Grand Reopening Set for Heritage Center

Newly expanded museum will welcome public this weekend

By Stacy Alderman
The Tube City Almanac
July 31, 2025
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

New displays at the museum in Renziehausen Park place historic McKeesport items in their original settings, such as this area representing a typical 1930s home. (Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center)

Tim Kunes has only been the executive director of the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center since March, but his first few months have been a whirlwind of activity.

A McKeesport native, Kunes retired from teaching in 2023 but soon grew restless. The urge to go back to work led him to the History & Heritage Center where his goal is to get the organization back in the forefront of the community’s mind.

Since taking his new role, Kunes has worked alongside board members and volunteers to prepare the museum in Renziehausen Park for its grand re-opening — including a new 3,500-square-foot exhibit space putting many of its treasures on public display for the first time.

“This reopening is a big step forward for us,” Kunes said. “So we want to put together presentations of all kinds.”

He is especially hopeful that they can reach students and the younger population. “It gets them thinking about our history and how it matters to them on a personal level.”

The newly expanded museum will feature photos, donated items on display and a variety of presentations on subjects ranging from the historical meeting between George Washington and Queen Aliquippa, leader of the local indigenous tribes, to McKeesport’s industrial contributions and notable local figures in entertainment and pop culture.

Kunes is quick to give credit to the people who are dedicating their nights and weekends to bring these visions to life. He gave a heartfelt shout out in particular to center board members Andrea Cartwright and Ron Minnicks — the latter of whom came into the center to buy a t-shirt one day and ended up becoming one of the fourteen board members.

“We are so thankful for the generous support of others and the assistance of volunteers,” Kunes said. “And the Center doesn't receive federal funding, so we're always looking for more support and volunteers who can dedicate their time.”

(Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center)

Angelia Olson, who’s been volunteering with McKeesport-based organizations since 2008, started working part-time for the Center in the spring. She mainly works with the archives, but as a self-dubbed “Chaos Corrector” gets involved with everything from cleaning to painting. 

“I’ve done whatever’s needed to get us ready for the reopening,” she said.

The new wing includes mockups of scenes that depict life in the Mon Valley area as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries, including a set of rooms from a 1930s home that includes a kitchen and parlor featuring old radios, sewing machines and glassware.

Madonna Frederick, who’s been volunteering at the center for 19 years, is the collections manager, and her primary role is to handle donated items and artifacts for use in the museum’s displays.

“I’m excited about the whole museum,” she said. “But my favorite is the kitchen, mainly because it reminds me of what my mother’s kitchen looked like when I was a little kid.”

(Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center)

In the other parts of the center, guests will learn about McKeesport’s infamous Brick Alley (a street notorious as the home of multiple houses of prostitution), see artifacts from old Downtown department stores and a scale model of U.S. Steel’s National Tube Works.

There are rooms dedicated to McKeesport natives who went on to succeed in sports, the arts and entertainment, and the center also pays homage to local police and fire departments.

With the opening of the new exhibit space, Kunes said the organization’s board is looking to re-introduce the Heritage Center to the Mon Valley community. 

In addition to expanding its internship program, Kunes and center volunteers and staff are active on social media, have updated the center’s website, and are making as many connections as they can via the media and word-of-mouth.

“We also need people with all different skill sets to help with advertising, web design, computer programming, grant writing,” he said. “We’re always seeking individuals who may be interested in sponsoring these interns with a stipend. It would be great to set up a program where we could name an internship or scholarship in memory of someone.”

(Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center)

The heritage center, founded in 1980, is also gearing up to launch a series of community programs, including self-defense classes for senior citizens, how-to sessions on genealogy research, book talks by local writers, and an upcoming presentation on Dutch Renaissance artist Vermeer, who has surprising ties to Pittsburgh.

Kunes is also talking to local school districts about visiting the re-opened and expanded museum. So far, 18 schools have been in contact, and Kunes and his team are also reaching out to colleges and universities to find history interns.

Regular hours are Tuesday and Thursday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The museum facility is also available to rent for conferences, reunions, and small parties. For more information, visit them at mckeesportheritage.org and on social media.

Frederick enthusiastically confirmed that they’re always accepting donations, and a committee meets once a month to decide which pieces are relevant and could be added to the displays.

Olsen said she found the Brick Alley history “fascinating” and that she also enjoyed looking at photo collections of Gothic buildings that used to occupy the area but were torn down during urban development in the 1950s and ’60s.

“If anyone’s interested in learning more about this area and its history, I highly recommend they stop in on Sunday, Aug. 3rd for our program, Boom to Bust and Beyond,” she said. “You’ll learn a lot in a span of two hours.”

Stacy Alderman is a White Oak-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in Heather Christie's Love Notes, THEMA Literary, inScribe Journal, Minerva Rising, and several others. She is the recipient of the Children of Steel fiction award.

Originally published July 31, 2025.

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