HEINZ HISTORY CENTER AFFILIATION

Heinz History Center AffiliationIn 2013, the Donora Historical Society joined the Heinz History Center's - History Center Affiliate Program (HCAP). Since then, we've worked on numerous projects together, most of which are listed below:
  • October 2012 - Brian Charlton presented at the Heinz History Center as part of the Environmental Teen Town Hall & National Youth Summit on the Dust Bowl by Ken Burns with a live webcast with the Smithsonian Institution.
  • September 2013 - Brian Charlton wrote an article for the Heinz History Center's Western PA History magazine titled, "Cement City: Thomas Edison's Experiment With Worker's Housing In Donora." The magazine can be found on our Cement City page.
  • Fall of 2013 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling". The result was the video found on our 1948 Smog page titled, "A Town Called Donora".
  • October 2013 - Heinz History Center helped organize and staff our first Environmental Conference titled, “Commemorating the 1948 Donora Smog Disaster -- a seminal moment in environmental history”.
  • March 2014 - we hosted a group of Heinz History Center docents for a special Cement City Home and Walking Tour, as well as lunch and a tour of the Smog Museum.
  • Spring 2014 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling". The result was the video found on our Cement City page titled, "Cement City: A Digital Story".
  • September 2014 - as part of the HCAP Affiliate Ambassador's series, Brian Charlton presented "Donora and the 1948 Air Quality Crisis" at the Heinz History Center that was filmed and aired by C-SPAN and can still be seen via our 1948 Smog page.
  • October 2014 - Heinz history Center helped organize and staff our second Environmental Conference titled, "1948 Smog: Digital Storytelling".
  • Fall 2014 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling". The result was the video found on our Cement City page titled, "Cement City: The Initial Proposal".
  • March/April 2015 - hosted the Heinz History Center's traveling Civil War Exhibit for six weeks.
  • Spring 2015 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class. The result was editing this website.
  • August 2015 - Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum featured in Heinz History Center's Western PA History Magazine - Summer 2015 in their HCAP Spotlight article.
  • December 2015 - helped the Heinz History Center receive a national award from the American Association for State and Local History for the traveling Civil War Exhibit.
  • September 2016 - submitted a project application on "Digital Storytelling" with the Heinz History Center and Cal U of PA to the Appalachian Studies Conference to be held in 2017 at Virginia Tech University.
  • March 2017 - presented "Digital Storytelling" with the Heinz History Center and Cal U of PA to the Appalachian Studies Conference at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA.
  • March 2017 - awarded the Heinz History Center travelling WWII Exhibit for February 1 to April 7, 2020.
  • Fall 2017 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." You can read about it here in a Herald-Standard article titled, "Cal U honors student's premier digital stories on regional historic sites."
  • April 2018 - presented "Cement City" with the Heinz History Center and University of Pittsburgh's Osher Adult Continuing Education classes.
  • Fall 2018 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." Two class groups. WWII theme.
  • April 2019 - presented "Stan 'The Man' Musial" with the Heinz History Center and University of Pittsburgh's Osher Adult Continuing Education classes.
  • Spring 2019 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." One class group - two featured stories.
  • Feb/March/April 2020 - hosted the Heinz History Center's traveling WWII Exhibit for nine weeks.
  • Fall 2021/Spring 2022 - participated in the “Civic Empathy through History” Project for a permanent display at the Smog Museum.
  • Fall 2021 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." One class group - two featured stories.
  • Fall 2022 - launched the “Civic Empathy through History” Project with a permanent display at the Smog Museum.
  • Fall 2022 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." Two class groups - Steelworker's Children and Bruce Dreisbach.
  • Spring 2023 - HCAP sponsored program with Cal U of PA Honors English class titled "Digital Storytelling." One class group - ??????????.
  • Spring 2023 - finished the “Civic Empathy through History” Project with a virtual display on the Heinz History Center's website.
To Donate to the Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum, please use our PayPal option to the right.
If you would like to add a note along with your donation, please consider sending an email to:donorahistoricalsociety@gmail.com