidden Treasures major exhibition, Pittsburgh’s Lost • An immersive exhibit entrance Appraisal Event on Aug. 17 Steamboat: Treasures of the Arabia. where visitors can venture through a Page 2 cornfield to discover the first artifacts Built in Brownsville, Pa., and Pittsburgh unearthed from the excavation site; in 1853, the Steamboat Arabia travelled • Hundreds of items in perfect Award-Winning Exhibit Offers extensively to frontier towns along the condition, from coats and hats Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers. to tools and furniture – even New Hands-On Experiences The vessel’s 200 tons of cargo included pickles still green in the jar; The exhibition features a bottle of Page 3 more than one million objects, some as • A life-size replica of the Steamboat 160-year-old perfectly-preserved small as pickles and others as large as Arabia’s 28-foot paddle wheel; pickles from the Steamboat Arabia. prefabricated homes, bound for general • Interactive stations for 22nd Annual History Makers stores and pioneer settlements in the young visitors to stamp their Award Dinner Recap West. During its final journey in 1856, own “Build-a-Steamboat” Page 4 the Arabia hit a tree snag and sank in the cards and navigate through the Missouri River near Kansas City, Mo., treacherous Missouri River; along with much of its precious cargo. • Several Sharps Model 1853 rifles, including one that was smuggled onto Meadowcroft Goes BIG with SPONSORS In the late 1980s, a group of modern- the Arabia during the Kansas “free Additions to Indian Village David McCullough day treasure hunters excavated soil campaign,” a series of violent Page 5 BNY Mellon the Arabia buried 45 feet below a political confrontations involving The Hillman Foundation cornfield a half-mile from the river. anti- and pro-slavery elements Bozzone Family Foundation Remarkably, the anaerobic (oxygen- leading up to the Civil War; and Dollar Bank Scouts Honor: Badge Days free) environment perfectly preserved • The Hawley family’s painstaking Beverlynn & Steven Elliott Set for this Summer most of the boat’s cargo – fine excavation and ongoing preservation The Heinz Endowments Page 6 dishware, clothing, and even bottled of the Arabia’s massive cargo. Jendoco food – all in excellent condition. Master Builders of Western Pennsylvania Treasures of the Arabia is the first Ann & Marty McGuinn The 8,000-square-foot exhibit, traveling exhibition featuring items from Mylan presented in partnership with the the Arabia collection and represents the Richard King Mellon Foundation UPMC Health Plan Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas first time that the boat’s objects have W. P. Snyder III Charitable Fund City, explores Pittsburgh’s important returned to Western Pa. since 1853. The role as a Gateway to the West and a exhibit is on display through Jan. 4, 2015. national hub for the steamboat building For more information, please visit industry in the mid-19th century. www.heinzhistorycenter.org. COMING UP Ketch-Up to the New Heinz Exhibition This Fall Museum Conservation Center Opens in September Located behind the History Center at 1221 Penn Ave. in the Strip District, the Museum Conservation Center – a new nine-story, 55,000-square-foot LEED Certified Green Building – will allow the museum’s artifacts to The new Heinz exhibition will include many crowd-pleasing features, including numerous hands-on be stored under one roof for the interactive displays and a 10-foot-tall ketchup bottle comprised of smaller ketchup bottles. first time with Smithsonian-quality security, temperature, and humidity Few food manufacturers have had the lasting impact on American eating controls throughout. and buying habits that Pittsburgh’s own H.J. Heinz Company has. Beginning Sept. 1, the first floor of the Museum This fall, discover how the Heinz family business that Many popular elements from the History Center’s Conservation Center will open to the public to began in Sharpsburg, Pa., grew to an international original Heinz 57 exhibit will be updated for the provide visitors with expert advice on company selling more than 5,700 products around new exhibit, including a display of historic how to preserve their antiques and family the world as part of the new and improved Heinz food bottles, video loops of popular TV ads and heirlooms, including items such as works of exhibition, which opens on Sat., Sept. 6. promotional materials, and a display charting the art, photographs, wedding dresses, furniture, evolution of Heinz from a local food purveyor to and much more. This new exhibit will be filled with exciting one of the world’s most recognizable brands. enhancements, including a 10-foot-tall ketchup Museum professionals with a variety of bottle comprised of hundreds of smaller ketchup specialties will educate visitors about the care, bottles, a life-like museum figure of young H.J. Heinz, In order to prepare for the new and improved storage, and treatment of their items. The interactive touchscreen displays, and never before Heinz exhibition, the current exhibit is closed and Museum Conservation Center will also seen photographs from the History Center’s Heinz will reopen in the History Center’s fourth floor connect visitors with conservators should collection – the largest of its kind in the world. Community Gallery on Sept. 6. their heirlooms require professional repair. A series of regular conservation workshops are also being planned throughout the year Bring Your Hidden Treasures to the History in which visitors can learn museum-quality techniques for preserving their cherished Center on Aug. 17 heirlooms. When the new building opens this fall, the Sun., Aug. 17, 2014 • 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. History Center will be one of the first museums in the nation to provide professional It’s time for Pittsburghers to raid their attics and conservation services directly to the public. head to the History Center for the seventh annual Pittsburgh’s Hidden Treasures appraisal event. Looking to preserve your precious antiques and family heirlooms for future generations? Held in partnership with KDKA-TV, the Pittsburgh’s Please contact Barb Antel at 412-454-6450 or Hidden Treasures event encourages local residents to [email protected]. visit the History Center to learn the monetary value or historical significance of their family heirlooms. For more information about the opening of the Museum Conservation Center and future Bring your prized possessions and meet with conservation workshop dates, please stay tuned professional appraisers as KDKA-TV’s Ken Rice and to www.heinzhistorycenter.org. History Center President and CEO Andy Masich roam the museum with cameras. The most unique items will be featured as part of KDKA’s special nine-part TV series this fall. Nearly 50 appraisers from a variety of disciplines will assess the historic significance of your items and provide a verbal assessment of potential monetary value. In addition to the appraisers, expert conservators from the Smithsonian Institution and the History Center’s new Museum Conservation Center will be on hand to provide tips on how to preserve your treasures. Pittsburgh’s Hidden Treasures is free with museum admission and free for History Center members. Each visitor is allowed to bring two items for Meet with the Museum Conservation Center’s appraisal. These can be of any size that will fit through a standard doorway. It is required that visitors be team of professionals to learn more about the able to move their item throughout the event on their care, storage, and treatment of your heirlooms. own. History Center members also receive special Pictured (left to right): Wendy Bennett, director early access from 9 to 10 a.m. before the event of conservation, Courtney Keel, chief registrar, opens to the general public. For more information, and Barb Antel, conservation services manager. please visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org. 2 The Newsletter of the Senator John Heinz History Center 412-454-6000 | www.heinzhistorycenter.org Award-Winning Exhibition Offers New New Exhibit Captures Hands-On Experiences Top Moments of 2013 Visitors to the History Center’s From Slavery to From the bright yellow of a giant inflatable duck Freedom exhibition, presented by BNY Mellon, to the red, white, and blue of a folded funeral flag, will experience several new features as they journey the photographers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette through 250 years of African American history. captured the news of the past year in brilliant hues. These images remind us of the silly and the serious — Funded by the U.S. Department of Education the people and events that impacted our lives in 2013. Underground Railroad Education and Cultural (URR) Program, the long-term exhibit chronicles the anti- The Post-Gazette Photographers: Best of 2013 slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and the exhibition on the History Center’s fourth floor impact of 19th century activism on the modern quest features more than 60 photos from 13 photographers. for civil and human rights in Western Pennsylvania. For more information about this exhibit, please visit The American Association for State and Local www.heinzhistorycenter.org.