VOLUME 26 • NO. 1 • FALL 2017 MAKING HISTORY The Newsletter of the Senator John Heinz History Center In Association with the Smithsonian Institution “Waiting for You Under Kaufmann’s Clock” by Linda Barnicott Spend the holidays with the Heinz History Center! For more than 130 years, families famous by the holiday movie, “A IN THIS ISSUE made the trip to Downtown Christmas Story”) Pittsburgh to celebrate the annual • An interactive kids’ area with Christmas tradition of visiting a selection of classic toys for Kaufmann’s (and later, Macy’s) children to play with department store. Along with • Giant Mr. and Mrs. Claus Destination Moon checking gifts off their holiday ornaments from Kaufmann’s Page 2 shopping lists, they came to marvel • The Santaland mailbox from at the breathtaking lights and Kaufmann’s, where thousands of decorations, magical window displays, Pittsburgh children mailed their and of course, to pay a special visit to Christmas wish lists to the North Holiday Gift Guide Santa Claus himself. Pole Page 3 • Original costumes and float Relive those cherished memories at materials from the MY MACY’s the History Center as part of A Very Holiday Parade Annual Report FY2016-17 Merry Pittsburgh, a new holly jolly exhibition featuring original artifacts A Very Merry Pittsburgh is one of Page 4-5 from Kaufmann’s/Macy’s, Christmas many offerings at the “Smithsonian’s decorations, historic toys spanning home in Pittsburgh” during the the 1940s to the 2000s, and much holiday season. Locals and out-of- New America 101 App more. town guests alike can spend the day exploring the History Center’s Image: John Suhr Page 6 No trip to Santaland is complete six floors of exhibits, featuring without a visit with old Saint Nick, so iconic artifacts such as the original each day through Christmas Eve television set and puppets from Histor-E: Ice Age Meets the from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., take photos “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” The History Center Space Age with Santa Claus and see his original Pittsburgh Pirates’ legend Bill is proud to be an chair from Kaufmann’s – all included Mazeroski’s bat and uniform from Page 7 with regular admission (and free for Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, and affiliate of the Smithsonian members). the world’s oldest jeep. Institution. Throwback Thursday The 5,000-square-foot A Very And don’t forget to wrap up your Merry Pittsburgh exhibit will holiday shopping in the History The History Center is open daily from Page 8 showcase nostalgic objects recalling Center Museum Shop, featuring 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $16 for Pittsburgh’s Christmas past, quirky Heinz products, Pittsburgh- adults, $14 for seniors (age 62+), $2 including: proud T-shirts and apparel, award- winning books, and more (see page 3 off admission for military, $6.50 for • Santa’s chair and ornate pieces for a special holiday gift guide!). students and youth (age 6-17), and from Kaufmann’s Christmas free for children (age 5 and under) and window displays The A Very Merry Pittsburgh History Center members. For more • Classic toys, including toy exhibit is on display now through soldiers, an original Slinky, Mrs. Monday, Jan. 15. details, please visit: Potato Head, Barbie, Easy-Bake www.heinzhistorycenter.org Oven, Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots, For more information, please visit and a Red Ryder BB gun (made www.heinzhistorycenter.org. Prohibition in Pittsburgh: New Exhibit to Explore Roaring ’20s One Giant Leap for Pittsburgh: Destination Moon Step back in time to an exhilarating The exhibit features more than 100 rare artifacts, including flapper dresses, temperance propaganda, a Launches in 2018 era of flappers and suffragists, 1922 Studebaker, a hatchet used by Carry Nation, and bootleggers and temperance workers, flasks used for bootleg liquor during Prohibition. Coming in September 2018: a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to see one of America’s and real-life legends like Al Capone Stop by a re-created speakeasy – a term purportedly national treasures. The History Center will and Carry Nation. coined just outside of Pittsburgh in McKeesport – be one of just four museums nationally and where you can learn to dance the “Charleston” and the only museum east of the Mississippi River Beginning on Saturday, Feb. 10, the History Center explore the fashion, music, and culture of the 1920s. to host Destination Moon: The Apollo 11 will host American Spirits: The Rise and Fall of Mission, a traveling exhibition organized by the Prohibition, the first comprehensive exhibition The American Spirits exhibit at the History Center Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition about America’s most colorful and complex will also examine Pittsburgh’s deep connections with Service (SITES). constitutional hiccup. the regulation of alcohol, which has been a catalyst for civic dissent since the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791- The Destination Moon exhibition is currently This traveling exhibition was created in partnership 1794. The exhibit will include artifacts that showcase on a national tour of four Smithsonian Affiliates with the National Constitution Center in Western Pennsylvania’s long history with alcohol. in two years while the National Air and Space Philadelphia. American Spirits brings the story Museum completes extensive renovations of Prohibition vividly to life, from the dawn of Stay tuned for exhibit updates and a full slate of leading up to the 50th anniversary of the Apollo the temperance movement, through the Roaring public programs at www.heinzhistorycenter.org. 11 lunar landing mission in 2019. ’20s, and up to the unprecedented repeal of a constitutional amendment. The blockbuster exhibition’s centerpiece is the Command Module Columbia – the only portion of the historic spacecraft to complete the first mission to land a man on the moon and safely Pittsburgh return him to Earth. The tour will mark the first time in 46 years that the Command Module Illustrated: Art Columbia will leave the National Air and Space of Facts Exhibit Museum. Marvel at more than 50 new works of art Destination Moon features dozens of original by members of the Pittsburgh Society Apollo 11-flown objects, models, videos, and of Illustrators (PSI) as part of the new interactives that give visitors an unprecedented exhibition, Art of Facts | Uncovering look at the historic journey of the Apollo 11 crew: Pittsburgh Stories, now on display in the “Pittsburgh is spelled with ‘H,’” Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz museum’s fifth floor Barensfeld Gallery. by Nora Thompson Aldrin. The Art of Facts exhibit creatively interprets the rich history of Western Pennsylvania and shares its compelling stories through the art of illustration. Last year, members of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators Visitors to the History Center’s Destination – the second largest group of illustrators in the U.S. – were charged with researching, discovering, and Moon exhibition, which launches in Pittsburgh sharing those stories in a new and engaging way. The artists’ work featured in the exhibit depicts everything on Sept. 29, 2018, will learn how Pittsburgh from Andrew Carnegie’s job at age 13 in a textile mill, to Walt Disney’s visit to Westinghouse, to the story of companies and innovators used their “We Can Pittsburgh’s lost “H,” and much more. The Art of Facts exhibit is sponsored by The Fine Foundation, The Do It!” spirit to play an important role in the Heinz Endowments, Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District mission, including contributions from Alcoa, (RAD). MSA, North American Rockwell, Union Switch & Signal, Westinghouse, and others. Get Active at Sports Museum’s NFL PLAY 60 Stay tuned for the most up-to-date information on Destination Moon at Training Camp www.heinzhistorycenter.org. One week before Super Bowl LII, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum will challenge kids to get up and get active at the sixth annual NFL PLAY 60 Training Camp, sponsored by DICK’S Sporting Goods, on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As part of the event, admission to the museum is FREE for all children age 17 and under, courtesy of DICK’S Sporting Goods. Kids of all ages will enjoy five floors of fun football-related activities, including a mini-NFL Combine on the History Center’s fifth floor that will test young visitors’ speed in the 40-yard dash, assess their accuracy passing a football, and challenge their agility in a series of quick-hitting drills. Don’t miss special appearances by local athletes, healthy cooking demonstrations for tailgaiting in the Weisbrod Kitchen Classroom, and the ever-popular touchdown dance contest where young visitors can show off their best moves. The event is presented in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL PLAY 60, the National Football League’s health and fitness campaign to encourage young fans to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org/events for more information. 2 The Newsletter of the Senator John Heinz History Center 412-454-6000 | www.heinzhistorycenter.org Speakeasy Celebration: Top Five Museum Shop Gifts 20th Annual History for the Holidays Uncorked Friday, Feb. 16, 2018 • 7-11 p.m. This holiday season, find the perfect gift for your friends and family at the award-winning History Center Museum Shop, open seven days a week during regular museum hours (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and open to the public with no admission fee. Can’t make it to the Strip District? The Museum Shop’s e-store at shop.heinzhistorycenter.org offers the same chic gifts, compelling books, and unique jewelry. Luna: Pittsburgh’s Original Lost 1 Kennywood ($12.95) “Luna” follows the intriguing, intertwined stories of two very different amusement parks in suburban Pittsburgh: Kennywood in West Pittsburgh’s premier party for young Mifflin and Luna Park in North Oakland.