Pittsburgh and the Great Migration: Black Mobility and the Automobile

Car and Carriage Museum

May 6, 2023 - Feb 4, 2024

Members: Free
Adults: $10
Seniors, students, and military: $9
Youth 17 and under: Free
PA EBT Access card users: $1

The automobile transformed the American landscape, and in doing so, it changed the lives of Black Americans. Two million African Americans courageously fled the South during the first wave of the Great Migration from 1916 to 1945. Pittsburgh neighborhoods like the Hill District became a haven for Black communities to thrive.

Buying a car was one of the first steps many took as they transitioned into the middle class. For Black Americans, buying a car in the mid-20th century was more than a symbol of making it; the automobile provided freedom of mobility.

Pittsburgh and the Great Migration will feature well-known favorites such as the 1914 Ford Model T Touring Car and a 1922 Lincoln Model L. You'll also step back in time with period costumes and memorabilia.