Hidden History of Pittsburgh [Paperback]

When Mark Twain visited in 1884, he claimed to spy a little bit of hell in Pittsburgh's smoky appearance. Twain's observations are among the many riveting firsthand accounts and anecdotes to be found in the archives of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Great War hit home after the sinking of the Lusitania, which carried more than a dozen Pittsburgh residents. A few years later, cheering throngs of black and white residents lined downtown streets to welcome African American soldiers returning home from the conflict. The Ringling Brothers Circus held its last outdoor performance here in 1956 and left eight hundred show workers without jobs in the city. With these stories from the archives and more, veteran journalist Len Barcousky shines a light on the hidden corners of Pittsburgh's history. Len Barcousky's new book Hidden History of Pittsburgh (The History Press, $21.99) is a brisk little tome about lesser-known events in the Steel City's past, as well as the region's connection to history at large. Barcousky, who retired this past fall as a reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is a history buff's history buff, someone with a real dedication to putting history in context in order to better understand it.
After reading Hidden History, I was left with the feeling that there's still a lot of Western Pennsylvania history yet to be uncovered. Hopefully, Barcousky has more stories to share.Kim Lyons, Pittsburgh City Paper