Brian Butko

I write about roadside Americana and pop culture — books on diners, roadside attractions, amusement parks, the Lincoln Highway, and Isaly's Dairy, inventors of the Klondike bar.

I also oversee publishing at the Heinz History Center, with books ranging from our Italian American Collection to a children's look at famed Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski, from African Americans in the Vietnam era to speaking Pittsburghese, plus books of my own such as the amazing men and woman at Bettis Field, Pittsburgh's first major airport in the 1920s.

I'm writing a big book on Kennywood Park (3rd of a trilogy) plus the fun story of four Eagle Scouts in 1928 crossing the U.S. in the back of a real REO Speedwagon, and ... DRUM ROLL! ... my first novel, a haunted mystery that stretches from the 1890s to 2010, when a new highway unleashes old ghosts. Thanks for all your help and support!