Pittsburgh History Series

Most cities are happy with one river, but Pittsburgh is blessed with three! And they're three dammed good ones: The Monongahela, the Allegheny and the Ohio. This somewhat zany documentary looks at the dams, the locks, the history and some of the good stories about Pittsburgh's rivers. We meet people who work and play on these waters: on towboats, barges, packet boats, the Gateway Clippers and assorted pleasure boats. We wonder whatever happened to that B-25 that crashed into the Mon in 1956. We attend the Three Rivers Regatta, visit the Emsworth Locks, and see how competitive rowing, boating and fishing are returning to these rivers after decades of terrible pollution. We see where river water is transformed into drinking water, and how some of the Allegheny becomes Iron City Beer. C'mon along!

Pittsburgh’s churches are full of sacred treasures, unforgettable people, and wonderful ways of preserving important traditions. HOLY PITTSBURGH! takes you on a tour of some of the city’s most memorable and unusual houses of worship.

Yes, Pittsburgh is known as The City of Bridges, and it's easy to see why. With plenty of rivers, hills and valleys, the area around this city provides ideal sites for many outstanding bridges with innovative and beautiful bridges. From the old Smithfield Street Bridge to the new Veterans Bridge over the Ohio between Wheeling and Steubenville, these structures have challenged and delighted generations of engineers who have worked here. And there are many great stories about these bridges including the tale of the Pitt student who drover a Chrysler station wagon off the unfinished Fort Duquesne Bridge (back in 1964 the it was the Bridge to Nowhere!)

Remember when Forbes Field was the world's greatest ballpark? When the Dips roller coaster of West View Park came out to Route 19? When everyone went to the Allegheny County Fair? When streetcars ran all over town? They're all parts of this warm and winsome program about Pittsburgh's past, this heartfelt tribute to great old places where people used to go to have fun.

This program celebrates the buildings, the history and the people who make the Golden Triangle an unforgettable urban center. From the Courthouse to the Oyster House, this documentary takes you on a tour of some of the cities most notable landmarks and delicious destinations. We go shopping, look up at skyscrapers, stop for treats at CandyRama, and go for a ride with a bike messenger. You get to see places that aren't open to the public, including the "weather lantern" on the Gulf Building, Henry Clay Frick's private bathroom, and the old chapel in the County Morgue (where many couples went on prom night!) The program is full of surprises and wonderful characters who will convince you that this is a city of outstanding architecture, intriguing stories and hidden treasures.

This somewhat zany travelogue is full of surprising places, friendly people, and lots of unforgettable roadside attractions. Ride along the Lincoln Highway, have breakfast at Lee’s Diner in York! Go underground on the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour near Scranton! Throw bread to the huge carp at the Linesville Spillway!

There's just not enough room in Pittsburgh to keep everything, and we've gotten rid of some things that people miss a lot. But it's definitely fun to be reminded about stuff that's gone. Remember Winky's hamburger joints? All the drive-in theaters that used to be around here? The Gazebo restaurant in Shadyside? Did you ever sit up late listening to Party Line on KDKA radio? Or stop to gawk at the KQV window? Remember when you could wave goodbye at the old Greater Pittsburgh Airport? Or cheer for the Pittsburgh Maulers? Did you know there once were some 17 or 18 inclines in this area? And two great old amusement parks near McKeesport? We celebrate all that and more in this program called Stuff That's Gone. It's a follow-up to WQED's phenomenally successful Things That Aren't There Anymore. It's a blast (Or was that the Coraopolis Bridge?)

Looking in other people’s houses can be fun. And in southwestern Pennsylvania, it doesn’t matter if you live in a city neighborhood like Friendship or in rural Washington County, you can find wonderful houses not far away that reveal much about the history, the culture and the people in this comfy corner of the state. In HOUSES AROUND HERE, we take you to ordinary houses as well as to extraordinary dwellings. We travel up to Chatham Village on Mount Washington, check out some cool old castles in Aspinwall, and find out about the history of Swift Homes that were so successful in the 1950s. We look at some old company towns, including Marianna, PA. Near Prosperity, we stop in at Moon Lorn, an odd sort of country cottage built by the artist Malcolm Parcell, and we visit Henry Clay Frick’s mansion called Clayton to see what we can see. In and around Pittsburgh, the variety of houses, their old charms and their modern quirks, help make this area an interesting, affordable and familiar place to call home.

The Strip District is a delicious old neighborhood in Pittsburgh. On most Saturday mornings, its one of the best places on earth, full of hungry people, crunchy fruits, snappy vegetables, world-class street food, cool characters and tasty surprises of all sorts. This 1996 documentary is a tour of the Strip including big breakfasts, shopping along Penn Avenue and Smallman Street, warehouses, churches and nightclubs, along with some amazing history. Producer Rick Sebak says, "It ends up being a big commercial for the Strip, but the neighborhood deserves lots of loving attention. Its a great, great place."

It’s a show full of ketchup and beer, beautiful houses and ice balls, exotic birds, barbecue and history. It’s the fun of watching while they open one of Andy’s time-capsule boxes at the Warhol Museum. It’s shopping along East Ohio Street. It’s finding out why kids like to go to the Old Post Office building. And it’s marveling at the cosmic impact that stars and telescopes have had on this part of town. The North Side is where all the millionaires used to live, where the Pirates have been playing for years, and where you’ll find some of the most charming neighborhoods on earth. In this fun documentary, WQED’s Rick Sebak takes you to the part of Pittsburgh that until 1907 used to be a separate city called Allegheny.

Whether you live here, shop here, come to eat and drink here or just enjoy people-watching here, the South Side is an unforgettable place, one of the liveliest neighborhoods around. It’s home to a beautiful old Carnegie Library, a great little pretzel bakery and a number of bars and music clubs too. Come along as WQED’s Rick Sebak and his team give a tour of this part of town that’s divided into “flats” and “slopes.” Along the way, we check out some used book stores, visit the huge Terminal Buildings, look for stuff at T&T Hardware, stop for lunch at Cupka’s, take a dip in the Oliver Bathhouse, get a cone at Page Dairy Mart and a coffee at the Beehive. We even spend some time at a South Side Summer Street Spectacular (not there anymore since 2004.)

Whooooooosh! It’s roller coasters! French fries! And lots of good times! It’s a high-flying, double dipped, screeching, squealing, scream-your-eyes-out documentary about one of America’s greatest amusement parks, Kennywood!

Take a big bite of an Oram's Donut. Go for a refreshing swim at Ligonier Beach. Sit and stare at the dinosaur bones at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Oakland. Then you might start to understand some of the enduring charms of western Pennsylvania. The area around Pittsburgh is full of intriguing old places, unusual family-owned businesses, a wacky set of colored "belts" that sometimes circle the city, and lots of other unexpected pieces of our past. In this delightful documentary, WQED's Rick Sebak (producer of the original "Things That Aren't There Anymore") celebrates some interesting old buildings, classic artifacts like Fiesta dinnerware, hand-painted movie posters and assorted other things that have survived in spite of our local civilization. There is ancient evidence of human habitation at Meadowcroft Rockshelter, there are hidden luxuries in Braddock's Carnegie Library, and there are surprises like the Warner Brothers' first movie theater, the old Sewickley Train Station and the Calder mobile that hangs at the Pittsburgh airport. THINGS THAT ARE STILL HERE takes a sly look at some of the quirky old joys of living in western Pennsylvania.

It all started when Mary Schenley donated land for a beautiful wooded park. Soon Andrew Carnegie built a great library and museums nearby. There was a grand hotel, a spectacular greenhouse, and a beloved old ballpark called Forbes Field. We visit the Bug Rooms, the murals and Music Hall at the Carnegie Museums. We race through Schenley Park, stop at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and visit shops along Craig Street.The program is called Something About Oakland because it would be impossible to include everything about this amazing part of town.

This delightful documentary includes twenty-six Amazing, Beautiful, Captivating and Delicious pieces of a great city! The program celebrates (in alphabetical order) a wide variety of topics from Amateur Archaeologists to the Zinging Zaps of the Zambelli's. It's a new view of our Amiably Bedazzling City the only place on earth where "D" can be for Daguerreotypes in Dormont, where "M" may mean Mancini's in McKees Rocks, and where "W" will be Westinghouse in Wilmerding. See the surprises of Soldiers & Sailors, find out about the National Negro Opera Company, Jeeps in Butler County, Kentuck Knob and the Nattering Nabobs of NightTalk. Ride the Rail-trails! Try Tailgating! It's an amusing adventure, a tantalizing tour, a homey history lesson led by popular producer Rick Sebak.

It's a holiday season from Rick Sebak and his jolly crew. When winter arrives, people of Pittsburgh have ways of coping with the gloom. It's a time of parties, shopping, celebrating, going to worship services, renewing friendships and jumping in the frozen river. We look at some of the things that make the end of the year and the start of the new one special times in Western Pennsylvania. It's a joyous, light-filled celebration of hometown happiness.

Maybe we are what we make. We've been as distinctive as Iron City Beer for more than a century. We've been as sweet as Betsy Ann Chocolates for decades. And everybody knows we're as strong as steel and as useful as aluminum too. We find out about rye whiskey, Wolverine toys, Westinghouse air brakes, All-Clad pots and pans, Jensen Steam Engines, and we watch while SONY puts together some of the biggest and best TVs in the world.

Where you live is important. What makes it a pleasant and unforgettable place depends on many factors. In this Pittsburgh History special, producer Rick Sebak and his TV team look for some of the reasons why neighborhoods around here are so memorable, from Aluminum City Terrace in New Kensington to Polish Hill to Collier Township (where the Hi Neighbor! Club has been meeting once a month since 1958.) We check out the incredible Carnegie Library in Homewood, a classic corner grocery store in the Tenth Ward of McKeesport, and a warm and wonderful coffee shop in Highland Park. Come climb the steps that are such important parts of so many area neighborhoods, run around Regent Square, and sample all the sidewalk food at Bloomfield’s Italian Days. See how murals are brightening neighborhoods around the city, how the Lawrenceville House Tour celebrates that section, and why St. Rocco is really special in parts of Aliquippa.

It’s a question with no real easy or definitive answer. There are countless factors that make the Pittsburgh area unusual and charming, distinctive and unique. You’ve got the hills, the valleys and amazing hilltop views. You’ve got three rivers (full of history, Gateway Clipper boats and water.) Any or all of those things could be the answer. Or it might be our engineers who figured out how to make this area work with heavy industry, how to build our bridges, how to generate and distribute electricity. But immigrants were important too. And their Old World cultures and traditions are being preserved and celebrated all over the city by groups like the Western Pennsylvanian Slovak Cultural Association and the St. David’s Society, in places like the Bulgarian-Macedonian Center in West Homestead and the Jozsa Corner restaurant in Hazelwood. Maybe it’s just the simple pleasures of a social club like the WEMCO Club in Homewood. Or the delicious treats to be found in a neighborhood bakery. But Pittsburgh’s also full of surprises like the world’s largest green building and the tiny Natrona Bottling Company, the last pop producer in Allegheny County. And lots of people will tell you “It’s the people!” which may be true, especially when everyone in the city becomes a Steelers fan with traditions, banners and lots of gusto. There are so many factors to consider, and we’ve squeezed as many as we could into this fast and friendly look at one of America’s most beautiful cities.

Ever wonder what's below the surface of western Pennsylvania? Come for a hike into Laurel Caverns, investigate the fabled Fourth River, visit the Bug Rooms at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and zip through several tunnels around here. We ride the T, look under the Dormont Pool, and descend into several basements (including two at Marshall Elevator!) We consider a Pittsburgh potty and follow the sewer to ALCOSAN. You can watch the harvest at Creekside Mushrooms, see some of what's stored at Iron Mountain, and go 600 feet down to meet the coal miners at CONSOL's Bailey Mine in Greene County, among other things. Watch this one on your basement TV.

Yes! Pittsburgh has a long history of being home to some of the best engineers in the world. This documentary celebrates the accomplishments of some of Pittsburgh’s engineers, from 18th century military engineers who designed Fort Pitt to engineering students today who still create sparks of brilliance and innovative solutions to all sorts of problems. Some may take engineers for granted, but in this City of Bridges, we are reminded often of the power and grace and practical advantages that come with good design, continual maintenance, amazing challenges and clever use of resources. What connects Ferris Wheels with state of the art nuclear power plants? Why is there a connection between George Westinghouse and 21st century robotics? What’s the common thread that links John Roebling, Jonas Salk, the Mellon Arena and video games? It’s Pittsburgh’s amazing love and respect for innovation, great engineering and unfettered imagination. Watch this. You’ll see.

The Pittsburgh area is blessed with many rivers, and because each river has two banks, you could say we’re doubly blessed with interesting, historic and surprising things right beside our rivers. In this lively and amusing documentary, producer Rick Sebak and his team travel from Moundsville, West Virginia (home of the Grave Creek Mound and the Official Marx Toy Museum) to Vandergrift, Pennsylvania (with its curved streets and great used bookstore) to Fredericktown (where the old ferry boat still crosses the Monongahela.) We learn about archeologists in Verona, an old family farmhouse beside the Ohio, a hundred-year-old hot dog place in Brownsville, and several spots in between. In Springdale, we visit the Rachel Carson Homestead and then go back for the annual Sustainable Feast there. We pay attention to pylons along the Allegheny and Ohio River Boulevards. And in Ambridge, we marvel at the perfectly preserved historic village of Old Economy. We find out about LSTs, the huge warships that were built along the Ohio during World War II. We check out changes along the Mon Wharf, and all the wonderful joys of the biking and hiking paths that have been established along the riverbanks around Downtown Pittsburgh. We end up in a cemetery right beside the Youghiogheny in West Newton. Come on along. It’s an unpredictable and fun journey.

Not my top 25, just 25,” says WQED producer Rick Sebak at the start of this fast and fun documentary celebrating pieces of Pittsburgh. He takes us for a streetcar ride to Andy Warhol’s grave, points out the often overlooked beauty of our retaining walls, and shows us where we can get some local bubbly water at Pittsburgh Seltzer Works. Then there’s the Steel City Big Pour craft beer festival and Construction Junction. Rick introduces members of the Save Race Street Committee and finds a mosaic octopus in Friendship. He gets invited to a porch party, finds out about the burgers at Tessaro’s, and visits the Carnegie Library, among other places. He meets local house historian Carol Peterson and photographer Mark Pomocki, then spends some time at the ToonSeum before ending up in Rankin at Emil’s Lounge, famous for its fish sandwiches. It’s a bright and quirky look at just over two dozen things that help make Pittsburgh a good and surprising place to live.

Objects can be like keys to the past. Things we decide to keep can be valuable reminders, clues to important as well as personal bits of history. In this documentary special, WQED producer Rick Sebak takes a look at 17 objects that together illustrate a timeline of Pittsburgh from the Fort Pitt Blockhouse to the Three Rivers Bike Racks that are now familiar parts of the city. Some of the objects, like an 18th-century powder horn, a silver tray, and many pieces of rare and beautiful local glass are in museums now. Others like duckpins and Heinz pickle pins and J&L Steel badges are more common but no less interesting. So, we shake a Green Weenie, taste a skinless wiener, and talk about Fort Pitt Beer. We see where a trolley token is still appreciated, and we play with a toy that reminds us of Mister Rogers. There's a rare African-American doll from the 1940s, and a mausoleum key that may outlive us all. It's a fast and often playful look at a few things around here that tell us something about our region.

The Pittsburgh neighborhood that sits at the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers is sometimes called The Golden Triangle, but most residents just call it Downtown. It's city center where all the tall buildings are located, where lots of people now live, work and find amazingly good things to eat.

There’s a world-class masterpiece of landscape architecture in downtown Pittsburgh. As well as good hot dogs. And a new grocery store. A brilliantly hilarious new comedy venue. And Harry Houdini used to come to town with all sorts of stunts.