Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania

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After several attempts during the early and mid-century to establish a historical society, an organization called Old Residents of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania was formed in 1879, but five years later the group changed its name to the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (HSWP).

Now the region's oldest cultural organization, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania does business as and operates both the Senator John Heinz History Center and Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Museum of Rural Life.

The History Center includes the Library & Archives, which preserves hundreds of thousands of books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, atlases, newspapers, films and recordings documenting over 250 years of life in the region; as well as the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a museum-within-a-museum documenting Pittsburgh’s incredible sports legacy.

The History Center opened in 1996 in Pittsburgh's Strip District and receives funding from various private, foundation and governmental sources as well as public sources including the Allegheny Regional Asset District.