The present building, "Coates House," was made possible in part by a state grant administered through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, as well as other grants and funds raised by the Society.
Southwestern Pennsylvania
The southwestern corner of Pennsylvania is the area that was the original Washington County, formed on March 28, 1781. This is the land to the west of the Monongahela River, from the West Virginia line north and west and south of the Ohio River to the Ohio line.
Parts of the original Washington County are now Greene and portions of Beaver and Allegheny Counties. Both Pennsylvania and Virginia initially claimed this Southwestern Pennsylvania portion of the Commonwealth.
The first National Road, Route 40, came through our area, along with endless visits by the famous surveyors George Washington, Lafayette, George Rogers Clark, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, and many other renowned people.
Join Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh Museums to learn more about the county's notable ancestry—and possibly your own.
Museums
Allegheny Cemetery is the sixth oldest rural cemetery. On April 24, 1844, Allegheny Cemetery was chartered as a tax-free, non-profit organization. The Allegheny Cemetery Historical Association was established on March 17, 1980, as an educational and charitable organization.
Western Pennsylvania Model Railroad Museum is located in Gibsonia, Richland Township, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Rt. 910 and Hardt Rd. It promotes model railroading and aims to preserve the railroad history of western Pennsylvania.
When Altoona lost the bid for the Commonwealth of Altoona Pennsylvania’s Railroad Museum in 1965, that didn’t stop local people from pursuing a Railroad Museum for Altoona.
Air Heritage is an aircraft restoration hangar and working museum specializing in World War II and Vietnam-era aircraft, artifacts, and related items. It is located at the Beaver County Airport, in Chippewa Township near Beaver Falls, PA.
One of Western Pennsylvania's leading cultural centers, the Merrick is home to a stunning collection of French, German, English, and American paintings from the 18th and 19th Century.
As automobiles and buses replaced streetcars more than half a century ago, a small group of people with a dream came together to form an organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and interpreting the trolley era.
The Dome, located on the Beaver County Community College campus, is the permanent home of the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame.
It began decades ago, when Jim Delligatti became one of the very first franchisees of a fledgling restaurant chain. He opened Western Pennsylvania's first McDonald's restaurant and grew that single site into a hugely successful three-generation business.
Step into the depths of Western Pennsylvania's mining past at Tour-Ed Mine and Museum, a fully operational educational coal mine where history comes to life. Witness the evolution of mining firsthand: from manual hand tools used in 1850 to today's powerful hydraulic machines.
It is Beaver County's oldest historical society (founded in 1945) and the second oldest museum (founded in 1948) in the county.
With a permanent collection of over 750 items, the Antiochian Heritage Museum offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into the textiles, inlaid woodwork, metal crafts, jewelry, and religious art of the Near East.
John Adam Hermann, Jr. was born on the North Side in 1858. He loved art and wanted to spend his entire life painting, but at the age of 18, he obediently went into his father's leather tanning business, located on East Ohio Street, in Allegheny City.
Known as one of the best local history museums in America, Beaver Area Heritage Museum features important exhibits on the people, events, and objects that have shaped the Beaver area. It is housed in a renovated, about 100-year-old railroad freight station and a 200-year-old log house.
Fort Mason Museum allows visitors to experience life in early twentieth-century Fayette County. It features exhibits of local industries, a turn-of-the-century physician's office, typical home life, and a hands-on early school room.
The A-K Valley Heritage Museum is located on the corner of Lock Street and East Seventh Avenue in Tarentum.
Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society is located in the David Leech house -- the oldest house in Leechburg.
Visions of the past come alive at the Rebecca Hadden Stone House Museum. Locally donated and shared artifacts from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century adorn the rooms, and a beautifully maintained herb and perennial garden graces the grounds.
Experience the culture and refinement of the Gilded Age at the Frick Art & Historical Center, located on beautifully landscaped gardens in Pittsburgh's East End.
The County’s third Courthouse, built in 1856, is an elegant structure with a large portico, stone columns, and a highly ornamented dome. The former jail is a gothic-style structure attached to the Courthouse.
Baker Mansion initially was the home of Elias Baker and his family. It now hosts the museum, the county historical society, and a library with a historical archive.
Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden was established in 1987. It is the largest biblical botanical garden in North America (1/3 acre) and the only one with an ongoing program of research and publication.
Consistent with its mission statement, the Freeport Area Historical Society purchased the Valley Mills and adjacent property in 1998. The purpose is to rehabilitate the building into an operational mill, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of the mid-1900s.
Maridon is the only museum in the Western Pennsylvania region specializing in Asian culture, including art objects from China and Japan.
Organizations
The Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society is a non-profit, permanent institution whose primary mission is interpreting, preserving, and celebrating our cultural, industrial, and ethnic heritage of the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas river valleys in southwestern Pennsylvania, a region embracing th
Founded in 1908, the Westmoreland County Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and fostering knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of history in general, as well as all aspects of the history of Westmoreland County and its people, including those areas within its former boundaries.
The Zelienople Historical Society maintains a museum in Passavant House with many of the original articles brought by Zelie.
Based at the University of Pittsburgh and housed in the Stephen Foster Memorial, the Center for American Music is a library, archive, and museum dedicated to expanding and documenting knowledge of American music and its role in Americ
This Society attempts to fill the historical and genealogical needs for all within a 35-mile radius that do not have a historical organization of their own. They presently own and maintain two cemeteries:
Long before European colonists arrived, the land that is now Butler County, Pennsylvania, was under the control of the Iroquois Confederacy. This changed in 1753, when the French began establishing a series of forts in the region, culminating in the French and Indian War.
The Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County in western PA serves a largely rural area noted for its forest, mineral resources, and scenic beauty. In 1938, it was founded as a private membership organization.
Once considered New Castle’s “best kept secret”, the word is out on the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts and its vision to “provide the best possible arts to the greatest number of people”!
Incorporated on February 22, 1988, the Ellwood City Area Historical Society is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich history of our community.
The Lawrence County Historical Society is located in New Castle. The home of former tin plate mogul, George Greer, is resplendent in its glorious woodwork and fine leaded beveled glass made by the Fry Glass Company in Rochester, Pennsylvania.
The Foundation established in 1971, December 14, is a non-profit organization. The name of Beaver County Historical Research and Landmarks Foundation comes from the County name where it is situated.
The Fayette County Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1971. Its mission and purpose are to find, collect, and preserve materials that portray the history of the county and the society.
The Society's goal is to arouse interest in local history and historic preservation through education, publications, meetings and events. Since its inception, the Society has grown to include more than 550 members and a permanent museum.
The Latrobe Area Historical Society of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to the collection, study and documentation of the Latrobe community's heritage and to the preservation of local history and its ethnic roots.Periodically the Society offers to the public special programs of his
The mission of the Ligonier Valley Historical Society discover, collect, preserve and disseminate any material which will help to establish or illustrate the exploration, settlement, development and general history of the Ligonier Valley area.
The McKeesport Heritage Center operates a museum and a research center. The museum has numerous displays of local memorabilia, including old photographs.
The mission of the Society for Contemporary Craft is to engage the public in the creative experience as expressed through contemporary craft.The organization seeks to move viewers beyond familiar frames of reference and challenge them to think in new ways about art, while also raising standards o
Opened in October 1988, Perryopolis Area Heritage Society is managed by local enthusiasts who want to preserve, promote, and develop the town's and neighborhood's historical structures and heritage. It is a Pennsylvania-chartered organization with 501(c) (3) not-for-profit status.
Organized in 1994 with 11 members, the Smock Historical Society preserves the heritage of the coal mining community, Smock, and the neighborhood.
The William Pitt Union, originally opened in 1898 as the grand Hotel Schenley, has been magnificently restored and now provides students with recreational and social facilities. Its amenities include beautiful study and social lounges, 19th-century ballroom, and modern offices.