Category Archives: History

What we already know, but needed Google to show others – People like living in Pittsburgh

Well we here at I heart PGH already know that people like living in Pittsburgh. The great parts of Pittsburgh are finally gaining some national attention with Google’s explaination for why they are opening an office in Pittsburgh.
Post-Gazette article: Google coming because local talent likes it here

Of course people like living here and it is just great that quality of life and talent are attracting a major national company to open a facility here. What a great statement for Pittsburgh and hopefully Pittsburgh will continue to attract and cultivate great companies so that more people can come to love PGH!

Finding out the History of Your House

HousesSo, have you ever wondered why you would reeeeally look through those dusty books at the recorder of deeds office? Well, if you’re interested in finding out the history of your house, you can march right up to the Allegheny County Office Building downtown and request the history of the transactions on your property. Other ways to find out the history of your home include census records – the census has been taken every year since 1790, and older records are available at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Many city neighborhoods weren’t even incorporated well into the 20th century, so your house may have even been farmland a mere 100 years ago.

Who knows? Maybe your house was the former abode of a 1920s wiseguy politician, a baseball player from the Homestead Grays or single grandmother who raised 12 children on her own. But that’s the beauty of living in Pittsburgh, especially in a house that’s been sold through generations. My block has more history than some new housing developments with clapboard walls can shake a stick at! 😉 Gotta love that solid brick foundation. And some of us are lucky to have some stained glass or fancy woodwork.

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh has developed nice little web site with details about how to find out the history of your home. [Photo Courtesy of Dunn Real Estate.]

Beechview – Seldom Seen Greenway

The Seldom Seen Greenway is home to over 90 acres of undeveloped land in the city of Pittsburgh. It’s located off Route 51, near Saw Mill Run Boulevard. It is directly across the street from Brashear High School – right below Beechview and Mt. Washington.

Seldom Seen was actually a small village annexed by the city of Pittsburgh in 1924, and until the 1960s, the area was populated by a few families and farmhouses; families raised their own chickens and canned their own fruit. As people slowly moved out, the area escaped development. The forest has been virtually left untouched and allowed to grow and flourish, but the active Friends of the Greenway organize a biannual clean-up to keep it pristine.

According to a Tribune Review article:

“If you’re agile enough to go under or over the makeshift gate, (it’s there to keep out those who would use the area as a garbage dump) you can leave the noisy highway through the tunnel and stroll in a peaceful valley, with only the gentle lull of Saw Mill Run creek, bird calls and rustling leaves to enhance the silence. Trees hang over the creek from the shadowy cliffs, sheer enough for the Pittsburgh City rescue paramedics to practice rappelling.

“Around the bend is a thicket of trees, better reached from a steep path from behind Brashear High School. Here, Kathy and John Murphy, whose Beechview back yard edges on Seldom Seen, did a bird migration count for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania last December, identifying 81 birds.

To learn more about the fascinating history of this area, read the rest of Tribune Review article.

There has also been discussion about providing an “Emerald Link” – connecting trails – between Mt. Washington, Duquesne Heights, Allentown, South Side and Beechview. The plan was spearheaded by the Mt. Washington Development Corporation, and you can check out the status of the project or get involved here.

Until then, the trails and wildlife of Seldom Seen, only minutes away from downtown Pittsburgh, remain to be explored.

John A. Hermann Memorial Art Museum

When we think of Pittsburgh museums, we think of the Carnegie, the Warhol, the Heinz History Center. But there are other small, neighborhood museums that have amazing art and historical collections. Take the John A. Hermann Memorial Art Museum in Bellevue. The museum holds over 1000 paintings, as well as ivory and bronze pieces. Hermann (1858-1942) was a millionaire who was also a painter; he never sold a painting, yet he desperately wanted to be recognized for his art. Today, according to art students and curators, his collection is one of the most complete collections of one folk artist in the country. There is also an interesting Post-Gazette article about the museum. (The painting to the left is entitled, “The Nervous Patient, 1890.”)

The museum is located at 318 Lincoln Avenue in Bellevue, PA. Admission is FREE. It is open on Friday and Saturday from noon to 4:00 p.m, on Sunday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and closed on holidays. You can also schedule an appointment by calling 412-761-8008.

The Squirrels in Squill

Ever wonder how the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill got its name? According to the Squirrel Hill Historical Society:

“Before the advent of the Europeans, Squirrel Hill was a wilderness area used as an Indian hunting ground. During the 1760’s, Squirrel Hill was a pioneer farming community that also included Indian traders. Its main attraction was that it was a wilderness area where land was free, there was wild game to hunt, etc., but it was nonetheless not too far from the protection of Fort Pitt.

“Squirrel Hill has always been known for its abundance of gray squirrels in the days of the early pioneers, the squirrels were so numerous that their chatter created a din.”

Find more than you ever wanted to know about the pioneer days of this neighborhood from the group’s web site. The site is regularly updated with news and events, and the group meets regularly at the Sixth Presbyterian Church on the corner of Forbes and Murray Avenues.