H. John Heinz III
The History Center features the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum and the Library and Archives, and includes six floors of permanent and changing exhibitions that tell the story of Western Pennsylvania. Though it was originally established in 1879, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania opened its current location in the historic Strip District along the Allegheny River on April 28, 1996. It is named for H. John Heinz III, the late U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who died in a 1991 plane crash.