00:14 - Hi I'm Andy Masich president here at the Heinz history center

00:18 - in Pittsburgh i'm also a

00:21 - commissioner

00:22 - on the America250PA commission

00:25 - and

00:26 - we've got a lot of things going this year twenty twenty

00:29 - six it's the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary

00:33 - of the united states

00:34 - and a lot of that history

00:36 - was made right here in Pennsylvania

00:38 - here in Pittsburgh

00:40 - we have a bell

00:41 - one of the

00:43 - bells across PA project

00:46 - this was done by

00:47 - Scott saloni

00:48 - a local artist

00:50 - it was sponsored by Paul Gitnick

00:53 - and you can see that it depicts

00:55 - the city of Pittsburgh at the three rivers Pittsburgh was

01:01 - built right where George Washington said it should be built

01:04 - in seventeen fifty three when he was a twenty one year old

01:09 - young Virginian

01:10 - exploring in the west that

01:12 - he saw those three rivers the monongahela the allegheny and the Ohio come together

01:18 - and he said

01:19 - somebody ought to build a fort

01:21 - right here

01:22 - and they'll control the western waters

01:25 - well

01:26 - that's what happened then

01:27 - and

01:28 - Pittsburgh became

01:29 - a river city historian

01:32 - David McCullough would always say

01:34 - Pittsburgh is the essential American city

01:38 - if you can understand the history of Pittsburgh

01:41 - you can understand the American experience

01:44 - that's what we try to do here at the heinz history center

01:48 - we have three hundred and fifty thousand square feet of

01:52 - exhibits we do programs

01:54 - many of them this year

01:56 - are related to

01:57 - america's

01:58 - two hundred and fiftieth

02:00 - anniversary.

02:01 - If you come with me you'll see other things here

02:05 - you'll see a Pittsburgh trolley

02:07 - you can actually go on it

02:09 - here in our great hall

02:11 - you'll see the largest canon ever cast in the history of america

02:16 - it was during the civil war

02:18 - you'll also see

02:19 - the first stainless steel car

02:22 - that is right in nineteen thirty six

02:24 - stainless steel was called the allegheny metal

02:27 - because allegheny county was the only place it was made

02:31 - you'll also see

02:33 - the heinz hitch

02:34 - the

02:35 - wagon that hj heinz used

02:38 - to build his food empire.

02:41 - Heinz fifty seven it says on the

02:44 - the side

02:45 - we also have things from the Smithsonian institution here at the history center

02:51 - including

02:52 - the first Jeep

02:53 - in the history of the world

02:55 - who know that during world war two.

02:58 - The Jeep was developed right here in Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh

03:03 - it was actually

03:04 - Butler Pennsylvania

03:05 - just north of Pittsburgh

03:07 - and

03:08 - this Jeep

03:09 - is

03:10 - the oldest Jeep on planet earth

03:13 - it's on loan from the Smithsonian institution

03:16 - and you can see

03:17 - it looks a lot like

03:18 - other jeeps but this is the prototype it is the first one.

03:23 - Also here in the great hall

03:25 - you'll see the first fire engine in Pittsburgh

03:28 - this is a nineteen eleven

03:30 - fire engine with hard rubber tires

03:33 - it replaced

03:34 - horse drawn fire equipment

03:36 - and you'll also see

03:37 - a conestoga wagon

03:40 - built in eastern Pennsylvania

03:42 - those

03:42 - early pioneers had to cross

03:45 - the

03:45 - allegheny mountains

03:47 - to get here to Pittsburgh at the confluence of the three rivers.

03:52 - I hope to see you all

03:53 - here in Pittsburgh

03:55 - during the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary celebrations

03:59 - America250PA

04:02 - it's something to be proud of.