Mt. Washington view (photo by Pamela E. Walck)

Welcome from the Conference Hosts

As members of the local host committee, we cannot wait to welcome everyone to Pittsburgh, the City of Champions, for the 43^rd annual AJHA convention, Oct. 3-5, 2024.

Although Pittsburgh has long been a sports town, there is so much more to this colonial-era city than brawn and steel, including:

• Fueling the Whiskey Rebellion and telling Alexander Hamilton to take his taxes and shove it;
• Introducing the world to adventure journalist Nellie Bly;
• Producing the world’s first sports radio broadcast;
• Creating thousands of Rosie the Riveters in factories across the region while serving as one of the nation’s arsenals for democracy;
• Presenting Mr. Rogers and his wonderful neighborhood to children all over the world;
• Saving lives through the invention of CPR and the nation’s first ambulance services;
• Contributing science, medicine, and steel to the space program since NASA's founding; and 
• Reinventing what it means to live in a “Rust Belt” city. 

Oh, and these are just a few of the city’s many accomplishments. To say Pittsburghers are proud of their place in U.S. and world history would be an understatement.

At the same time, a lot has changed since the last time AJHA came to town! 

For members who were here back in 1996, you may not recognize the place! For those who are coming for the first time, welcome! The local host committee is pleased to introduce a new generation of media historians to this amazing city of rivers and steel that we feel privileged to call home.

We hope you enjoy your time. Come early (trust us, you will want to!) or stay later (it will be worth it!).

— Pamela E. Walck (Duquesne) and Katrina Jesick Quinn (Slippery Rock)

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah 

Shana tovah! Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, will be celebrated Oct. 2-4, 2024. 

Pittsburgh boasts of a strong Jewish community dating back to 1755, with some of the city’s earliest immigrants settling in the Hill District before making permanent homes in Squirrel Hill, Oakland, and throughout Allegheny County. (For researchers interested in the Jewish press, the Heinz History Center’s archive includes an extensive collection of the Jewish Chronicle from 1930-2012 and a large collection of archives from Jewish families who made Western Pennsylvania their home, including many families who fled Europe during the Holocaust.)

For members of the Jewish faith who would like to attend services here in Pittsburgh, Congregation Beth Shalom, at 5915 Beacon Street in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, can provide a pass upon request (no meal). Please contact Robert E. Gleiberman, executive director, at (412) 421-2288 x 226 or rgleiberman@bethshalompgh.org. 

Another synagogue nearby is the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Congregation Beth Shalom welcomed the Tree of Life congregants in the aftermath of the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting that killed eleven people. Notably, Paula Reed Ward, our Donna Allen Award winner, won her Pulitzer Prize for coverage of this incident.

The AJHA board of directors has formally apologized for this oversight in scheduling the conference at the same time as this Jewish High Holiday, and they are taking steps to make sure it does not happen again. 

Explore Pittsburgh 

You also can explore the host region and its history at the following sites:

Point State Park

With a downtown nestled around the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers—which form the Ohio River—Pittsburgh dates back to 1758 when it was an outpost of the American colonies and a critical fort during the French & Indian War. Visitors can still walk the outline of the original Fort Pitt, recreated as a marble tracery on the Great Lawn at Point State Park or stop in at the Fort Pitt Museum, which is operated by the Sen. John Heinz History Center to learn more about the region’s critical history during the French & Indian War.

Photo credit Dustin McGrew Visit Pittsburgh

Sports Stadiums

For sports fans, there is plenty to see. Pittsburgh is home to three professional teams: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Penguins. The Steelers’ facility features a Hall of Fame museum in Acrisure Stadium, where visitors can relive the storied 90-year history of the city’s football team. Additionally, visitors can tour PNC Park, which is in the Top 5 Top Major League ballparks according to USA Today. Additionally, hockey fans can tour PPG Paints Arena, home of the Penguins.

Photo credit VisitPittsburgh

Carnegie Museums

Pittsburgh is home to a collection of museums that cover a wide range of subjects, from science and natural history to classic artwork and the mid-century work of a city son, Andy Warhol. Two of the museums, the Carnegie Science Center and the Andy Warhol Musuem are within easy walking distance to downtown. The Carnegie Museum of Art and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, both located in Oakland, feature extensive collections in some of the city’s buildings dating back to the Gilded Age. All four facilities still utilize timed-ticket entry, so advance purchases are highly recommended.

Andy Warhol Museum. Photo credit Aimee Edmondson

Frick Museum and Gardens

Speaking of the Gilded Age, visitors can learn the history of the Frick family by touring their Pittsburgh home and viewing the art collection Helen Frick amassed over her lifetime by visiting the Frick Museum and Gardens, just a few miles from Oakland. Visitors wishing to tour the house should book tickets in advance, but can also take a leisure stroll through the gardens or stop at the cafe for a snack before stopping in at the Car and Carriage Museum.

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning

While in Oakland, make sure to check out the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. Schedule a tour of the Nationality Rooms, designed to celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage from literally across the globe, or take the elevator to the 36th floor to catch sweeping views of Pittsburgh from every direction. 

Strip District, home of the Heinz History Center (historic tour site)

If early U.S. history and imbibing is your jam, make plans to visit Wigle Whiskey in the Strip District and reconnect with Pittsburgh’s rich history—and the critical role the city played in both whiskey production in the American colonies and the Whiskey Rebellion. Visitors can schedule a tour (these sell out quickly so book well in advance!) on Saturdays where they can learn all about the distilling process, sample the wares, and discover the importance of whiskey in Western Pennsylvania—both then and now.

The Strip District also features the original Primanti Brothers’ restaurant, excellent shops, markets, and the historic Strip District Terminal, which was renovated and now features an Asian Food Hall, Shake Shack, City Winery, Puttshack, and a lot more.

Duquesne Incline

Put on your walking shoes and catch the Duquesne Incline from Station Square to Mount Washington, where for $5 round-trip (cash only!) you can ride up the mountainside like it’s 1877. Once up on Mount Washington, you can walk along Grandview Avenue and catch spectacular views of downtown Pittsburgh while enjoying fabulous restaurants. Walk the full 2.3 miles to the end of Grandview Avenue and you can glimpse a young George Washington staring down the Seneca leader Guyasuta. The larger-than-life statue has a fantastic view of downtown and is across the street from Monterey Bay Fish Grotto (just make sure you get reservations well in advance of the conference because this establishment books out weeks in advance.)

Photo credit Aimee Edmondson

Gateway Clipper 

If traveling on water is more your thing, check out the wide selection of river cruises offered by the Gateway Clipper Co., located across the Monongahela River from downtown, at Station Square. These cruises are offered Friday through Sunday and give visitors a chance to leisurely view the city from the perspective of the three rivers.