DAVID MCCULLOUGH IN 1987 AT THE TRUMAN LIBRARY IN INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI, WHILE WRITING THE BIOGRAPHY OF HARRY TRUMAN. | PHOTO COURTESY HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

There’s the Presidential Medal of Freedom, two Pulitzer Prize awards, an Emmy Award, book manuscripts, letters from U.S presidents, family photographs and a manual Royal Standard upright typewriter.

These are part of the archive of famed historian and author David McCullough that has been acquired recently by the Heinz History Center.

McCullough, the Pittsburgh native who won Pulitzer Prizes for “Truman” (1993) and “John Adams” (2002), also is considered one of the founders of the modern History Center; officials say he provided “visionary leadership” during the museum’s relocation from Oakland to the Strip District in 1996.

“There would be no Heinz History Center without David McCullough,” Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center, said in a statement. “It’s altogether fitting that the McCullough family has entrusted our organization with preserving David’s legacy and sharing his life’s work with the city and nation he loved so dearly. We envision this archive will be used for future exhibitions, programs, and research for many years to come.”

McCullough, who was born and raised in Point Breeze, died in 2022 at the age of 89. Allegheny County and the History Center in 2013 officially renamed the 16th Street Bridge — which connects the Strip District with the North Side — in honor of McCullough.

Curators and archivists are currently working on processing and cataloguing the archive, which will be available to researchers once the process is complete, said Brady M. Smith, chief communications officer for the center. 

THE ROYAL STANDARD UPRIGHT TYPEWRITER, WHICH MCCULLOUGH USED TO WRITE HIS BOOKS | PHOTO COURTESY HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

“Our father loved Pittsburgh and his deep Pittsburgh roots. He was as proud as could be of the Heinz History Center and his own long-term involvement with the museum,” Dorie McCullough Lawson, David’s daughter, said in a statement. “We are delighted and grateful that his archives have such a distinguished home, as he always liked to recite, ‘Where the Allegheny meets the Monongahela to form the broad Ohio.’ ”

Among the items in the archive is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President George W. Bush awarded to McCullough in 2006. It’s the highest civilian award for a U.S. citizen.

DAVID MCCULLOUGH’S PULITZER PRIZE FOR ‘JOHN ADAMS’ IN THE BIOGRAPHY CATEGORY (2002) | PHOTO COURTESY HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

There are original manuscripts for both of his Pulitzer Prize-winning books as well as for his first book, “The Johnstown Flood,” published in 1968. There are letters to and from U.S. presidents, distinguished government leaders and notable writers. He received an Emmy for his work on the PBS show “Smithsonian World.”

There’s also the typewriter that he used to write his books — the manual Royal Standard upright typewriter.

DAVID MCCULLOUGH IN HARD HAT DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER IN THE STRIP DISTRICT. HE IS CREDITED WITH HELPING TO GET THAT MUSEUM ESTABLISHED. | PHOTO HEINZ HISTORY CENTER

Select materials from the archive will be on display at a special program at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19 to launch “History Matters: Essays on the Importance of the Past,” a book inspired by McCullough’s work. Published by Simon & Schuster, the book is a collection of essays, many of which have not been published. It is edited by Lawson and longtime collaborator Michael Hill. The book also shares McCullough’s advice on writing along with his early influences and inspirations.

During the Nov. 19 program, Lawson and Masich will discuss the book, which is being launched as part of the History Center’s commemoration leading up to the Semiquincentennial, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Availability is limited to the event; Tickets can be purchased on the History Center website here.