Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh's Past and Present

  • The Discription

    The Discription
    Goerge Washington foud the point. When he realies its beauty and resources, he writes a letter to his "base" with a detaied discription of the area. This attracts the sttlers from the colony to the confluence of the three rivers.
  • The First Attempt

    The First Attempt
    Goerge Washington lead 2 companies to the point in hope to dislodge the French from the grounds. It was the first time that the British tried to settle in the land by the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Mongahela Rivers.
  • The Victory

    The Victory
    The British took the forks and bagan settlement at the confluence. It was then that the land was named Pittsburrough in honor of William Pitt.
  • John Forbes

    John Forbes
    John Forbes spent the last six weeks of his victory in Fort Duquense sick from illness. He later died March 1759 after the British took the point in 1758. Before his death however, Forbes namde the forks Pittsburough. As a dedication to William Pitt.
  • The New Road

    The New Road
    Col. John Cambel was commissioned be William Pitt to make a street plan for the new town at the point. At the time, the plan only included the 4 blocks next to the fort and along the Monongahela River.
  • Slave Times

    Slave Times
    Pittsburgh abolished slavery.
  • The First Realistate Owned

    The First Realistate Owned
    Isaac Craig and Stephen Bayard bought the first realistate sold by the Penn Family at the forks.
  • The Addition to the New Town

    The Addition to the New Town
    Col. George Woods and his assistant, Thomas Vickroy, completed the plan on Grant Street and and they also added Penn and Liberty Ave.They also added a public square, which was a gift from the Penns Family, that would hold a market house and a courthouse.
  • Neville B. Craig

    Neville B. Craig
    He was born in a block house in 1787. From 1829 through 1841 Graig was the publishor of the Gazette. Even though it was John Scull who founded the Gazette in 1786, it was Craig who authored the firt history of the city.
  • The Builder

    The Builder
    Major Ebenezer Denny became the first major/ Revolutionsy War soldier to be a house builder. He contructed a house with his one time partner General James O' Herra.
  • The Past Homewood and Wilkinsburgh

    The Past Homewood and Wilkinsburgh
    William Wilkins owned an estate hat no makes up most of Homewood and WIliknsburgh.
  • Stephen Foster

    Stephen Foster
    Stephen Foster was born in Lawrenceville in 1826, he became a famous folk song writer in the 19th centry and is well known for his song "Hard Times Come Again No More" He came to the city sometime around 1854 and was inspried by everyone in the country to go and write 189 songs.
  • The Gazete

    The Gazete
    Neville B Craig was the publisher of the Pittsburgh Gazette.
    However John Scull founded the newspaper in 1786 in order to be the person to make the first newspaper in the new burough.
  • The House

    The House
    The Mongahela House was built near the Mon Wharf.
  • John Roebling

    John Roebling
    In 1841 John Roebling created the firstwire rope. In 1845 through 1827 he Designed the first cable suspension bridge on the Monongahela River. He also designed the second 6th street bridge after the first one burned down in the Great Fire of 1845 and the Brooklyn Bridge. He became Americas most prominent bridge engineer.
  • The Rodman Gun

    The Rodman Gun
    The largest gun in the world was the Rodman gun. The company was located in Pittsburgh and supplied the Union with artilery in the Civil War.
  • Oakland

    Oakland
    William Eichenbaum founded Oakland in 1845 when he bought a nine acre estate after his home burned down in the Great Fire. He called it oakland because of its abundance of oak trees.
  • The Great Fire

    The Great Fire
    There was a huge fire that started near Grant Street and died out in Boyd'b Hill. It burned 24 blocks of the city, destroying nearly 1000 buildings including Western University, Bank Of Pittsburgh, Monongahela House, Globe Cotton Factory and the custom house. The fire left 12000 people homeless, however only 2 lives were lost.
  • Abolitioninst Continue To Fight

    Abolitioninst Continue To Fight
    From 1846 through 1859 newspapers such as the Mystery and the Pittsburgh Saturday Visitor constantly argued for slavery all of over the country to end.
  • Martin R. Delany

    Martin R. Delany
    Martin Delany was very well known for his newspaer the Mystery. He was also one if the first three African American males to attend Harvard Medical School. Later he becaame a major in the army as well as the first African American feild soldier in the Civil War.
  • Steel in the Making

    Steel in the Making
    In 1847 Willian Kelly began experimenting with a new kind of metal. Soon after Henry Bessemer developed the process of steel making in England. In 1875 on Braddocks Field, Andrew Carnegie opened the first plant to produce Bessemer Steel on a mass scale. The first order was 2000 steel rails to the Pennsylvania Raiload president, J. Edgar Thomas.
  • Jane Grey Swisshelm

    Jane Grey Swisshelm
    Jane Grey was well known for her newspaper the Pittsburgh Saturday Visitor. She was also know for her obvious stad point against slavery and her various opinions on womens rights. With Jane's help married women were allowed to own property.
  • St. Paul Cathadral

    St. Paul Cathadral
    The cathadral was concencrated on the corner of Grant St. and Fifth Ave. In the 1870s Mary Casset, an Allegheny county native painted a mural of the cathadral in Italy. It's said that the mural was destroyed in the fire of 1877.
  • David N. White

    David N. White
    David White was editor of the Gazette. He also published the first call for formation of the Pennsylvana Rebublican Party in Lafayette Hall. Which was torn down in 1895. David was also the founder of the National Party i nPittsburgh.
  • Thhe Dollar Bank

    Thhe Dollar Bank
    The building opened its doors in the July of 1855. It was designed by Isaac Hobbs and was completed in 1871.
  • Grant's Hill

    Grant's Hill
    James Grant was killed by the French on this hill. At the time it was a great vantage point and picnic spot for the colonist in the area. As time wore on, Grant's Hill was slowly picked away until it was no more than a hump in the ground.
  • Eagle Volunteer Fire Company

    Eagle Volunteer Fire Company
    1794- Originated
    1815- Competing with Virginia and Neptune Companies for subscribers.
    1859- First steam engine,
  • Home on the Rails

    Home on the Rails
    The demands for rails were rapidly growing and Pittsburgh's iron industry boomed.
  • Major General James Scott Negley

    Major General James Scott Negley
    James won a promotion for heroic sevice. After leaving the army, e bacame president Mexican Trust Company Bank.
  • The Beginning of Steel

    The Beginning of Steel
    At the start of the steel industry in Pittsburgh 1868, it was increasngly smokey. The trnsition from Iron City to Steel City was obviuos and great. Some might have described it as " Hell with the lid taken off"
  • George Westinghouse

    George Westinghouse
    At the young age of 19, George Westinghouse recived his first patent for a rotary steam engine. At the age of 22, he introduced the air brake which was manufactured in a plant on 29th Street and Liberty.
  • The Riot

    The Riot
    The riot in 1877 was a brutal interaction. Pennsyvania Railraod workers went on strike because of wage cuts and layoffs. The local police and the malitia sided with the strikers dirung the strike causing troops from Philidelphia to be called in. By the end of the riot multiple buildings had been set on fire, 61 people were dead, 150 people were injured and $7million worth of damage was done.
  • Thomas Mellon

    Thomas Mellon
    Thomas was a common pleas jude for ten years. After resigning he opened T. Mellon amd Sons bank with with his sons. He was born in Ireland and married Sarah Jane Nelgey in 1843.
  • Smithsfield Bridge

    Smithsfield Bridge
    The Smithsfield bridge was separated for carraige and horse drawn trolley trafic. In 1915, the bridge was modernized to fit with the other briges in the area. Sometime in the 1900s the bridge was rehabbed to its original state. The brudge was designed by Gustav Linderthal.
  • Alleghany County Court House and Jail

    Alleghany County Court House and Jail
    The Allegheny Courthouse and jail was finished in 1888, The archetect nad designer of the building was estemed Henry Hobson Richardson.The structure of he buiding was one of the most admired and the most imitated structers created.
  • Homestead Strike

    Homestead Strike
    The Homestead Strike left 14 steel workers and pinkertns dead. The pinkertons were forced to retreat. At the end of the entire strike, Henry Clay Frick hired all new workers.
  • Henry Clay Frick

    Henry Clay Frick
    In 1862, at the age of 14, Henry Frick was an erand boy for a Mount Pleasant store getting paid 3.50 a week. Five years later he was buying coal lands in great persistance in order to make coke. In 1873 coke dropped to 90 cents a ton, putting most small coke businesses out of business. Being known as the "Coke King" in he 1880s Frick had 10,000 ovens and 11,000 employees in the Connellsville area.
  • Andrew Carnegie

    Andrew Carnegie
    In 1896, Andrew Carnegie founded Carnegie International intended for evryone to be welcome. The collection of art is the second oldest in the world and the oldest in North America.
  • The Point

    The Point
    In 1896 the only two bridges that meet at the point were the Union and Point bridges. Also during that time, an exposition was being held where a Ferriswheel, the gravity railroad, colonel baker's popcorn stand, a merry-go-round and a cinenatogrph were all located. The last expisition was in 1918
  • Corporation Eve

    Corporation Eve
    January of 1901, on the eve of the United States Steel Corporation 89 Carnegie company excectutives had a dinner at the Schenley Hotel ballroom. Present in durng the dinner was Charles Schwab who pleaded for industrial peace and growth. J. Pierpoint Morgan concided and bought out Carnegie and eight other steel firms.
  • Luna Park

    Luna Park
    The Luna Park, opened in May of 1905, was a popular atraction on the corner of present day Craig Street and Baum Boulevard. The park attracted about 35,000 people a night until 1907 when a menagrie lion escaped and killed a woman. The popularity was then decreased and after a fire in 1909, the Luna Park was never rebuilt.
  • The Beginning of Gulf Oil

    The Beginning of Gulf Oil
    Gulf Oil was the world's forst drive in station service station. Originally to fill up their cars with gas, they had to park along the street wherever they found pumps, with the opening of Gulf Oil, the people could drive in and be serviced there.
  • Dr. Frank Conrad

    Dr. Frank Conrad
    Frank conrad had experimented with wireless telephone in 1916. His experimentation then lead to the creation of the radio. Which then lead to te creation of KDKA Radio.
  • Langley Aeronautical Laboratory

    Langley Aeronautical Laboratory
    One thousand war ready souls gathered at attention before the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory on April 2nd 1918. It was to be the day that the laboratory itself was dedicated. Dr. John A.Brashear asked that it be named for his fellow scientist and friend, Samuel P. Langley,
  • The University of Pittsburgh

    The University of Pittsburgh
    The University of Pittsburgh, orginaly located on the North Side was once a college without a center. It then moved to Frick Acres/ Oakland, where a great skyscraper was being built. In fact, it was the first skyscraper in the city. That building was called the Cathedral of learning and it wa soon to be the peice that completed university at its center.
  • The begining of KDKA Radio

    The begining of KDKA Radio
    This was the date of the very first scheduled radio broadcast in the whole world. The topic of choice was the presidental election between Harding and Cox.
  • Charles A. Lindbergh

    Charles A. Lindbergh
    Tis the day the Charles Lindberh pad our great city a visit. He visited out very own Pitt. Stadium and was geeted to the bggest of crowds. Why had they so eagerly gathered? Well the simle answer is that Charles Lindbergh, the old chap, is a famous pilot. In fact, he was the first pilot to fly the Atlantic. Now how's that for a bloody miracle.
  • The Twin Tubes

    The Twin Tubes
    The twin tubes opened for business in March of 1928 and was a famous attraction ever since. Another thing about it is that horse- drawn wagons could use the tunnels until 1932 qnd people could walk through the tunnels until 1975.
  • 3.2 Beer

    3.2 Beer
    The night that 3.2 beer was legalized, it was immediatly gulped in large quanities. At 12:01 midnight, Pittsburghers inparticular delved in the newly legal beer.
  • St. Patrick's Day Flood

    St. Patrick's Day Flood
    On this famous day, the city of Pittsburgh was submerged in up to 20 feet of water during the St. Patrick's Day flood. The best ways to ove around the city was to use a canoe and or a boat.
  • Atom Smasher

    Atom Smasher
    This is the day that Westinghouse pronounced his new experiment, that would be known as the world's first industrial atom-smaasher. This was leading to the discovery of photofission and the first use of gamma rays to split atoms.
  • President Came to Town

    President Came to Town
    The day that Franklin D. Roosevelt came to town was a joyess day. He visited the city because he inspecting the Homestead Works and the Mests Machine plant, both of them were key suppliers of warfare to Terrace Village, which was the second largest public housing complex in the nation.
  • The Smokey City

    The Smokey City
    The city of Pittsburgh was a very smokey city before the antismoke laws were passed and began to allow the city skies to clear up. At 9:20 on a regular october day, The city would be shrouded in darkness.
  • The Last Visit

    The Last Visit
    The last visit to Pittsburgh made by John F. Kennedy was one year before his assasination. It was one of his last sixe political visits before he died in Dallas. It was located in Pitt Field House where he adressed 8,300 people.
  • The Rubber Duck

    The Rubber Duck
    The 4 story rubber duck came to states Septemeber 2013. We were the first city to experience the momument and greatly enjoed its presence.