William R. Huber - George Westinghouse: Powering the World

In 1987, volunteers and former Westinghouse employees established the George Westinghouse Museum in the former Westinghouse Air Brake General Offices (The Castle) in Wilmerding, Pennsylvania. In 1998, the Westinghouse Electric Company donated a portion of its corporate records to the George Westinghouse Museum and another part to the Detre Library and Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

In 2007, the George Westinghouse Museum closed, and its collection of Westinghouse documents, photographs, and memorabilia moved to the Detre Library and Archives. With 210 boxes (238 linear feet) and oversized materials, the Detre Library holds the most extensive collection of Westinghouse-related material in the world. In short, the Detre Library and Archives is the primary destination for any Westinghouse researcher. Because George Westinghouse himself kept almost no papers or letters, that avenue of inquiry was barren. So the Detre Library became my primary source for Westinghouse documents and photographs.

With the expert aid of Mary Jones, Chief Librarian, and Liz Wright, Librarian, I searched and photographed the relevant portion of the holdings at Detre. As is the case with librarians everywhere, Mary and Liz were patient, helpful, and knowledgeable.

Another librarian provided specific information about George Westinghouse III, son of George and Marguerite. Despite the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Bill Landis, Associate Director for Public Services, Manuscripts and Archives at the Yale University Library, was able to fill in the gaps regarding George IIIs time at Yale.

The contemporaneous Westinghouse biographies of Leupp (1919) provided essential references. They captured the essence of the man but were far too close in time to evaluate his lasting impact.

What is on paper reveals only part of the story. In-person visits to locations relevant to George Westinghouse, his family, and associates uncovered hidden aspects.

John Graf, President and CEO of the Priory Hospitality Group, generously allowed us (my wife and me) to tour The Castle in Wilmerding. Guiseppe Provenza, Priorys Director of Facilities, was our tour guide and permitted us to go everywhere in the impressive building. Just seeing the street names in Wilmerding (Marguerite, George, Herman, Sprague) recalled its glory days.

After an alfresco lunch, we toured the house and grounds at Clayton, Henry Clay Fricks estate. Seeing the breakfast table where Frick, Westinghouse, and their friends played poker breathed life into the verbal descriptions.

Breakfast and poker table in Henry Clay Fricks home, Clayton (courtesy Dawn Brean at The Frick Pittsburgh).

A visit to Westinghouse Park, where once stood the Westinghouse home, Solitude, made it clear how close the Pennsylvania Railroad main line was to the house. But it also revealed the transitory nature of mans structures and accomplishments. Without the historical marker proclaiming the Westinghouse Gas Wells, a stranger would have no clue what transpired there.

The Westinghouse Memorial, in a quiet glen adjacent to where I had often played golf in Schenley Park, disclosed the broad scope of Westinghouses interests and the high esteem in which his employees held him.

Crossing the George Westinghouse Memorial Bridge on Route 30, as I had done so many times in my college years, caused me to realize how industrialized the Turtle Creek valley wasWestinghouse Air Brake, Westinghouse Electric, Westinghouse Machine, and Carnegies Edgar Thomson steel plant lined the creek and adjacent Monongahela River for miles.

My regular cadre of reviewers, my wife Angie, Bill Reed, Virgil Koning, Carol Cherne, and Carl Lewis Wagner, provided their always insightful comments and critiques.

Then, while searching for some obscure Westinghouse fact, I stumbled on an article by David Bear. It turned out that David, a retired editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , lives adjacent to Westinghouse Park and has a wealth of knowledge about Westinghouse and his family. He kindly agreed to review and edit my manuscript, and, of course, did a professional job. Even more important, he suggested additional lines of research, provided insights that I had missed, and introduced me to other people with specialized knowledge of George Westinghouse, including a few Westinghouse descendants. Davids interest in photography led me to two experts, Harvey Butts and Jim Albright, who contributed beautiful and unique photographs of Pittsburgh.

I have found that the best way to learn about a subject, especially a historical figure, is to write a book. I hope that I have transformed what I learned about the life of George Westinghouse into a book that will educate and entertain you.