New exhibit about Henry Clay Frick opens at West Overton Village
West Overton Village and Museum in Scottdale is presenting the exhibit “Springhouse to Steel Mill: The Early Years of Clay Frick,” opening on Sunday.
Located in the Springhouse where he was born, this exhibition explores Henry Clay Frick’s time growing up in West Overton and establishing his coal and coke business in Westmoreland and Fayette counties. Known as “Clay” to family and friends, Frick became one of the most successful industrialists in the Pittsburgh region and beyond.
The exhibition draws from various primary and secondary sources, including scrapbooks, diaries, correspondence, newspaper articles, reports, and other documents to bring to light Frick’s early years. It follows Frick as he grew up, navigating grave illnesses and earning a limited education. Most importantly, it illustrates how Frick’s entrepreneurial family members were key to his success.
The new exhibit also explores how the coal and coke industry reshaped communities and cultures of southwestern Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Frick’s coal mines and coke works attracted thousands of immigrant and American workers whose descendants still call southwestern Pennsylvania home today. The exhibit also calls attention to issues that shaped the labor movement in the 19th century, such as the Morewood Massacre, Mammoth Mine Disaster, and the Homestead Strike.
The exhibit features reproduction photographs, documents, maps, and newspaper clippings, along with an original sign from the H. C. Frick Coke Company.
“We are proud to bring focus to Clay’s roots and childhood. Many people have heard of Henry Clay Frick but actually know very little about who he was,” says Aaron Hollis, co-executive director of West Overton Village and Museum. “Plus, the Springhouse was underutilized in the experiences we offer, so this project gave us the opportunity to not only clarify details about his life but also to preserve the building in which he was born.”
The exhibit will be open for free during the museum’s regular hours on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information, go online to westovertonvillage.org or call 724-887-7910.