Trolley Museum given USA Today Readers Choice honors
Brad Hundt
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Chartiers Township has been named the Best Small-Town Museum in USA Today’s annual 10 Best Readers Choice Awards.
It was one of a handful of honors given to museums across the region in the awards. This is the first year the museum was selected for inclusion on the list.
Jeanine DeBor, executive director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, explained in a news release, “We are deeply honored to receive this national recognition along with so many other prestigious small-town museums. This distinction acknowledges the importance of transportation history in our country, specifically the important mission of preserving the trolley era. …”
The Shriver House Museum, a restored family home from the mid-1800s in Gettysburg, is the only other small-town museum from Pennsylvania to place in the top 10 in the category. Some other museums that made the list are the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., and the Frontier Times Museum in Bandera, Texas.
The honorees were chosen by a panel of USA Today editors and industry experts.
Two other museums in the Pittsburgh region also topped their respective lists in the 10 Best Readers Choice Awards.
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh was designated the No. 1 children’s museum in the country. It is the eighth year the museum has found its way into the top 10 in the category. It made it to the top spot after being in second place for three years in a row. Jane Werner, the executive director of the museum, said the No. 1 designation “is equally shared by our dedicated museum team who provide joyful learning experiences each day and the local children and families who bring these experiences to life.”
For the third year in a row, the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District was voted the No. 1 history museum in the country, besting competitors like the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia and the Cincinnati History Museum in Cincinnati.
“This national honor reflects the History Center’s impact in connecting and inspiring communities here in Western Pennsylvania and across the nation,” according to Andy Masich, the History Center’s president and CEO. “As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, there is no better time to engage with our shared past, and we welcome visitors to experience America’s No. 1 history museum this year.”
The Kamin Science Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore landed at No. 3 on the list of the best science museums in the country, with the No. 1 spot going to the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio.
“We’re honored to be featured alongside such an incredible lineup of top-tier science museums,” said Sarah Reichle, a spokeswoman for the Kamin Science Center.