Don’t miss our newest exhibit inspired by the tools, tasks and history of airplanes and flying! Children of all ages can imagine themselves as future aviators through hands-on activities including rocket building and launching, a cockpit flight trainer and wearable wings.

The exhibit includes the Black Wings, American Dreams of Flight exhibit featuring a series of historic artifacts that tell the story of how African Americans, despite facing racial barriers, attained great achievements in the world of aviation. 

Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen was created by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in partnership with Hosanna House, Inc.

• Cockpit Flight Trainer: Step into the role of flight captain in the Cockpit Flight Trainer, where you get a pilot’s vantage point complete with control panel, flight videos and a row of actual seats
• Plane and Rocket Building & Launching: Build your own paper airplane or rocket, then use the launcher to fire it through the air to hit the bullseye
• Imagination Mirrors: Try on costumes from various aviation fields, then stand in front of an interactive mirror and play the part!
• Land the Plane Maze: Tilt a large table maze inspired by air traffic control radar to avoid obstacles and guide your “plane” to a safe destination on the landing strip
• Wearable Wings: Build a pair of airplane wings or an entire rocket ship to wear, then “fly” through the sky
• Things that Fly Praxinoscope: Draw anything that flies and make it come to life around a spinning column using this early form of animation

Aim High: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen is presented in Pittsburgh by
PPG Foundation.

Black Wings, American Dreams of Flight is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and made possible by the generous support of MetLife Foundation.

MORE INFORMATION CLICK HERE

Friday, September 26: Special Guest Performance
Saturday, September 27: Walking Tour

All Saturday tours will depart from J&J Spratt Funeral Home, 1612 Third Avenue, New Brighton, PA 15066

The 2025 Underground Railroad Weekend begins Friday, September 26, with a special presentation by historian Eddie Murphy: “Journeying with Harriet Tubman: Selfless, Courageous, Committed.”

The celebration continues Saturday, September 27, with a free two-mile walking tour. Participants will visit seven historic New Brighton sites connected to the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad. At each stop, docents will share powerful stories of courage and resistance.

The New Brighton Historical Society proudly welcomes local historian Eddie Murphy for her special presentation: “Journeying with Harriet Tubman: Selfless, Courageous, Committed.”

Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) remains one of America's most enduring figures. Best known for leading dozens of enslaved individuals to freedom via the Underground Railroad, Tubman was also a dedicated abolitionist, Civil War nurse, Union scout, and tireless advocate for women's rights.

Through vivid storytelling and well-researched historical insight, Murphy will bring Tubman’s extraordinary life to the present day.

This engaging talk marks the opening event of the New Brighton Historical Society’s Fourth Biennial Underground Railroad Weekend, a celebration and exploration of our region’s vital role in the fight for freedom.

About the Presenter
Eddie Murphy, a native of Wellsville, Ohio, returned home after nearly forty years in Southern California, where she built successful careers at Hughes Aircraft Company and UCLA. Now back in the region, she shares her passion for history and storytelling with local communities.

Date:
Friday, September 26, 2025

Time:
7:00–8:30 PM

Location:
New Brighton High School Little Theater
3202 43rd Street
New Brighton, PA  15066

Tickets:
$10

BUY PERFORMANCE TICKETS

The Fourth Biennial Underground Railroad Walking Tour will take place on Saturday, September 27. This two-mile walking tour visits seven New Brighton sites tied to the Abolitionist Movement and Underground Railroad, with docents sharing their history at each stop.

Though small in size, New Brighton played a powerful role in guiding enslaved people to freedom. Thanks to the work of history enthusiasts Odette Lambert and the late Ken Locke, the stories of local abolitionists and the rare surviving landmarks have been preserved for future generations.

Historical information and displays will be available for viewing, as well as refreshments, beverages, and merchandise for sale onsite.

Please Note: The route includes uneven sidewalks and a hill, and is not recommended for individuals using wheelchairs or those who have difficulty walking. Tours will proceed rain or shine, so please dress appropriately for the weather. 

On-street parking only.

Date:
Saturday, September 27, 2025

Time:
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Tours depart every 15 minutes on a first-come, first-served basis.

Location:
All tours begin at J&J Spratt Funeral Home at 1612 Third Avenue, New Brighton, PA 15066

Tickets:
This event is free of charge, though donations are welcomed. Participants are required to sign up for a time slot at registration on the day of the event. Pre-registration is not available.

RSVP TO THE TOUR

Photojournalism is work and it is livelihood, it is craft and it is documentation, it is a way to be in the world and to share the world, it is a way to resist oppression while insisting on the fullness of life.

Black Photojournalism presents work by nearly 60 photographers chronicling historic events and daily life in the United States from the conclusion of World War II in 1945 to the presidential campaigns of 1984, including the civil rights movements through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Drawn from archives and collections in the care of journalists, libraries, museums, newspapers, photographers, and universities, the original work prints in the exhibition were circulated and reviewed in publishing offices before anything went to print. Each one represents the energy of many dedicated individuals who worked to get out the news every single day. One picture leads to another, making visible multiple experiences of history while proposing ways of understanding today as tomorrow is being created.

Responding to a dearth of stories about Black lives told from the perspectives of Black people, Black publishers and their staff created groundbreaking editorial and photojournalistic methods and news networks. During a period of urgent social change and civil rights advocacy, newspapers and magazines, including the Afro American News, Atlanta Daily World, Pittsburgh Courier, Chicago Defender, and Ebony, transformed how people were able to access seeing themselves and their communities. Their impact on the media landscape continues into the digital present.

The exhibition, designed by artist David Hartt, is co-organized by Dan Leers, curator of photography, and Charlene Foggie-Barnett, Charles “Teenie” Harris community archivist, in dialogue with an expanded network of scholars, archivists, curators, and historians.

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