Exploring the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum

On April 20, three PHLF docents—Ed Horan, Bob Loos, and Al Stanish—opened the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum in the Family Law Center on Ross Street for teams from the Building Owners & Managers Association’s Mid-Atlantic Conference that were competing in Pittsburgh: An Amazing Place to Race!

Teams of four to five participants traveled through downtown Pittsburgh visiting 19 sites to learn about places such as the Union Trust Building, PPG Place, and the Family Law Center, now housed in what was Pittsburgh’s historic Allegheny County Jail. At the end of the day, volunteers joined the racers at the top of the U.S. Steel Tower for a magnificent view and refreshments.

Leading the Jail Museum Tours were:

Ed Horan, a retired downtown businessman, has been a docent with PHLF since 2007. In his printing business, Ed worked closely with PHLF, so becoming a volunteer docent was an easy segue for retirement activities. Ed’s primary focus for tours is the Jail Museum and Allegheny County Courthouse.

Bob Loos, a retired draftsman, is the lead docent at the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum and opens the museum for free public tours on Mondays, February through October, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bob has been a docent with PHLF since 1996. Besides the Jail Museum, Bob leads PHLF tours for students and adults in the Pittsburgh region and presents illustrated lectures at conferences and social meetings.

Al Stanish, retired educator, recently became a PHLF docent. Al’s primary focus for tours is the Jail Museum and downtown Pittsburgh, for both student and adult groups.