Kaitlyn Ellsworth

Social Studies Local Resources

1. Oliver Miller Homestead

a. 1 Stone Manse Drive, South Park, PA 15129; (412) 835-1554
b. Oliver Miller Homestead is a great historical resource that I can
take advantage of. Oliver Miller was a
person who travelled to America with his
family from Ireland. As he got older, he
played an important role since he was a
Justice of Peace at the time. Many
generations of his family lived there before
it became a tourist attraction. When
students come to Oliver Miller Homestead,
they are able to get a glimpse of what it was like to live back in
the 1700s. They are able to see what it was like to cook,
harvest, and work on the farm. People are dressed up in
costumes like they lived during this time period and explain the
history to students. In the fall, they host the Childrens Harvest
Festival, where children can make dolls, churn butter, write with
a quill, and more. This location is both fun and educational.
2. Fort Pitt Museum
a. 101 Commonwealth Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15222; (412) 454-6304
b. Fort Pitt was built during the American
Revolutionary War. It is a very cool and
historical place because part of the
war was fought at this location, but
also because the very first Peace
Treaty was signed here! This would be
a great place to take my students
because they would have a personal
connection since this is the place they
now call home. It can be used for
social studies instruction because it teaches geography and
history. Students in my classroom could compare what Pittsburgh
was like back then to what it is today. It is a part of the Heniz
History Center.
3. Frick Art and Historical Center
a. 227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15208; (412) 371-0600
b. I remember going on a field trip here when I was in 4th grade and
loved it! Henry Clay Frick was a man who collected art. His house
has been made into a museum where visitors can see pieces of
art collected by the family and throughout Henry Clay Fricks
whole adult life. Not only would students get to see interesting
pieces of artwork, but they would get to learn about the Frick
family and how people from the 20th century lived. There is also a
 greenhouse, as well as a car and
carriage museum. The car and
carriage museum is very interesting
because it shows automobiles that
students have probably never seen
before. Their website has a whole
section on how this place can be
incorporated into the social studies
curriculum and field trips. They
teach about art and history, while
being cross-curricular with other
subjects. If the class is not able to make it in person, the website
also provides videos and lesson plans that teachers can use to
teach the information about the Pittsburgh man. It is really cool
to see that this place is committed to educating children.
4. Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
a. 1 Museum Road, Washington, PA 15301; (724) 228-9256
b. Trolleys became a popular form of
transportation in the 20th century for
people that worked in big cities, but
lived in the outskirts of the city.
Formally known as streetcars, they
eventually diminished due to the use
of automobiles, but eventually made
their way back. The Pennsylvania
Trolley Museum offers field trips and
classroom visits to students in
preschool all the way through 12th grade. This location will give
students an overview of the history of trolleys and transportation
in general. Here, you can go on a tour and get the experience to
ride in a trolley! Children would love this because they might see
their parents riding the T into work, and get to experience a
trolley ride for themselves. They also work to tie standards into
the field trip. It would be a field trip all students would enjoy.
5. Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village
a. 401 Meadowcroft Road, Avella, PA 15312; (724) 587-3412
b. Located in Washington County, Meadowcroft is a recreated
historic village that teaches people what it was like to live in a
rural area during the 19th century. In addition to this exhibit,
there are several more students would be interested in seeing.
Trails to Trains shows the changes of transportation in this region.
Prehistoric Indian Village gives tourists the opportunity to see
what it was like in the Monongahela Indian Village. Finally,
Meadowcroft Rockshelter shows the signs of the first humans to
live here. With all of these different exhibits, there is so much to
explore. There are so many ways that this can be used for social
 studies instruction. First, all of these places date back to different
historical time periods. Through hands-on experiences, students
are able to learn about the types of
lives some of the earliest settlers lived.
There is a classroom of the 19th
century, so students can see what it
was like to go to school then and
compare.
6. The Clemente Museum
a. 3339 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
15201; (412) 621-1268
b. This museum would be a great place
for upper elementary grades to visit.
It is all about famous Pittsburgh
Pirates player Roberto Clemente. The
museum has many photos, articles,
and artifacts written about the
famous baseball player. Although he
was a great baseball player, the
museum ties into social studies and
history because of the way he was treated because of the color
of his skin. The website states the museum is for children that
are a little bit older, so it would be a good place for older
students, like 3rd or 4th graders. This would be a good social
studies lesson during the month of February during Black History
Month or when teaching about Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa
Parks. This could be tied in to a lesson about respect and
equality.
7. Cathedral of Learning Nationality Rooms
a. 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260; (412) 624-6000
b. The Nationality Rooms are a great place to go on for a field trip
for students of all ages. Located
on the University of Pittsburghs
campus, the rooms were designed
to have places that represented
the different cultures seen in
Allegheny County. Today, these
different cultural groups still
support their room. People can go
on a tour of these rooms to learn
about different cultures and conuntries.When these rooms are
not being used for tours, college students have classes in them.
Students would love the opportunity to get the college
experience in elementary school. This resource clearly links to a
social studies unit because students are learning about different
cultures and their history. There is a lot of educational value.
8. The Rachel Carson Homestead
a. 613 Marion Avenue, Box 46, Springdale, PA 15144; (724) 274-
5459
b. Rachel Carson was born in the
early 1900s and resided in
Springdale, Pennsylvania, which is
just outside of Pittsburgh. In this
house, Rachel found a love and
appreciation for the woods and the
outdoors in the house that she
lived in up until she graduated
from college. The land was
purchased by a teacher at the
local high school, and once Rachel
became a well-known author and environmental advocate, they
decided to turn the house into a historical landmark. Since this
place is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it would
be a local resource for social studies. Students would love to
explore the old building as they learn about a piece of local
history. This history lesson could be cross-curricular with science
since Rachel was passionate about the environment.
9. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
a. 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213; (412) 622-3131
b. This fascinating museum
discusses a part of history from a
different perspective. This place
can serve as a cross-curricular
field trip with science because it
is a museum dedicated to the
history of the natural world. From
butterflies, dinosaurs, artifacts,
minerals, and gems, students
could see what some of the first
animals were like, how they
lived, and about extinction. A lot
of students in the PreK- 4th grade age range love animals. They
would be learning about an important historical topic while
having fun. I think it is good to cover more than one content area
in one trip, so students are learning a lot and gaining a lot of
educational experience.
10. Bushy Run Battlefield
a. 1253 Bushy Run Road, Jeannette, PA 15644; (724) 527-5584
b. In the summer of 1763, Pontiac War was fought on this land in
Westmoreland County. This fight is responsible for the the
confrontation of the Indians and the British. It ties into the Fort
Pitt Museum because it prevented Fort Pitt from being captured.
It would be really interesting if students could visit this site first,
then the Fort Pitt Museum. It fits in as a local resource for social
studies because it focuses on an
important historical event. Their
website has a section dedicated to
field trips. Students can go on tours,
and they can watch reenactments.
This would give students a unique
and different perspective on history.