Historical Societies & Commissions

See also Organizations for Historians.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh-Wide Societies

• Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
  http://www.pghhistory.org/
  The Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
  • Library & Archives
    The Library and Archives of HSWP offers a non-circulating collection of materials documenting life in Western Pennsylvania. The Reading Room and collections are located at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, Pa 15222. The website, housed at the University of Pittsburgh Libraries, allows you to search the catalog of materials available at the Library and Archives.

• Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation
  http://www.phlf.org/
  Check here for tours of Pittsburgh and publications about Pittsburgh. Emphasizes the economic and cultural value of historic preservation through its bricks-and-mortar projects, architectural surveys, feasibility studies, educational programs, and publications.
• Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society, Pittsburgh Chapter
  http://pittsburgh.aahgs.org/
  AAHGS is designed to encourage the research, documentation and preservation of African American families. Beginning genealogy classes are offered as well tips on how to overcome "brick walls" in your research. Monthly meetings and annual conferences are open to the public.
• Antique Motor Coach Association of Pennsylvania
  http://www.amcap.org/
  preserves the history of Pennsylvania's and Allegheny County's motor coach heritage.

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Pittsburgh Neighborhood Historical Societies

• Lawrenceville Historical Society
  http://www.lhs15201.org/
  Lawrenceville is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh. The Society offers articles and links about Lawrenceville.
• Manchester Historic Society
  http://www.manchesterhistoricsocietypa.com/
  Manchester, a neighborhood on the north side of Pittsburgh, was designated a National Registered Historic District in 1975 and a City Historic District in 1981. You can learn about their annual House and Garden Tour that is held each summer.
• The Squirrel Hill Historical Society
  http://squirrelhillhistory.org/
  Historical Society for the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill

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Allegheny County

• Allegheny Foothills Historical Society (Plum)
  http://www.plumhistory.org/
  For Plum Borough in the eastern suburbs.
• Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society
  http://www.akvhs.org/
  Covering the valleys of the Allegheny and Kiski Rivers north of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society was founded in 1966. Located in Tarentum, the society maintains a museum and a historical database.
• Crafton Historical Society
  http://www.craftonhistoricalsociety.org/
  Formed in 1987 for Crafton's 1992 Centennial, the Society's membership now nears 100 and the organization has become a key component of the community by offering residents variety of programs, events and educational opportunities.
• Dormont Historical Society
  http://www.dormont-history.com/
  Collects and preserves the history of Dormont Borough, a South Hills suburb
• Elizabeth Township Historical Society
  Information of historical and genealogical value regarding the areas along the Youghiogheny and Monongahela rivers and nearby communities. Specifically, the areas in Allegheny County of McKeesport and Elizabeth Township along the Youghiogheny River and from Elizabeth Boro going toward the City of McKeesport on the easterly side of the Monogahela River.
• Green Tree Historical Society
  Located in the Green Tree Municipal Center
• Mifflin Township Historical Society
  http://www.mifflintownship.org/
  Mifflin Twp Historical Society includes the communites of Clairton, Duquesne, Dravosburg, Hays, Homestead, Jefferson, Lincoln Place, Munhall, Pleasant Hills, West Elizabeth, West Homestead, West Mifflin, and Whitaker
• Monroeville Historical Society
  http://monroevillehistorical.com/
  Maintains the Old Stone Church, McGinley House, McCully House, and the Little Stone Bridge in this suburban community east of Pittsburgh.
• Robinson Township Historical Society
  http://www.townshipofrobinson.com/history.html
  The Robinson Township Historical Society was founded in 1989 with the goal of collecting and preserving information and artifacts related to the history of Robinson Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, which encompasses not only what occurred within its present borders but also its historical borders which includes present-day Thornburg, Rosslyn Farms, Kennedy Township, and Pennsbury Village.
• Sewickley Valley Historical Society
  http://www.sewickleyhistory.org/
  The mission of the Sewickley Valley Historical Society is to promote interest in and to record, collect, preserve, and document the history of the Sewickley Valley
• South Park Historical Society
  http://www.southparkhistoricalsociety.com/
  South Park Township, formerly Snowden Township, is comprised of older, smaller communities including Library, Bruceton, Broughton, Curry, Snowden, Knothole and Piney Fork.
• Steel Industry Heritage Corporation
  http://www.riversofsteel.com/
  A nonprofit organization dedicated to working with communities to conserve, interpret, promote and manage the historic, cultural, natural and recreational resources of steel and related industries in southwestern Pennsylvania

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Southwestern Pennsylvania
(outside of Allegheny County)

• Armstrong History
  http://www.armstronghistory.org/
  An organization of local historical societies (Armstrong County, Apollo Area Historical Society, Brady's Bend Historical Society, Dayton Area Local History Society, Freeport Area Historical Society, Leechburg Area Museum and Historical Society, and Lower Crooked Creek Historical Society) dedicated to preserving Armstrong County history.
• Baltzer Meyer Historical Society
  A non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and study of Old Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania with an emphasis on Southwestern Pennsylvania families. Located in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
• Braddock Road Preservation Association
  http://www.braddockroadpa.org/
  Formerly the Jumonville Preservation Association
  Preserving the site where George Washington fought his first battles during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), where British Major-General Edward Braddock was buried, where lie traces of the first National Road, with its weigh stations, stagecoach stops, and toll houses.

• Butler County Historical Society
  the official historical organization of Butler County founded in 1927.
• Greene County Historical Society
  http://www.greenecountyhistory.com/
  The Green County Historical Society Museum has 52 rooms housing more than 10,000 artifacts, all representing Greene County’s rich history, dating from the early native Monongahela culture to the early 20th Century.
• Ligonier Valley Historical Society
  Maintains the Compass Inn Museum, an authentically restored 1799 stagecoach stop located along Route 30 in Laughlintown and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and sponsors Living History Weekends at the Compass Inn where artisans and re-enactors demonstrate 18th century and early 19th century skills.
• Mercer County Historical Society
  http://www.mchspa.org/
  Located north of Pittsburgh
• Springs Historical Society of the Casselman Valley
  http://www.springspa.org/
  The Springs Historical Society of the Casselman Valley is a non-profit organization which sponsors the Springs Folk Festival, Farmer’s Market, Museum, Public Programs, and annually publishes the Casselman Chronicles, a historical and geneaological journal. Springs is located in Somerset County on Route 669 between Salisbury, Pennsylvania (U.S. Rt. 219), and Grantsville, Maryland (U.S. 40, U.S. I-68).

  Victorian Vandergrift Museum and Historical Society
  http://www.vvmhs.com/
  Vandergrift is located northeast of Pittsburgh.

• Washington County Historical Society
  http://www.wchspa.org/
  Administers 3 museums, sponsors an annual conference, supplements school curricula, maintains a research library.
• Westmoreland County Historical Society
  http://www.starofthewest.org/
  Founded in 1908, the Westmoreland County Historical Society is dedicated to promoting and fostering knowledge, understanding and appreciation of history in general and all aspects of the history of Westmoreland County and its people, including those areas within its former boundaries. Located in Greensburg, east of Pittsburgh.
• Zelienople Historical Society
  http://www.fyi.net/~zhs/
  The Zelienople Historical Society offers a unique collection of genealogical resources, an historic house (Buhl House) of the community's founders, and artifacts.

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania State Library
  Pennsylvania Genealogical/Historical Societies by County:
  • Part I: Adams - Juniata Counties
  • Part II: Lackawanna - York Counties
• Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations:
  http://www.pamuseums.org/
  Contact information for the county historical societies and links to websites where they exist.
• Pennsylvania Heritage Society
  http://www.paheritage.org/
  The Pennsylvania Heritage Society is a revitalized support group for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and is a private nonprofit organization that funds the preservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's history for future generations. It publishes a quarterly Pennsylvania Heritage magazine.
• Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
  http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/
  As the official agency of the Commonwealth for the conservation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage, the Commission oversees the care of historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historic interest; museums; archaeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and the promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history.
• Historical Society of Pennsylvania
  http://www.hsp.org/
  Founded in 1824, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania is the largest independent center for research in Pennsylvania history and the largest genealogy center in the mid-Atlantic region. Since it is located in Philadelphia it tends to specialize in the history of that area. Most of its resources are located in Philadelphia rather than online but it does offer the Philadelphia Historical Digital Image Library in conjunction with Thomas Jefferson University.

United States - Selected State Societies

These are state historical societies that have particularly good resources online.

• Arkansas History Commission
  Includes the State Archives. Their site includes several databases of their holdings and an online collection of photographs.
• Colorado Historical Society
  http://www.coloradohistory.org/
  
• Ohio Historical Society
  http://www.ohiohistory.org/
  Includes various online exhibits, a guide to historical places maintained by the society, and their scholarly journal, Ohio History.
• Texas State Historical Association
  http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/
  Their website includes the Handbook of Texas Online, a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture, comprising more than 23,000 articles on people, places, events, historical themes, institutions, and a host of other topic categories. It is a joint project of The General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas State Historical Association. Use it to answer Texas History Quizzes! And then take a look at their Texas Day by Day. This is a great place to show off the possibilities of the web!
• Vermont Historical Society
  http://www.vermonthistory.org/
  The Vermont Historical Society is a not-for-profit, membership-supported organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Vermont history. It operates a library and museum, has active publishing and educational programs, and sponsors special events.
• Virginia Historical Society
  http://www.vahistorical.org/
  Their website previews some of the current exhibits at their Museum. They also provide the table of contents and some abstracts of their Virginia Magazine of History and Biography.
• Wisconsin Historical Society
  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/
  The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, is both a state agency and a private membership organization. It is charged with collecting, advancing, and disseminating knowledge of Wisconsin and of the trans-Allegheny West. It serves as the archives of the State of Wisconsin. Online it offers a directory of local historical societies in the state, as well as a section for researchers which includes virtual exhibits.