Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall offering Experience Kits
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One thing I appreciate more and more the longer I live in Allegheny County is our region’s connection to its rich history. Here in Carnegie, examples abound, from the beautiful Library & Music Hall building where I’m lucky to spend my workdays, to the dedicated volunteers who run our Historical Society, to the name of our borough itself — a tribute to 19th-century industrialist Andrew Carnegie.
As I’ve learned more about the history of the area, some of the best resources I’ve found have been the museums of Western Pennsylvania. Many of us are already familiar with the big names in Pittsburgh: the Andy Warhol Museum, the Carnegie Science Center, the Mattress Factory. But there are a few lesser-known gems out there as well — and now, you can visit them for free!
The Carnegie Carnegie is pleased to offer a collection of Experience Kits for checkout. Each kit includes an admission ticket that will allow up to four attendees to visit one of nine different local museums. You’ll call us at 412-276-3456 to reserve your kit; pick it up from the library on a Tuesday (or later in the week); keep it through the weekend; and return it to us by the end of Monday for the next patron to check it out.
It makes for a wonderful and affordable family outing, and you may be surprised by what you learn about our region.
One of the most amazing local tales that I’ve recently discovered is the story of the Quecreek Mine Miracle Rescue. In July of 2002, nine miners were trapped in a 240-foot deep mine for traumatic hours. It took a massive rescue effort — one of the largest in Pennsylvania history — to save these workers, but with teamwork, ingenuity and determination, all nine of them made it safely to the surface. Check out the library’s Quecreek Mine Experience Kit, and you’ll get to see the site of the daring rescue, hear the story from people directly involved in the operation and even touch the rescue capsule that hauled the miners to safety.
Another unique experience can be found with our Lincoln Highway Experience Kit. Check out this kit and you’ll be whisked back to 1913 and the birth of transcontinental highways, when Model T’s owned the roadways. Filling stations, tourist cabins, and motor courts were popping up everywhere, catering to the thousands of Americans who were taking to the roads for the first time. Revisit the past at the Lincoln Highway Experience Museum — each visitor can even enjoy a free slice of pie and cup of coffee at the museum’s vintage diner. Come to think of it, why don’t more museums offer free pie?
These are only a few of the museums you can visit with our Experience Kits — we also offer free passes to the Heinz History Center, Fort Pitt Museum, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, the Captain William Vicary Mansion, the McKeesport Regional Historical and Heritage Center, and the Zelienople Historical Society and Passavant House.
You can learn more at www.CarnegieCarnegie.org, or by calling the library at 412-276-3456. Get to know your local history — reserve an Experience Kit today.