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<\/p>\n‘That war changed Pittsburgh forever’: 4 The Record learns about new exhibit at Fort Pitt Museum<\/p>\n
Hosts Elena LaQuatra and Lily Coleman lead this week\u2019s 4 The Record, which is part two of our exploration of Pittsburgh\u2019s role in the birth of America<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLAST WEEK ON FOR THE RECORD, WE GOT AN EARLY LOOK AT HOW PITTSBURGH IS CELEBRATING AMERICA\u2019S 250TH ANNIVERSARY NOW THIS WEEK. THIS IS, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR STORY THAT YOU HAVEN\u2019T HEARD. BUT IT\u2019S A CRUCIAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE TO UNDERSTANDING THE WAR ITSELF. MORE PITTSBURGH\u2019S ROLE IN HELPING AMERICA GET ITS START, AND MORE OF THE EXPERIENCES YOU\u2019LL WANT TO HAVE IN TOWN AS AMERICA\u2019S BIRTHDAY APPROACHES. IT\u2019S A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN. YOU KNOW, YOUR 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR FOR THE RECORD STARTS NOW. WELCOME TO. FOR THE RECORD, I\u2019M ELENA LAQUATRA AND I\u2019M LILY COLEMAN. OUR NATION IS GETTING READY FOR A BIG BIRTHDAY MARKING 250 YEARS ON THE 4TH OF JULY. AND TODAY WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT HOW PITTSBURGH IS CELEBRATING. THAT DOES INCLUDE A NEW EXHIBIT AT THE FORT PITT MUSEUM AT POINT STATE PARK. FOR MORE ON THAT, LET\u2019S GET OUT TO MY INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL BURKE, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM. I GUESS WE\u2019LL START WITH THE EASY QUESTION. YOU\u2019RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT A NEW EXHIBIT AT THE FORT PITT MUSEUM. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT. SURE. OUR NEW EXHIBIT IS CALLED PITTSBURGH\u2019S REVOLUTION, AND IT DEALS WITH THIS AREA, THIS PART OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. IN THE LEAD UP TO AND ALL THROUGH THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. AND WHAT WE TRY TO HIGHLIGHT FOR PEOPLE IS THE IMPORTANCE OF PITTSBURGH TO THIS BIGGER NATIONAL CONFLICT. OUR FOUNDING CONFLICT, AND ALSO THE WAYS THAT THAT WAR CHANGED PITTSBURGH FOREVER. LET\u2019S TALK A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO THAT. PENNSYLVANIA, THIS REGION, SPECIFICALLY WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, VERY IMPORTANT TO BOTH THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND THE BIRTH OF OUR NATION. GO INTO A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO MAYBE HASN\u2019T TALKED TOO MUCH HISTORY SINCE THE HIGH SCHOOL DAYS, I MIGHT FORGET SOME OF THESE DETAILS, BUT WE SEE IT IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS IN PITTSBURGH, WHETHER IT\u2019S THE NAMES OF CERTAIN THINGS AROUND THE CITY, THE STATUES WE HAVE. SO GO AHEAD, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. YEAH. YOU SEE THESE LIKE CLUES ALL OVER THE PLACE. THIS STREET, YOU KNOW. YEAH. WASHINGTON BOULEVARD AND BOUQUET STREET, ALL THESE THESE NAMES. AND YOU\u2019RE KIND OF LIKE, WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN? HOW DO THEY ALL CONNECT? I THINK THE KEY TO IT IS, YOU KNOW, LOOKING BACK TO THE 1740S AND 50S, THIS IS THIS AREA IS AN AREA OF INTEREST FOR THE BRITISH EMPIRE, THE FRENCH EMPIRE, AND ALSO NUMEROUS NATIVE NATIONS WHO HAVE KIND OF MOVED INTO THIS LAND. AND SO THEY\u2019RE ALL ALL THEIR INTERESTS OVERLAP AT WHAT WE CALL THE FORKS OF THE OHIO, WHERE PITTSBURGH IS TODAY. AND SO IT\u2019S INTO THIS WORLD THAT THE COLONY OF VIRGINIA GETS INTERESTED. AND SOME LAND SPECULATORS AND WEALTHY PLANTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THE OHIO COMPANY TO TRY TO SETTLE THE LAND. AND IT\u2019S AS PART OF THAT, THAT GEORGE WASHINGTON COMES OUT HERE AS A YOUNG SURVEYOR IN 1753. HIS MISSION IS TO EVICT THE FRENCH, WHO HAVE ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES NORTH OF THE ALLEGHENY RIVER AT FORT LEBOEUF. AND THEY\u2019RE BUILDING A STRING OF FORTS DOWN CLOSER TO THE FORKS OF THE OHIO. WASHINGTON\u2019S MISSION IS TO GO AND GIVE THEM THEIR EVICTION NOTICE. AND SO THAT\u2019S THE AREA THAT\u2019S KIND OF THIS ZONE OF INTERNATIONAL INTEREST THAT WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA IS IN THE 1740S AND 50S. THAT IS REALLY COOL. AND I LIKE HOW YOU EXPLAINED IT TOO. IT\u2019S REALLY EASY TO UNDERSTAND. NOW, THIS NEW EXHIBIT, WHAT CAN PEOPLE SEE IF THEY GO TO CHECK IT OUT, WHAT YOU\u2019RE GOING TO SEE WHEN YOU COME TO THE EXHIBIT, PARTICULARLY IF YOU COME, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE TWO 50TH ON THE 4TH OF JULY, THAT\u2019S THE BIG THING FOR REVOLUTIONARY WAR MUSEUMS LIKE US. THIS YEAR, YOU\u2019LL WALK INTO PITTSBURGH\u2019S REVOLUTION, AND THE VERY FIRST THING THAT YOU\u2019LL SEE IS THE FLAG OF JOHN PROCTOR\u2019S FIRST BATTALION OF WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA. SO WHEN THE WAR BREAKS OUT AND THERE\u2019S A LOT OF BUILD UP TO IT ON THE FRONTIER, FRONTIER, PEOPLE ARE KIND OF READY FOR IT IN NUMEROUS WAYS, WHICH WE CAN TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT. BUT WHEN THE WAR BREAKS OUT, WHEN NEWS OF LEXINGTON AND CONCORD, THE OPENING SHOTS OF THE REVOLUTION, WHICH TAKE PLACE JUST OUTSIDE OF BOSTON, WHEN THAT MAKES IT TO PITTSBURGH AND WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PEOPLE ARE MOBILIZED AND THEY\u2019RE READY FOR WAR, AND THEY IMMEDIATELY IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, FORM A MILITARY ASSOCIATION. THEY DRAFT A SERIES OF RESOLVES, ESSENTIALLY SAYING THAT WE WILL DEFEND OUR COUNTRY AT ALL COSTS. THEY\u2019RE VERY ANGRY AT THE PARLIAMENT AND MINISTRY IN ENGLAND. THEY\u2019RE STILL DECLARE THEIR ALLEGIANCE TO THE KING BECAUSE INDEPENDENCE HADN\u2019T YET BEEN DECLARED. AND SO THEY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CREATE THESE MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS. THEY FORM TWO BATTALIONS. ONE OF THEM IS LED BY JOHN PROCTOR, AND THE FLAG SURVIVES. IT\u2019S IN THE COLLECTION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION AND ON DISPLAY AT THE FORT PITT MUSEUM. SO THAT\u2019S THE FIRST THING YOU SEE WHEN YOU WALK INTO PITTSBURGH\u2019S REVOLUTION. AND THEN FROM THERE, YOU KIND OF GET A SENSE OF THE SCOPE OF THE WAR. SO IT\u2019S ON THE EAST COAST. IT\u2019S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THESE FAMOUS BATTLES, BRANDYWINE AND MONMOUTH AND SARATOGA, DIFFERENT PLACES LIKE THAT. OUT HERE, THE FOCUS IS ON THE LAND TO THE WEST AND THE OHIO COUNTRY FRONTIER. AND SO THAT\u2019S KIND OF HOW WE ORIENT THINGS IN THE EXHIBIT. IT\u2019S LIKE THAT. THAT\u2019S PITTSBURGH\u2019S FRONTIER AT THAT POINT. IS ALL THE LAND WEST OF HERE, YOU KNOW, FOR A THOUSAND MILES DOWN THE OHIO RIVER. THAT\u2019S REALLY COOL. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY AFTER SEEING THIS EXHIBIT? WE WANT PEOPLE TO PEOPLE FROM PITTSBURGH, I THINK, TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR CITY AND THIS REGION IN THAT CONFLICT. PITTSBURGH IS IS LITERALLY THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY IN THE WEST. AND IT\u2019S WASHINGTON WHO\u2019S GOT THESE DEEP ROOTS IN THIS AREA THAT\u2019S KIND OF GUIDING THAT PROCESS. AND HE KNOWS THAT THIS IS AN IMPORTANT REGION TO SECURE. SO WE WANT PEOPLE FROM PITTSBURGH AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES TO KNOW THAT THIS PLACE WAS EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT TO THE NATION\u2019S FOUNDING. AND THEN WE WANT PEOPLE FROM ELSEWHERE TO REALIZE THAT AS WELL, AND TO REALIZE THAT THIS IS PROBABLY THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR STORY THAT YOU HAVEN\u2019T HEARD, BUT IT\u2019S A CRUCIAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE TO UNDERSTANDING THE WAR ITSELF. AND THEN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS AFTER. BECAUSE AFTER THE WAR CONCLUDES, IT\u2019S ALL ABOUT SETTLEMENT DOWN THE OHIO RIVER. AND SO PITTSBURGH AT THAT POINT TRULY BECOMES THE GATEWAY TO THE WEST. I THINK MANY PEOPLE ARE EXCITED TO CELEBRATE AMERICA. 250 THIS YEAR FOR VARIOUS REASONS. FOR YOU GUYS, I\u2019M SURE IT IS A VERY MONUMENTAL MOMENT AS WELL. HOW\u2019S THAT SHAPED HOW YOU GUYS HAVE DONE THINGS AT FORT PITT MUSEUM IN THE MUSEUM WORLD AND THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR MUSEUM. THAN A DECADE. YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN ON PEOPLE\u2019S RADAR. AND SO IT\u2019S SHAPED OUR CHOICE OF EXHIBITS. WE\u2019LL HAVE ANOTHER EXHIBIT ON FRONTIER WEAPONS THAT\u2019S OPENING LATER THIS SUMMER. IT\u2019S SHAPED OUR PROGRAMING GOALS. WE\u2019LL HAVE LOTS OF CANNON FIRINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. WE\u2019VE GOT THE FOURTH AT THE FORT COMING UP ON JULY 4TH, WHICH IS A A REALLY GREAT LITTLE CEREMONY WE DO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION THAT OPERATE THE FORT PITT BLOCKHOUSE. SO WE A COUPLE DAYS IN ADVANCE, WE\u2019LL RAISE UP A BRITISH FLAG ONTO THE FLAGPOLE THAT SITS IN THE BLOCKHOUSE YARD. AND THEN ON JULY 4TH AT 11 A.M., WE\u2019LL HAVE A CEREMONY THERE WHERE WE STRIKE THE BRITISH COLORS AND WE RAISE UP THE 36 FOOT GARRISON FLAG, THE 13 STAR FLAG, WITH THE HELP OF USUALLY LOCAL SCOUT GROUPS OR VETERANS GROUPS TO UNFURL THIS GIANT FLAG AND KIND OF RUN IT UP THE FLAGPOLE. AND IT\u2019S A GREAT IT\u2019S A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN, YOU KNOW, YOUR 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION, ESPECIALLY THIS YEAR WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT KIND OF BRINGS YOU, THAT GROUNDS YOU AND BRINGS YOU BACK TO WHAT IT\u2019S ALL ABOUT. AND THAT\u2019S HAPPENING. 4TH OF JULY, 4TH OF JULY IN THE MORNING, I\u2019M ASSUMING. YES. YEAH. IT STARTS AT 11 A.M. AND SO WE\u2019LL HAVE SOME SPEAKERS THERE. WE HAVE A LOCAL CHORAL GROUP THAT DOES PATRIOTIC SONGS. AND IN THE BLOCKHOUSE YARD WILL BE ABSOLUTELY PACKED WITH WITH VISITORS. VERY EXCITING. WE\u2019RE HOPING FOR GOOD WEATHER FOR THAT FOR SURE. YES, YES. NOW, IN A BROADER SENSE, TALKING ABOUT THE FORT PITT MUSEUM, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO VISIT PITTSBURGHERS MAYBE WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE, ASIDE FROM THE AMERICA 250 FOCUS, WHAT CAN THEY LOOK FORWARD TO? WHY IS THAT SOMETHING EVERY PITTSBURGHER SHOULD GO AND CHECK OUT? YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT\u2019S TRICKY BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU DON\u2019T GET TO SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE RIGHT IN YOUR BACKYARD. AND SO WE\u2019RE ONE OF THOSE PLACES WHERE OBVIOUSLY, WE WANT EVERYONE TO COME AND VISIT. WHEN YOU COME TO FORT PITT, WHAT YOU\u2019LL SEE IS, IS THE BIG OVERVIEW OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF THIS REGION. SO WE COVER THE NATIVE, YOU KNOW, HISTORY, THE KIND OF MOVEMENTS INTO THE OHIO COUNTRY, FRENCH AND BRITISH, AND THAT FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR THAT ERUPTS IN THE 1750S. WE COVER THE REVOLUTION, WE COVER THE WHISKEY REBELLION. SO ALL OF THOSE KIND OF EVENTS THAT EVERYBODY HEARS, YOU KNOW, IN SCHOOL WHEN THEY\u2019RE YOUNG, WE KIND OF CONNECT THE DOTS ON ALL OF THOSE. AND SO THAT\u2019S WHAT YOU\u2019LL SEE WHEN YOU COME TO FORT PITT. AND WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY, WE DO A LOT OF TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS THAT ARE UP FOR, YOU KNOW, A YEAR AND A HALF OR SO. AND THEN WE FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT KIND OF INCORPORATING THAT CONTENT BACK INTO THE MUSEUM AND ALWAYS HAVING SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO SEE. SO OUR GOAL IS EVERY TIME YOU COME TO FORT PITT, YOU\u2019LL SEE SOMETHING NEW. THAT\u2019S REALLY COOL. YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS WORKING HARD, ALWAYS EVOLVING, CHANGING. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THAT ONE FACT OR THAT ONE PIECE OF HISTORY OR DETAIL THAT ALWAYS TAKES PITTSBURGHERS BY SURPRISE ABOUT OUR AREA? WHEN IT COMES TO HISTORY? I THINK IT\u2019S JUST THAT IT WAS IT WAS SUCH AN INTERNATIONAL ZONE OF CONFLICT. IF YOU THINK OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION AND WHY THAT\u2019S SO SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW, GEORGE WASHINGTON IS OUT HERE IN 1754. HE FIRES WITH HIS MEN ON THIS DETACHMENT OF FRENCH TROOPS. THAT EVENT SETS IN MOTION THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, WHICH LEADS DIRECTLY TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. AND SO ALL OF THAT HAPPENS HERE IN WESTERN PA. AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE WANT PEOPLE TO COME AWAY WITH A SENSE OF PRIDE IN THAT HISTORY. AND THAT KIND OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PLACE. AND IT CONTINUES TO BE. ABSOLUTELY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU\u2019D LIKE TO ADD? YEAH. PLEASE COME DOWN AND SEE US, ESPECIALLY FOR THE TWO 50TH THIS YEAR. KIDS ARE FREE THANKS TO THE CAYMAN FREE FOR KIDS INITIATIVE AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER, WHICH WE\u2019RE PART OF. AND SO COME ON DOWN AND SEE US SPEND SOME TIME. GET TO KNOW YOUR THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE CITY AND REGION A LITTLE BIT BETTER. STILL AHEAD ON. FOR THE RECORD, AS WE STAND HERE, WE HAVE A PANORAMA OF PITTSBURGH HISTORY. THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER ON WHAT\u2019S PLANNED IN THE STEEL CITY FOR THE BIG 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION. AND DON\u2019T FORGET, IF YOU MISSED PART ONE OF OUR TWO PART SERIES ON PITTSBURGH\u2019S ROLE IN THE BIRTH OF AMERICA, YOU CAN REWATCH IT ANYTIME. IT\u2019S AVAILABLE ONLINE@WTAE.COM AND ON THE WTAE APP UNDER THE FOR THE RECORD TAB. YOU CAN ALSO WATCH IT ON THE VERY LOCAL APP. WE\u2019RE BACK RIGHT AFTER THIS. WELCOME BACK TO. FOR THE RECORD, IF YOU SAW LAST WEEK\u2019S PART ONE OF OUR SERIES ON AMERICA\u2019S 250TH, YOU DID SEE LILLY\u2019S SIT DOWN INTERVIEW WITH ANDY MASICH, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HEINZ HISTORY CENTER. AND OUR CAMERAS LATER CAUGHT UP WITH ANDY AGAIN AT A NEWS CONFERENCE PREPARING FOR PITTSBURGH\u2019S 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS. LISTEN TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY ABOUT WHAT\u2019S IN STORE, THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER IS PITTSBURGH\u2019S TIME CAPSULE. SO IT\u2019S 350 ZERO ZERO ZERO SQUARE FEET OF MUSEUM. IT\u2019S A SMITHSONIAN AFFILIATED MUSEUM, AND IT\u2019S A PROUD AFFILIATE OF THE THE SMITHSONIAN THAT HAS JUST BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AMERICA\u2019S NUMBER ONE HISTORY MUSEUM. SO PLEASE COME AND VISIT US DURING THE CIVIC SEASON. THAT\u2019S WHAT WE CALL THIS PERIOD FROM JUNE 19TH TO JULY 4TH. ALL KINDS OF SPECIAL ACTIVITIES AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER ON JULY 4TH. THOUGH, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME TO POINT STATE PARK TO SEE THE FORT PITT MUSEUM AND PITTSBURGH\u2019S OLDEST BUILDING, THE BLOCKHOUSE, WHICH IS STILL MANAGED BY THE DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. SINCE THE 1890S, THEY\u2019VE TAKEN CARE OF THAT. THAT OCTAGONAL OR THAT THAT BLOCKHOUSE THAT WAS BUILT AS AN OUTBUILDING OF FORT PITT IN 1764. YOU KNOW, AS WE STAND HERE, WE HAVE A PANORAMA OF PITTSBURGH HISTORY, 250 YEARS AGO, THERE WERE SHAWNEE AND DELAWARE AND SENECA PEOPLE LIVING HERE. THEY WERE LIVING IN CONCERT WITH TRAPPERS AND TRADERS AND PEOPLE WHO STARTED A CITY RIGHT HERE AT THE FORKS OF THE OHIO. THAT\u2019S WHAT THEY CALL THE CONFLUENCE OF THE THREE RIVERS. 250 YEARS AGO. BUT SO MUCH HISTORY WAS MADE HERE FROM THE TIME YOUNG 21 YEAR OLD GEORGE WASHINGTON ARRIVED IN 1753 TO THE TIME ABRAHAM LINCOLN SPOKE RIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER THERE AT THE MONONGAHELA HOUSE IN 1861. AS HE WENT ON HIS WAY TO WASHINGTON JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR, DURING THE CIVIL WAR, PITTSBURGH WAS THE ARSENAL OF THE UNION, AND THEN AFTER THE WAR, IT BECAME AN INDUSTRIAL CENTER, MAKING RAILS THAT CRISSCROSSED THE NATION. OF COURSE, DURING WORLD WAR TWO, THIS WAS THE ARSENAL OF DEMOCRACY. IT\u2019S WHERE ROSIE THE RIVETER, 50,000 WOMEN WENT INTO THE WORKFORCE AND KEPT THOSE MILLS GOING 24 OVER SEVEN. PITTSBURGH PRODUCED MORE STEEL THAN ALL THE AXIS POWERS PUT THERE ARE SO MANY GREAT STORIES OF HEROISM AND INNOVATION AND RESILIENCE. YOU\u2019LL FIND THEM AT THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER AND AT ALL THE PARTNER SITES. THE HISTORY CENTER HAS BEEN HONORED TO WORK WITH AMERICA. 250 PA AND ALL THE OTHER PARTNERS WHO ARE HERE IN PLANNING WHAT SHOULD BE AN AMAZING SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL FOR YOU LATIN SCHOLARS. SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL 250 YEARS. IT\u2019S GOING TO BE BIG. STILL AHEAD BECAUSE PITTSBURGH CHANGED THE WORLD. THIS CITY, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY, BUILT THE 20TH CENTURY. ANOTHER LOOK AT AMERICA\u2019S 250TH AND THE ROLE PITTSBURGH\u2019S STEEL INDUSTRY HAS HAD IN THE GROWTH OF OUR NATION. WELCOME BACK TO FOR THE RECORD, AS WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE AMERICA\u2019S 250TH, WE ALSO HAVE A LOOK AT THE ROLE THAT PITTSBURGH HAS HAD IN GROWING AMERICA OVER THE PAST QUARTER OF A MILLENNIUM. OUR SHANNON PERRINE DIVES INTO THAT VERY SPECIFIC PART OF OUR HISTORY AND HOW IT STARTED IN THE TOWN, APPROPRIATELY CALLED THE STEEL CITY. YOU CAN\u2019T EXPLORE AMERICA\u2019S 250TH BIRTHDAY WITHOUT THE STORY OF STEEL. A STORY SET IN PITTSBURGH. SO THIS WAS MY GRANDFATHER\u2019S WORK BADGE THAT HE WORE AT NATIONAL FOR 48 YEARS. THE FACE OF A STEELWORKER, WILLIAM KIRKLAND. KNOWING MY GRANDFATHER DID THIS BEFORE ME, THAT HE MADE THIS POSSIBLE FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS. WILLIAM KIRKLAND KELLY, JUST TWO OF THE THOUSANDS OF STEELWORKERS WHO FORGED AMERICA\u2019S BACKBONE. IT\u2019S PRIDE THAT WE MAKE STEEL HERE THAT MAKES A LOT OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE WORLD. BACK IN THE DAYS THEY, YOU KNOW, BUILT THE BRIDGES AND THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING AND STUFF. THERE\u2019S PRIDE. WE SEE THAT LOGO ON THINGS. YOU KNOW, MY WASHER AND DRYER WAS MADE WITH STEEL FROM MY PLANT. LET\u2019S GO BACK IN TIME TO BEFORE KELLY STARTED WORKING AT U.S. STEEL\u2019S EDGAR THOMSON PLANT IN BRADDOCK. BECAUSE PITTSBURGH CHANGED THE WORLD, THIS CITY, LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY, BUILT THE 20TH CENTURY. JUST LIKE STEEL REQUIRES VERY SPECIFIC INGREDIENTS. PITTSBURGH HAD EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO LAUNCH A GLOBAL INDUSTRY. THE FIRST INGREDIENT SITS RIGHT BELOW MY FEET. GEOLOGISTS CALL THE PITTSBURGH COAL SEAM THE MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC MINERAL DEPOSIT IN THE WORLD. NUMBER TWO, RIVERS FOR TRANSPORTATION. AND THE THIRD AND MOST CRUCIAL INGREDIENT, PITTSBURGH\u2019S PEOPLE. I MEAN, THEY CAME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. ORIGINALLY. WHO\u2019S BEING ATTRACTED HERE TO WORK IN THIS INDUSTRY? IT\u2019S, YOU KNOW, NORTHERN EUROPEANS, GERMANS, DUTCH, ENGLISH. WHY? BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT BACKGROUND. THEY\u2019RE WORKING IN THE IRON INDUSTRY, IN THE COAL INDUSTRY, IN EUROPE, IN PITTSBURGH. HENRY CLAY FRICK MADE HIS ORIGINAL MONEY IN COKE, WHICH IS COAL BURNED DOWN INTO A BYPRODUCT THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR STEEL. FROM MILLIONAIRE\u2019S ROW ON FIFTH AVENUE IN SHADYSIDE, ANDREW CARNEGIE, BRIEFLY THE WORLD\u2019S RICHEST MAN AND HIS SECOND IN COMMAND, HENRY CLAY FRICK, BORROWED THE BRITISH INVENTION CALLED THE BESSEMER FURNACE, TO CAPITALISM BY MASS PRODUCING STEEL. SO BUYING UP PROPERTY, BUILDING COKE OVENS. BY 1880, ROUGHLY THE TIME THAT HE GETS MARRIED AND MOVES INTO PITTSBURGH, HE HAS MADE HIS FIRST MILLION. HE IS CALLED THE KING OF COKE. PARTNERS UP WITH ANDREW CARNEGIE AND THE TWO OF THEM TOGETHER. KIND OF TAKE THE STEEL INDUSTRY TO THE NEXT LEVEL IN PITTSBURGH. AND THEY ARE BUSINESS PARTNERS, BUSINESS PARTNERS, NOT NECESSARILY FRIENDS. ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT CARNEGIE IS THAT HE WAS CONSTANTLY REINVESTING. HE WAS ALWAYS CUTTING EDGE WITH TECHNOLOGY. IF SOMETHING NEW WAS COMING ALONG, THAT WOULD CHANGE THE INDUSTRY, THAT WOULD ALLOW HIM TO PRODUCE NOT JUST A CHEAPER STEEL, BUT A BETTER STEEL. HE WOULD INVEST IN IT HEAVILY. AND THAT\u2019S WHAT ALLOWED FOR HIS SUCCESS. CARNEGIE LEFT FRICK IN CHARGE WHEN HE TOOK A TRIP TO EUROPE IN 1892, THE YEAR OF THE BATTLE OF HOMESTEAD. SEVEN STEELWORKERS AND THREE PINKERTONS WOULD LOSE THEIR LIVES. WHAT HAPPENED HERE? ON JULY 6TH, 1892, CHANGES AMERICA. CHANGES THE CLIMATE OF LABOR IN THIS COUNTRY AND WAS REALLY LABOR\u2019S LAST GREAT STAND IN THE 19TH CENTURY TO SAY WE DESERVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. WE DESERVE A PIECE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM THAT OUR LABOR, OUR SWEAT EQUITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS ANDREW CARNEGIE\u2019S CAPITAL. AFTER THE BLOODSHED AT THE HOMESTEAD WORKS, IT WOULD BE ANOTHER 40 YEARS UNTIL AMERICAN STEELWORKERS GOT UNION REPRESENTATION AGAIN. AND FOR 100 YEARS WORK IN THE MILL, AND THE UNITED STEELWORKERS UNION LIFTED MILLIONS OUT OF POVERTY. THE INDUSTRIES CREDITED WITH CREATING THE WORLD\u2019S FIRST MIDDLE CLASS. BUT AFTER WORLD WAR TWO, AMERICA HELPED FORMER ENEMIES BUILD BRAND NEW STEEL MILLS, WHILE PITTSBURGH\u2019S DETERIORATED, THE JAPANESE STEEL COMPANIES IN THE 1970S. WHAT DID THEY DO AND WHAT MOVES DID THEY MAKE? CHESS MOVES THAT LED TO THE COLLAPSE OF STEEL IN PITTSBURGH IN THE 1970S, OUR MAJOR COMPETITORS ARE GERMAN AND JAPANESE STEEL. AND WHY WOULD THAT BE? WORLD WAR TWO. WE DESTROYED ALL THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE, DESTROYED THEIR INDUSTRIES. AND UNDER THE MARSHALL PLAN AFTER THE WAR, REBUILT THOSE INDUSTRIES, THEY HAD NEWER MILLS. THEY HAD NEWER MILLS. THEY\u2019RE ABLE TO PRODUCE STEEL LESS EXPENSIVELY IN THE MON VALLEY ALONE, THE INDUSTRIES COLLAPSE, WIPED OUT 95,000 JOBS. IT WAS EVERY OTHER HOUSE, EVERY ONE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS HAD SOMEBODY, A BROTHER OR SISTER OR UNCLE, MOM AND DAD, SOMEBODY THAT WORKED HERE, THAT WAS THIS COMMON. AND I STILL DON\u2019T THINK THE AREA SURVIVED. WHAT HAPPENED? THE NUMBER OF STEEL JOBS DWINDLED, BUT THE PRIDE REMAINS SENSE OF FAMILY. IT\u2019S EVERYTHING I\u2019VE KNOWN FOR MY LIFETIME. WITH THE JOBS THAT ARE HERE. YOU KNOW, THE PLANTS THAT HAVE CLOSED. BUT WE\u2019VE SURVIVED. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON\u2019T REALIZE THERE\u2019S STILL 3000 OF US HERE MAKING QUALITY STEEL FOR, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF STUFF THAT THAT WE NEED. SO IT\u2019S A, IT\u2019S A PRIDE IN BEING A STEELWORKER. AND WE WANT TO THANK SHANNON PERRINE FOR THAT REPORT. COMING UP, THIS WEEK\u2019S FINAL WORD AND WHO\u2019S HELPING TO EDUCATE OUR NATION\u2019S YOUTH ON THE HISTORY OF AMERICA. BEFORE WE GO, THIS WEEK\u2019S FINAL WORD. DURING MY INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL BURKE, WHO\u2019S THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE FORT PITT MUSEUM, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD HIM MENTION THAT THE ADMISSION TO THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER IS FREE FOR CHILDREN AGES 17 AND UNDER. NOW, THAT\u2019S ALL THANKS TO THE CAYMAN FREE FOR KIDS INITIATIVE. I ASKED BURKE WHY HE AND HISTORY CENTER PRESIDENT CEO ANDY MAJCHRZAK THINK THAT INITIATIVE IS SO IMPORTANT. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THAT\u2019S BEEN ON ANDY\u2019S RADAR FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. YOU KNOW, TO MAKE THE MUSEUM SYSTEM MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR YOUNG KIDS. AND I THINK THAT\u2019S THE SOONER YOU GET KIDS INTERESTED IN HISTORY, THE DEEPER THAT SETS ROOTS. AND, YOU KNOW, THAT HELPS TO SHAPE AND INFORM EVERYTHING THAT GOES FORWARD FOR THEM. THAT DEFINITELY SHOWS WHY THE INITIATIVE IS SO IMPORTANT. IT CERTAINLY DOES. THAT\u2019S GOING TO WRAP THINGS UP FOR TODAY\u2019S EDITION OF FOR THE RECORD. REMEMBER, IF YOU HAVE A TOPIC YOU\u2019D LIKE US TO ADDRESS, SEND US AN EMAIL TO NEWS@WTA.COM. YOU CAN ALSO REWATCH THIS EPISODE OR ANY EPISODE WITH THE VERY LOCAL APP ON YOUR SMARTPHONE, TABLET, OR SMART TV. AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR JOINING US. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK AND WE\u2019LL SEE YOU NEXT SUNDAY MORNING AT 11 A.M.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
‘That war changed Pittsburgh forever’: 4 The Record learns about new exhibit at Fort Pitt Museum<\/p>\n
Hosts Elena LaQuatra and Lily Coleman lead this week\u2019s 4 The Record, which is part two of our exploration of Pittsburgh\u2019s role in the birth of America<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 11:00 AM EDT Jun 28, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n