161-654: The history of Pittsburgh began with centuries of Native American civilization in the modern Pittsburgh region, known as Jaödeogë’ in the Seneca language . Eventually, European explorers encountered the strategic confluence where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio , which leads to the Mississippi River. The area became a battleground when France and Great Britain fought for control in
322-540: A great fire burned out of control, destroying over a thousand buildings and causing $ 9M in damages. As the city rebuilt, the age of rails arrived. In 1851, the Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad began service between Cleveland and Allegheny City (present-day North Side ). In 1854, the Pennsylvania Railroad began service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Despite many challenges, Pittsburgh had grown into an industrial powerhouse. An 1857 article provided
483-793: A redoubt , the Fort Pitt Blockhouse , which still stands, the sole remaining structure from Fort Pitt and the oldest authenticated building west of the Allegheny Mountains . The Iroquois signed the Fort Stanwix Treaty of 1768 , ceding the lands south of the Ohio to the British Crown . European expansion into the upper Ohio valley increased. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 families settled in western Pennsylvania between 1768 and 1770. Of these settlers, about
644-535: A C grade, and improving from the 46th to 54th most polluted by ozone smog. According to daily ozone air quality data provided by the EPA, from 2021 to 2024, Pittsburgh had good or moderate air quality most of the time. Then-Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald said in December 2023 that they’d seen an "80 % drop in hazardous air pollutants" and that they made EPA attainment at all eight county air monitors for
805-789: A Lt. Colonel. Working with Benjamin Franklin , he planned and established a series of forts between the Delaware and Susquehannah rivers. When General Forbes evicted the French from Fort Duquesne in 1758, the threat subsided. Following its victory in the Seven Years War , Britain later gained all French territory east of the Mississippi River at the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Weiser died on his farm on July 13, 1760, and
966-588: A bill that resulted in a gift deed of land and a charter for the Pittsburgh Academy on February 28, 1787. The academy later developed as the University of Western Pennsylvania (1819) and since 1908 has been known as the University of Pittsburgh . Many farmers distilled their corn harvest into whiskey, increasing its value while lowering its transportation costs. At that time, whiskey was used as
1127-584: A campaign to capture Fort Duquesne. At the head of 7,000 regular and colonial troops, Forbes built Fort Ligonier and Fort Bedford , from where he cut a wagon road over the Allegheny Mountains, later known as Forbes' Road. On the night of September 13–14, 1758, an advance column under Major James Grant was annihilated in the Battle of Fort Duquesne . The battleground, the high hill east of the Point,
1288-478: A chief of theirs. Chartier's Town was a Shawnee town established in 1734 by Peter Chartier . Kittanning was a Lenape and Shawnee village on the Allegheny, with an estimated 300–400 residents. The first Europeans arrived in the 1710s as traders. Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of the Ohio in a manuscript in 1717, and later that year European traders established posts and settlements in
1449-723: A critical decade in Pittsburgh's growth. In 1811, the first steamboat was built in Pittsburgh. Increasingly, commerce would also flow upriver. The War of 1812 catalyzed growth of the Iron City. The war with Britain, the manufacturing center of the world, cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American manufacture. In addition, the British blockade of the American coast increased inland trade, so that goods flowed through Pittsburgh from all four directions. By 1815, Pittsburgh
1610-820: A daughter of Johan Peter Feg and Anna Maria Risch. (Anna Eve Feck was born January 25, 1705, in Schoharie County, New York, and died June 11, 1781, in Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania.) In 1729 the couple followed the Susquehanna River south out of New York and settled their young family on a farm in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania near present-day Reading . The couple had fourteen children, of whom only seven reached adulthood. Weiser's colonial service began in 1731. The Iroquois sent Shikellamy , an Oneida chief, as an emissary to other tribes and
1771-547: A decrease in city population, even as the metropolitan area population increased again. During the late 2000s recession , Pittsburgh was economically strong, adding jobs when most cities were losing them. It was one of the few cities in the United States to see housing property values rise. Between 2006 and 2011, the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area (MSA) experienced over 10% appreciation in housing prices,
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#17327930806221932-402: A few months before returning to their farm. Weiser visited her frequently enough to father four more children. In addition, he took leaves of absence from the monastery for diplomatic duties, such as those he performed for the colony of Pennsylvania in 1736 and 1737. Like many other colonists, Weiser combined farming with other trades: tanner, merchant, and land speculator. He drew the plan for
2093-534: A follower of Conrad Beissel , a German Baptist preacher and musician who founded what became known as the Ephrata Cloister , a Protestant monastic settlement in the Ephrata Township , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania . Most people were encouraged to be celibate, although there were also married couples at the community. Weiser lived there for periods over six years. His wife lived there only
2254-522: A form of currency on the frontier. When the federal government imposed an excise tax on whiskey, Western Pennsylvania farmers felt victimized, leading to the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Farmers from the region rallied at Braddock's Field and marched on Pittsburgh. The short-lived rebellion was put down, however, when President George Washington sent in militias from several states. The town continued to grow in manufacturing capability. In 1792,
2415-613: A free state after the Revolution, enslaved African Americans sought freedom here through escape as refugees from the South, or occasionally fleeing from travelers they were serving who stayed in the city. There were active stations of the Underground Railroad in the city, and numerous refugees were documented as getting help from station agents and African-American workers in city hotels. The Drennen Slave Girl walked out of
2576-685: A growing residential segment. Most significantly, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is embarking on RiverParc, a four-block mixed-use "green" community, featuring 700 residential units and multiple towers of between 20 and 30 stories. The Firstside portion of Downtown borders the Monongahela River, the historic Mon Wharf and hosts the distinctive PPG Place Gothic-style glass skyscraper complex. New condo towers have been constructed and historic office towers are converted to residential use, increasing 24-hour residents. Downtown
2737-752: A higher percentage of highly skilled workers than their mass-production counterparts. Beginning in the 1870s, entrepreneurs transformed the economy from small, craft-organized factories located inside the city limits to a large integrated industrial region stretching 50 miles across Allegheny County. The new industrial Pittsburgh was based on integrated mills, mass production, and modern management organization in steel and other industries. Many manufacturers searched for large sites with railroad and river accessibility. They purchased land, designed modern plants, and sometimes built towns for workers. Other firms bought into new communities that began as speculative industrial real estate ventures. Some owners removed their plants from
2898-565: A key player in treaty negotiations, land purchases, and the formulation of Pennsylvania's policies toward Native Americans. Because of his early experiences with the Iroquois , Weiser was inclined to be sympathetic to their interpretation of events, as opposed to the Lenape or the Shawnee. This may have exacerbated Pennsylvanian - Lenape / Shawnee relations. Their alliance with the French during
3059-474: A key role in the development of the U.S. steel industry. He became a philanthropist: in 1890, he established the first Carnegie Library , in a program to establish libraries in numerous cities and towns by the incentive of matching funds. In 1895, he founded the Carnegie Institute . In 1901, as the U.S. Steel Corporation formed, he sold his mills to J.P. Morgan for $ 250 million, making him one of
3220-664: A large Indian Mound at the future site of McKees Rocks , about three miles (5 km) from the head of the Ohio. The Indian Mound, a burial site, was augmented in later years by members of the Hopewell culture . By 1700 the Haudenosaunee , the Five Nations-based south of the Great Lakes in present-day New York, held dominion over the upper Ohio valley, reserving it for hunting grounds. Other tribes included
3381-402: A party of settlers headed by Capt. Michael Cresap to begin widening the track into a road. It mostly followed the same route as an existing Native American trail now known as Nemacolin's Trail . The river crossing and flats at Redstone creek , was the earliest point and shortest distance for the descent of a wagon road. Later in the war, the site fortified as Fort Burd (now Brownsville )
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#17327930806223542-524: A peace between southern tribes and the Iroquois. Some of the latter tribes had been hunting in the Shenandoah Valley. Weiser and his German companion, Stoffel Stump, had to survive high snow, freezing temperatures, and starvation rations to make the six-week journey in winter to what was considered the Iroquois capital at Onondaga , in upstate New York near present-day Syracuse. Weiser persuaded
3703-480: A quarter of neighborhood names make reference to "hills," "heights," or similar features. The steps of Pittsburgh consist of 800 sets of outdoor public stairways with 44,645 treads and 24,090 vertical feet. They include hundreds of streets composed entirely of stairs, and many other steep streets with stairs for sidewalks. Many provide vistas of the Pittsburgh area while attracting hikers and fitness walkers. Bike and walking trails have been built to border many of
3864-472: A snapshot of the Iron City: The iron and steel industry developed rapidly after 1830 and became one of the dominant factors in industrial America by the 1860s. Ingham (1978) examined the leadership of the industry in its most important center, Pittsburgh, as well as smaller cities. He concludes that the leadership of the iron and steel industry nationwide was "largely Scotch Irish". Ingham finds that
4025-519: A tanner, and later served as a soldier and judge. He lived part of the time for six years at Ephrata Cloister , a Protestant monastic community in Lancaster County. As an emissary in councils between Native Americans and the colonies, especially Pennsylvania, during the late 18th century's tensions of the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War), he contributed to alliances that supported
4186-442: A third were English-American , another third were Scotch-Irish , and the rest were Welsh , German and others. These groups tended to settle together in small farming communities, but often their households were not within hailing distance. The life of a settler family was one of relentless hard work: clearing the forest, stumping the fields, building cabins and barns, planting, weeding, and harvesting. In addition, almost everything
4347-709: A unique combination of social reform, comprehensive infrastructure planning, and private homeownership principles. The rates of homeownership and cordial relationships between the steel company and Vandergrift residents fostered loyalty among McMurtry's skilled workers and led to McMurtry's greatest success. In 1901 he used Vandergrift's worker-residents to break the first major strike against the United States Steel Corporation . Christopher Magee and William Flinn operated powerful Republican machines that controlled local politics after 1880. They were business owners and favored business interests. Flinn
4508-543: A wagon road 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, that when complete, was the first road to cross the Appalachian Mountains . Braddock's Road , as it was known, blazed the way for the future National Road (US40). The expedition crossed the Monongahela River on July 9, 1755. French troops from Fort Duquesne ambushed Braddock's expedition at Braddock's Field , nine miles (14 km) from Fort Duquesne. In
4669-578: Is 39.61 inches (1,006 mm) and precipitation is greatest in May while least in October; annual precipitation has historically ranged from 22.65 in (575 mm) in 1930 to 57.83 in (1,469 mm) in 2018. On average, December and January have the greatest number of precipitation days. Snowfall averages 44.1 inches (112 cm) per season, but has historically ranged from 8.8 in (22 cm) in 1918–19 to 80 in (200 cm) in 1950–51. There
4830-486: Is an average of 59 clear days and 103 partly cloudy days per year, while 203 days are cloudy. In terms of annual percent-average possible sunshine received, Pittsburgh (45%) is similar to Seattle (49%). The American Lung Association's (ALA) 2023 "State of the Air" report (which included data from 2019 to 2021) showed air quality in Pittsburgh improving. The city received a passing grade for ozone pollution, going from an F to
4991-413: Is home to the University of Pittsburgh , Carnegie Mellon University , Carlow University , Chatham University , The Carnegie Institute's Museums of Art and Natural History , Phipps Conservatory , and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall . It is also home to many parks and public spaces including Mellon Park , Westinghouse Park , Schenley Park , Frick Park , The Frick Pittsburgh , Bakery Square , and
History of Pittsburgh - Misplaced Pages Continue
5152-521: Is now known as Washington's Landing, formerly Herr's Island , in what is now the Lawrenceville neighborhood. The first known European to enter the region was the French explorer Robert de La Salle from Quebec during his 1669 expedition down the Ohio River . European pioneers, primarily Dutch, followed in the early 18th century. Michael Bezallion was the first to describe the forks of
5313-522: Is now known as the North Side . By 1911, Pittsburgh had grown into an industrial and commercial powerhouse: Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( / ˈ p ɪ t s b ɜːr ɡ / PITS -burg ) is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania , United States. It is the second-most populous city in Pennsylvania , after Philadelphia , and the 68th-most populous city in
5474-679: Is primarily composed of residential neighborhoods and is noteworthy for its well-constructed and architecturally interesting homes. Many buildings date from the 19th century and are constructed of brick or stone and adorned with decorative woodwork, ceramic tile, slate roofs and stained glass. The North Side is also home to attractions such as Acrisure Stadium , PNC Park , Kamin Science Center , National Aviary , Andy Warhol Museum , Mattress Factory art museum, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh , Randyland , Penn Brewery , Allegheny Observatory , and Allegheny General Hospital . The South Side
5635-521: Is referred to as "the Point." The city extends east to include the Oakland and Shadyside sections, which are home to the University of Pittsburgh , Carnegie Mellon University , Chatham University , Carnegie Museum and Library , and many other educational, medical, and cultural institutions. The southern, western, and northern areas of the city are primarily residential. Many Pittsburgh neighborhoods are steeply sloped with two-lane roads. More than
5796-513: Is served by the Port Authority 's light rail system and multiple bridges leading north and south. It is also home to Point Park University and Duquesne University which borders Uptown . The North Side is home to various neighborhoods in transition. The area was once known as Allegheny City and operated as its own independent city until 1907, when it was merged with Pittsburgh despite great protest from its citizens. The North Side
5957-468: Is today, below the mouth of Two Mile Run, from 30th Street to 39th Street. According to George Croghan , the town was situated on the south bank of the Allegheny, nearly opposite what is now known as Herr's Island , in what is now the Lawrenceville neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh. Sawcunk , on the mouth of the Beaver River , was a Lenape settlement and the principal residence of Shingas ,
6118-687: Is water. The 80th meridian west passes directly through the city's downtown. The city is on the Allegheny Plateau , within the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau . The Downtown area (also known as the Golden Triangle) sits where the Allegheny River flows from the northeast and the Monongahela River from the southeast to form the Ohio River . The convergence is at Point State Park and
6279-512: The Allegheny Mountains . The Great Fire of Pittsburgh destroyed over a thousand buildings in 1845. The city rebuilt with the aid of Irish immigrants who came to escape the Great Famine . By 1857, Pittsburgh's 1,000 factories were consuming 22 million coal bushels yearly. Coal mining and iron manufacturing attracted waves of European immigrants to the area, with the most coming from Germany . Because Pennsylvania had been established as
6440-512: The Battle of the Monongahela , the French inflicted heavy losses on the British, and Braddock was mortally wounded. The surviving British and colonial forces retreated. This left the French and their Native American allies with dominion over the upper Ohio valley. On September 8, 1756, an expedition of 300 militiamen destroyed the Shawnee and Lenape village of Kittanning , and in the summer of 1758, British Army officer John Forbes began
6601-786: The Edgar Thomson Steel Works in North Braddock, Pennsylvania , which evolved into the Carnegie Steel Company . He adopted the Bessemer process to increase production. Manufacturing was key to growth of Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. Railroad lines were built into the city along both rivers, increasing transportation access to important markets. In 1901, J. P. Morgan and attorney Elbert H. Gary merged Carnegie Steel Company and several other companies into U.S. Steel . By 1910, Pittsburgh
History of Pittsburgh - Misplaced Pages Continue
6762-487: The French and Indian War in North America, Weiser was a member of a Pennsylvania delegation to Albany. The English government had called the meeting, hoping to win assurances of Iroquois support in the looming war with the French. The Iroquois and seven colonies sent representatives. Because of divisions within both the British and Native American ranks, the council did not result in the treaty of support which
6923-457: The Governor of New France , sent another, larger expedition. At present-day Erie, Pennsylvania , an advance party built Fort Presque Isle . They also cut a road through the woods and built Fort Le Boeuf on French Creek , from which it was possible at high water to float to the Allegheny. By summer, an expedition of 1,500 French and Native American men descended the Allegheny. Some wintered at
7084-642: The Homestead Strike . Labor strife continued into the years of the Great Depression , as workers sought to protect their jobs and improve working conditions. Unions organized H.J. Heinz workers, with the assistance of the Catholic Radical Alliance . Andrew Carnegie , an immigrant from Scotland and a former Pennsylvania Railroad executive turned steel magnate, founded the Carnegie Steel Company . He proceeded to play
7245-689: The Iroquois Confederacy , based in New York, had maintained control of much of the Ohio Valley as hunting grounds by right of conquest after defeating other tribes. By the terms of the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix , the Penns were allowed to purchase the modern region from the Iroquois . A 1769 survey referenced the future city as the "Manor of Pittsburgh". Both the Colony of Virginia and
7406-487: The Köppen climate classification , Pittsburgh falls within either a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ) if the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm is used or a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) if the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm is used. Summers are hot and winters are moderately cold with wide variations in temperature. Despite this, it has one of the most pleasant summer climates between medium and large cities in
7567-592: The Lenape , who had been displaced from eastern Pennsylvania by European settlement, and the Shawnee , who had migrated up from the south. With the arrival of European explorers, these tribes and others had been devastated by infectious diseases from Europe, such as smallpox , measles , influenza , and malaria , to which they had no immunity. In 1748, when Conrad Weiser visited Logstown , 18 miles (29 km) downriver from Pittsburgh, he counted 789 warriors gathered:
7728-543: The Mohawk in the upper Schoharie Valley. During his stay in the winter and spring of 1712–1713, Weiser learned much about the Mohawk language and the customs of the people, who were the easternmost tribe of the Iroquois League. He endured hardships of cold, hunger, and homesickness. Weiser returned to his own people toward the end of July 1713. On November 22, 1720, at the age of 24, Weiser married Anna Eve Feck,
7889-790: The Mohawk . Weiser impressed the Pennsylvania governor and council, which thereafter depended on his services as an interpreter. Weiser also interpreted in a follow-up council in Philadelphia in August, 1732. During the treaty in Philadelphia of 1736, Shikellamy, Weiser, and the Pennsylvanians negotiated a deed whereby the Iroquois sold the land drained by the Delaware River and south of the Blue Mountain . Since
8050-416: The New Deal Coalition under powerful Democratic mayors. In World War II, it was the center of the " Arsenal of Democracy ", producing munitions for the Allied war effort as prosperity returned. Following World War II, Pittsburgh launched a clean air and civic revitalization project known as the "Renaissance". The industrial base continued to expand through the 1960s, but after 1970 foreign competition led to
8211-410: The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal was completed, making Pittsburgh part of a transportation system that included rivers, roads, and canals. Manufacture continued to grow. In 1835, McClurg, Wade and Co. built the first locomotive west of the Alleghenies. Already, Pittsburgh was capable of manufacturing the most essential machines of its age. By the 1840s, Pittsburgh was one of the largest cities west of
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#17327930806228372-405: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was started, and in 1787, the Pittsburgh Academy was chartered. Unrest during the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 resulted in federal troops being sent to the area. By 1797, glass manufacture began, while the population grew to around 1,400. Settlers arrived after crossing the Appalachian Mountains or through the Great Lakes . Fort Pitt (now Pittsburgh) at the source of
8533-491: The Pittsburgh Steelers , Pittsburgh Penguins , and Pittsburgh Pirates . Pittsburgh is additionally where Jehovah's Witnesses traces its earliest origins, and was the host of the 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit . Pittsburgh was named in 1758, by General John Forbes , in honor of British statesman William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham . As Forbes was a Scotsman , he probably pronounced the name / ˈ p ɪ t s b ər ə / PITS -bər-ə (similar to Edinburgh ). Pittsburgh
8694-405: The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. The neighborhoods of Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are large, wealthy neighborhoods with some apartments and condos, and pedestrian-oriented shopping/business districts. Squirrel Hill is also known as the hub of Jewish life in Pittsburgh, home to approximately 20 synagogues. Oakland , heavily populated by undergraduate and graduate students, is home to most of
8855-415: The Province of Pennsylvania claimed the region under their colonial charters until 1780, when they agreed under a federal initiative to extend the Mason–Dixon line westward, placing Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. On March 8, 1771, Bedford County, Pennsylvania was created to govern the frontier. On April 16, 1771, the city's first civilian local government was created as Pitt Township . William Teagarden
9016-557: The Scotch Irish held together cohesively throughout the 19th century and "developed their own sense of uniqueness." New immigrants after 1800 made Pittsburgh a major Scotch-Irish stronghold. For example, Thomas Mellon (b. Ulster 1813–1908) left northern Ireland in 1823 for the United States. He founded the powerful Mellon family , which played a central role in banking and industries such as aluminum and oil. As Barnhisel (2005) finds, industrialists such as James Laughlin (b. Ulster 1806–1882) of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company comprised
9177-440: The Shawnee , Miami , and Wyandot tribes, led to Dunmore's War in 1774. Conflict with Native Americans continued throughout the Revolutionary War , as some hoped that the war would end with expulsion of the settlers from their territory. In 1777, Fort Pitt became a United States fort, when Brigadier General Edward Hand took command. In 1779, Colonel Daniel Brodhead led 600 men from Fort Pitt to destroy Seneca villages along
9338-460: The University of Pittsburgh . The area has served as the federal agency headquarters for cyber defense , software engineering , robotics , energy research , and the nuclear navy . In the private sector, Pittsburgh-based PNC is the nation's fifth-largest bank, and the city is home to ten Fortune 500 companies and seven of the largest 300 U.S. law firms. Other corporations that have regional headquarters and offices have helped Pittsburgh become
9499-414: The second-largest in Pennsylvania , and the 26th-largest in the U.S. Pittsburgh is the principal city of the greater Pittsburgh–Weirton–Steubenville combined statistical area which includes parts of Ohio and West Virginia . Pittsburgh is known as "the Steel City" for its dominant role in the history of the U.S. steel industry . It developed as a vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest , as
9660-438: The "Scots-Irish Presbyterian ruling stratum of Pittsburgh society." In 1859, the Clinton and Soho iron furnaces introduced coke -fire smelting to the region. The American Civil War boosted the city's economy with increased production of iron and armaments, especially at the Allegheny Arsenal and the Fort Pitt Foundry . Arms manufacture included iron-clad warships and the world's first 21" gun. By war's end, over one-half of
9821-468: The "lower town", near the fort's ramparts, and the "upper town", along the Monongahela as far as present-day Market Street. In April 1761, a census ordered by Colonel Henry Bouquet and conducted by William Clapham counted 332 people and 104 houses. After Britain's victory in the French and Indian War, increasing dissatisfaction among Native Americans with the continuing encroachment of settlers on lands that had been agreed would be Indian-occupied (both in
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#17327930806229982-424: The 1750s . When the British were victorious, the French ceded control of territories east of the Mississippi. Following American independence in 1783, the village around Fort Pitt continued to grow. The region saw the short-lived Whiskey Rebellion , when farmers rebelled against federal taxes on whiskey. The War of 1812 cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American manufacture. By 1815, Pittsburgh
10143-405: The 1758 Treaty of Easton and in the Royal Proclamation of 1763 the British authorities had decreed that there would be no British-American settlements west of the Alleghenies, but the authorities had been unable or unwilling to enforce these decrees) led to the outbreak of Pontiac's War . The Odawa leader Pontiac launched an offensive against British forts in May 1763. Native American tribes from
10304-415: The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act , as it required cooperation from law enforcement even in free states and increased penalties. From 1850 to 1860, the black population in Allegheny County dropped from 3,431 to 2,725 as people headed to more safety in Canada. The American Civil War boosted the city's economy with increased iron and armament demand by the Union. Andrew Carnegie began steel production in 1875 at
10465-510: The 1870s through the 1950s, despite competition from much larger, standardized production firms. These smaller firms were built on a culture that valued local markets and the beneficial role of business in the local community. Small firms concentrated on specialized products, particularly structural steel, where the economies of scale of larger firms were no advantage. They embraced technological change more cautiously than larger firms. They also had less antagonistic relations with workers and employed
10626-430: The British effort. Conrad Weiser was born in 1696 in the small village of Affstätt in Herrenberg , in the Duchy of Württemberg (now in Baden-Württemberg , Germany ), where his father ( Johann Conrad Weiser Sr. ) was stationed as a member of the Württemberg Blue Dragoons. Soon after Conrad's birth, his father was discharged from the Blue Dragoons and moved back to the family ancestral home of Großaspach . In 1709
10787-436: The British. Shikellamy lived on the Susquehanna River at Shamokin village , near present-day Sunbury, Pennsylvania . An oral tradition holds that Weiser met Shikellamy while hunting. In any case, the two became friends. When Shikellamy traveled to Philadelphia for a council with representatives of the province of Pennsylvania , he brought Weiser with him. The Oneida chief trusted him and considered him an adopted son of
10948-399: The Central, North Side/North Hills, South Side/South Hills, East End, and West End. Downtown Pittsburgh has 30 skyscrapers, nine of which top 500 feet (150 m). The U.S. Steel Tower is the tallest, at 841 ft (256 m). The Cultural District consists of a 14-block area of downtown along the Allegheny River . This district contains many theaters and arts venues and is home to
11109-454: The Delaware after the river they named after a lord) for the same land. Along with the Walking Purchase of the following year, this treaty (entered into by Penn's sons) exacerbated Pennsylvania- Lenape relations. The Lenape became disenchanted with the English colonials as a result; during the French and Indian Wars , they sided with the French and took part in armed actions against the colonists, causing many deaths. Penn's purchase persuaded
11270-405: The East and West Camps along the Hudson River , near Livingston Manor. It was not until 1723 that some 100 heads of families received land grants in the central Mohawk Valley , under Governor Burnetsfield. Weiser senior moved his family to the Schoharie Valley , south of the Mohawk River , earlier than that. When Conrad was 16, his father agreed to a chief's proposal for the youth to live with
11431-414: The Elder , while the settlement was named "Pittsborough". During Pontiac's War , a loose confederation of Native American tribes laid siege to Fort Pitt in 1763; the siege was eventually lifted after Colonel Henry Bouquet defeated a portion of the besieging force at the Battle of Bushy Run . Bouquet strengthened the defenses of Fort Pitt the next year. During this period, the powerful nations of
11592-557: The Elder . He also named the settlement between the rivers, "Pittsborough" (see Etymology of Pittsburgh ). The British garrison at Fort Pitt made substantial improvements to its fortification. The French never attacked Fort Pitt and the war soon ended with the Treaty of Paris and French defeat. They ceded their territories east of the Mississippi River. In 1760, the first considerable European settlement around Fort Pitt began to grow. Traders and settlers built two groups of houses and cabins,
11753-574: The French and Indian War. Route 422 in Berks County passes near the site. It contains original and historic buildings and the family graveyard on a 26 acres (0.11 km ) site. In 1928 the state contracted with the Olmsted Brothers to landscape some of the grounds. Due to state budget cutbacks since 2008, public access to the buildings has been limited to Charter Day; the first Sunday of each month; Wednesdays and both weekend days in
11914-528: The French commanders first at Venango, and then Fort Le Boeuf . The French officers received Washington with wine and courtesy, but did not withdraw. Governor Dinwiddie sent Captain William Trent to build a fort at the Forks of the Ohio. On February 17, 1754, Trent began construction of the fort, the first European habitation at the site of present-day Pittsburgh . The fort, named Fort Prince George ,
12075-436: The French in the Battle of Jumonville Glen , during which 13 French soldiers were killed and 21 were taken prisoner. After the battle, Washington's ally, Seneca chief Tanaghrisson , unexpectedly executed the French commanding officer, Ensign Joseph Coulon de Jumonville . The French pursued Washington and on July 3, 1754, George Washington surrendered following the Battle of Fort Necessity . These frontier actions contributed to
12236-459: The Iroquois and other Native American tribes. Weiser helped smooth over the tense meeting. With the Treaty of Easton , the tribes in the Ohio Valley agreed to abandon support for the French. This collapse of Native American support was a factor in the French decision to demolish Fort Duquesne and withdraw from the Forks of the Ohio. Throughout his decades-long career, Weiser built on his knowledge of Native American languages and culture to become
12397-529: The Iroquois had not until then laid claim to this land, Pennsylvania's agreement to purchase from them represented a significant change in the colony's policy toward the Native Americans . William Penn , who had died in 1718, had never taken sides in disputes between tribes. By this formal purchase, the Pennsylvanians were favoring the Iroquois over the claims of the Lenape (whom the English called
12558-407: The Iroquois included 163 Seneca , 74 Mohawk , 35 Onondaga , 20 Cayuga , and 15 Oneida . Other tribes were 165 Lenape , 162 Shawnee , 100 Wyandot , 40 Tisagechroami , and 15 Mohican . Shannopin's Town , a Lenape (Delaware) village on the east bank of the Allegheny, was established in the 1720s and was deserted after 1758. The village is believed to have been roughly from where Penn Avenue
12719-555: The Iroquois not to send any war parties south in the spring, but failed to convince them to send emissaries to parlay with the southern tribes. Impressed with his fortitude, the Iroquois named Weiser Tarachiawagon (Holder of the Heavens). The colonists feared that spill-over violence from conflicts between the Iroquois and southern tribes, such as the Catawba , would have drawn first Virginia, and then Pennsylvania, into conflict with
12880-591: The Iroquois. Therefore, this peace-brokering had a profound effect on Native American /colonial relations. In 1742, Weiser interpreted at a treaty meeting between the Iroquois and English colonials at Philadelphia, when they were paid for the land purchased in 1736. During this council, the Onondaga chief Canasatego castigated the Lenape /Delawares for engaging in independent land sales. He ordered them to remove their settlements to either Wyoming (Wyomissing) or Shamokin village . The Lenape began to migrate to
13041-568: The Monongahela House in 1850, apparently to freedom. The Merchant's Hotel was also a place where African-American workers would advise slaves the state was free and aid them in getting to nearby stations of the Underground Railroad. Sometimes refugee slaves from the South stayed in Pittsburgh, but other times they continued North, including into Canada. Many slaves left the city and county for Canada after Congress passed
13202-522: The North American front of the Seven Years' War , began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne. The British and colonial force were defeated at Braddock's Field . General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758. He began construction on Fort Pitt , named after William Pitt
13363-728: The North Side, and the Golden Triangle are characterized by more density of housing, walking neighborhoods, and a more diverse, urban feel. Pittsburgh falls within the borders of the Northeastern United States as defined by multiple US Government agencies. Pittsburgh is the principal city of the Pittsburgh Combined Statistical Area , a combined statistical area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau . Pittsburgh falls within
13524-692: The Ohio River became the main base for settlers moving into the Northwest Territory . The federal government recognizes Pittsburgh as the starting point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition . Preparations began in Pittsburgh in 1803 when Meriwether Lewis purchased a keelboat that would later be used to ascend the Missouri River . The War of 1812 cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American industry. By 1815, Pittsburgh
13685-688: The Ohio Valley and the Great Lakes overran numerous British forts; one of their most important targets was Fort Pitt. Receiving warning of the coming attack, Captain Simeon Ecuyer, the Swiss officer in command of the garrison, prepared for a siege. He leveled the houses outside the ramparts and ordered all settlers into the fort: 330 men, 104 women, and 196 children sought refuge inside its ramparts. Captain Ecuyer also gathered stores, which included hundreds of barrels of pork and beef. Pontiac's forces attacked
13846-469: The Ohio Valley to escape the Iroquois and English colonial pressures; that migration had begun as early as the 1720s. There, they were positioned to trade with the French. At the same time, they launched raids as far east as the Susquehanna River during the French and Indian Wars . In June 1743, following conflict between Iroquois warriors and the Virginia militia at the Battle of Galudoghson , Weiser
14007-416: The Ohio Valley, but the Iroquois did not believe they had done so. In 1748, Pennsylvania sent Conrad Weiser to Logstown , a council and trade village on the Ohio River . Here he held council with chiefs representing 10 tribes, including the Lenape , Shawnee , and the six nations of the Iroquois . He arrived at a treaty of friendship between Pennsylvania and these tribes. Threatened by this development and
14168-403: The Ohio headwaters was long inhabited by the Shawnee and several other settled groups of Native Americans . Shannopin's Town was an 18th-century Lenape (Delaware) town located roughly from where Penn Avenue is today, below the mouth of Two Mile Run, from 30th Street to 39th Street. According to George Croghan , the town was situated on the south bank of the Allegheny, nearly opposite what
14329-452: The Ohio in a 1717 manuscript, and later that year European fur traders established area posts and settlements. In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to unite Canada with French Louisiana via the rivers. During 1753–1754, the British hastily built Fort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French built Fort Duquesne based on LaSalle's 1669 claims. The French and Indian War ,
14490-724: The Palatine area. They traveled down the Rhine River and then to England, which had offered some support for the Protestant refugees. Thousands of Palatine German refugees made their way to London seeking escape from the harsh conditions; there were so many that the English had to make a camp for them outside the London walls for the winter. The following year in 1710, the Crown (under Queen Anne) arranged for transport in ten ships of
14651-607: The Rivers, & the Land in the Fork, which I think extremely well situated for a Fort; as it has the absolute Command of both Rivers. The Land at the Point is 20 or 25 feet (7.6 m) above the common Surface of the Water; & a considerable Bottom of flat well timber'd Land all around it, very convenient for Building. Proceeding up the Allegheny, Washington presented Dinwiddie's letter to
14812-466: The Six Nations of the Iroquois to continue to side with the British over the French in that war. Also, by that time the Iroquois nations had more trading relationships with the English in New York and Pennsylvania than they did the French, who were based further north. During the winter of 1737, beginning February 27, Weiser was commissioned by Virginia Governor William Gooch to attempt to broker
14973-481: The U.S. The city lies in the USDA plant hardiness zone 6b except along the rivers where the zone is 7a. The area has four distinct seasons: winters are cold and snowy, springs and falls are mild with moderate levels of sunshine, and summers are warm. As measured by percent possible sunshine, summer is by far the sunniest season, though annual sunshine is low among major US cities at well under 50%. The warmest month of
15134-459: The U.S., with a population of 302,971 as of the 2020 census . The city is located in southwestern Pennsylvania at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River , which combine to form the Ohio River . It anchors the Pittsburgh metropolitan area , which had a population of 2.457 million residents and is the largest metro area in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia ,
15295-399: The air and the rivers. The "Renaissance II" project followed in 1977, focused on cultural and neighborhood development. The industrial base continued to expand through the 1970s, but beginning in the early 1980s both the area's steel and electronics industries imploded during national industrial restructuring. There were massive layoffs from mill and plant closures. In the later 20th century,
15456-425: The area shifted its economic base to education, tourism, and services, largely based on healthcare/medicine, finance, and high technology such as robotics. Although Pittsburgh successfully shifted its economy and remained viable, the city's population has never rebounded to its industrial-era highs. While 680,000 people lived in the city proper in 1950, a combination of suburbanization and economic turbulence resulted in
15617-410: The area. Europeans first began to settle in the region in 1748, when the first Ohio Company , a Virginian land speculation company, won a grant of 200,000 acres (800 km) in the upper Ohio Valley. From a post at present-day Cumberland, Maryland , the company began to construct an 80-mile (130 km) wagon road to the Monongahela River employing a Lenape Indian chief named Nemacolin and
15778-405: The boatyards in Pittsburgh built a sloop, Western Experiment. During the next decades, the yards produced other large boats. By the 19th century, they were building ocean-going vessels that shipped goods as far as Europe. In 1794, the town's first courthouse was built; it was a wooden structure on Market Square. In 1797, the manufacture of glass began. Commerce continued to be an essential part of
15939-547: The borders of Appalachia as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission , and has long been characterized as the "northern urban industrial anchor of Appalachia." In its post-industrial state, Pittsburgh has been characterized as the "Paris of Appalachia", recognizing the city's cultural, educational, healthcare, and technological resources, and is the largest city in Appalachia. Under
16100-529: The boy's mother, Anna Magdalena, died of fever. Their lands had been ravaged by repeated French invasions, there was pestilence, and the people were weakened by an unusually cold and long winter. Conrad Weiser Sr. wrote for his children, "Buried beside Her Ancestors, she was a god-fearing woman and much loved by Her neighbors. Her motto was Jesus I live for thee, I die for thee, thine am I in life and death." Conrad Weiser and his family were among thousands of refugees who left German lands that year, many of them from
16261-415: The central city's labor unions to exert greater control over workers. The region's rugged topography and dispersed natural resources of coal and gas accentuated this dispersal. The rapid growth of steel, glass, railroad equipment, and coke industries resulted in both large mass-production plants and numerous smaller firms. As capital deepened and interdependence grew, participants multiplied, economies accrued,
16422-494: The city's population. Pittsburgh also became a main destination of the African-American Great Migration from the rural South during the first half of the 20th century. Limited initially by discrimination, some 95% percent of the men became unskilled steel workers. During World War II , demand for steel increased and area mills operated 24 hours a day to produce 95 million tons of steel for
16583-542: The city's rivers and hollows. The Great Allegheny Passage and Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath connect the city directly to downtown Washington, D.C. (some 335 miles [539 km] away) with a continuous bike/running trail. The city consists of the Downtown area, called the Golden Triangle, and four main areas surrounding it. These surrounding areas are subdivided into distinct neighborhoods (Pittsburgh has 90 neighborhoods). Relative to downtown, these areas are known as
16744-413: The city. However, the city divested from steel and, since the 1990s, Pittsburgh has focused its energies on the healthcare, education, and technology industries. Pittsburgh is home to large medical providers, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center , Allegheny Health Network , and 68 colleges and universities , including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University and
16905-399: The collapse of the steel industry, with massive layoffs and mill closures. Top corporate headquarters moved out in the 1980s. In 2007 the city lost its status as a major transportation hub. The population of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area is holding steady at 2.4 million; 65% of its residents are of European descent and 35% are minorities. For thousands of years, Native Americans inhabited
17066-495: The colonies of Pennsylvania , Maryland and Virginia . During the final day of the treaty council, on July 4, Canasatego, an Onondaga chief, spoke about the Iroquois concepts of political unity: Our wise forefathers established Union and Amity between the Five Nations. This has made us formidable; this has given us great Weight and Authority with our neighboring Nations. We are a powerful Confederacy; and by your observing
17227-766: The colonists kept pushing into western territories and encroaching on the various nations' hunting grounds and territories. Armed conflicts increased. Since the 20th century, the Conrad Weiser Homestead in Womelsdorf , has been partly administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and a supporters group known as Friends of the Weiser Homestead. It has been preserved to serve as an interpretive center for 18th-century farming, political and colonial history, and hosts regular re-enactments, especially of events during
17388-561: The colony most of the land remaining in present-day Pennsylvania, including the southwestern part that Virginia was also still claiming. In 1756, the government appointed Weiser and Ben Franklin to lead construction of a series of forts on the frontier between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna River. In the fall of 1758, Weiser attended a council at Easton, Pennsylvania . Colonial leaders from Pennsylvania met with
17549-546: The community and various developers to create a master plan for a mixed-use development that included a riverfront park, office space, housing, health-care facilities, and indoor practice fields for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pitt Panthers . Construction of the development began in 1998. The SouthSide Works has been open since 2005, featuring many stores, restaurants, offices, and the world headquarters for American Eagle Outfitters . The East End of Pittsburgh
17710-555: The company bitterly opposed the formation of an independent labor union. As a manufacturing center, Pittsburgh also became an arena for intense labor strife. During the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 , Pittsburgh workers protested and had massive demonstrations that erupted into widespread violence, known as the Pittsburgh Railway Riots . Militia and federal troops were called to the city to suppress
17871-479: The confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny. The following year, they built Fort Machault at that site. Alarmed at these French incursions in the Ohio Valley, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia sent Major George Washington to warn the French to withdraw. Accompanied by Christopher Gist , Washington arrived at the Forks of the Ohio on November 25, 1753. As I got down before the Canoe, I spent some Time in viewing
18032-504: The continued activity of British traders in the Ohio Valley, the French redoubled their diplomatic efforts. In addition, they began to build a string of forts to protect their interests, culminating in Fort Duquesne in 1754 at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. This is where present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania later developed. In 1750, Weiser traveled again to Onondaga , where he found
18193-464: The crown desired. Instead, each colony made the best deal it could with individual Iroquois leaders. Not only did no single person speak for the Iroquois League, but bands in each nation acted in decentralized ways in this and other wars. No single chief represented any tribe when it was at war. Conrad Weiser negotiated one of the more successful agreements. Some lower-level chiefs deeded to
18354-492: The division of labor increased, and localized production systems formed around these industries. Transportation, capital, labor markets, and the division of labor in production bound the scattered industrial plants and communities into a sprawling metropolitan district. By 1910 the Pittsburgh district was a complex urban landscape with a dominant central city, surrounded by proximate residential communities, mill towns, satellite cities, and hundreds of mining towns. Representative of
18515-470: The downtown skyline, and numerous other residential neighborhoods such as Sheraden and Elliott . Many of Pittsburgh's patchwork of neighborhoods still retain ethnic characters reflecting the city's settlement history. These include: Several neighborhoods on the edges of the city are less urban, featuring tree-lined streets, yards and garages, with a more suburban character. Oakland, the South Side,
18676-477: The economy of early Pittsburgh, but increasingly, manufacture began to grow in importance. Pittsburgh was located in the middle of one of the most productive coalfields in the country; the region was also rich in petroleum, natural gas, lumber, and farm goods. Blacksmiths forged iron implements, from horse shoes to nails. By 1800, the town, with a population of 1,565 persons, had over 60 shops, including general stores, bakeries, and hat and shoe shops. The 1810s were
18837-480: The first time in 2020, and then also achieved that goal in 2021, 2022, and were on track for better results in 2023. Conrad Weiser Conrad Weiser (November 2, 1696 – July 13, 1760), born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr. , was a Pennsylvania Dutch pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a farmer, he also worked as
18998-433: The fort on June 22, 1763, and the siege of Fort Pitt lasted for two months. Pontiac's warriors kept up a continuous, though ineffective, fire on it from July 27 through August 1, 1763. They drew off to confront the relieving party under Colonel Bouquet, which defeated them in the Battle of Bushy Run . This victory ensured British dominion over the forks of the Ohio, if not the entire Ohio valley. In 1764 Colonel Bouquet added
19159-437: The highest appreciation of the largest 25 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States, with 22 of the largest 25 metropolitan statistical areas experiencing depreciations in housing values. In September 2009, the 2009 G20 Pittsburgh summit was held in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has an area of 58.3 square miles (151 km ), of which 55.6 square miles (144 km ) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km ), or 4.75%,
19320-505: The land north of the Purchase Line to Pennsylvania. After the Revolution, the village of Pittsburgh continued to grow. One of its earliest industries was boat building . Flatboats could be used to carry large numbers of pioneers and goods downriver, while keelboats were capable of traveling upriver. The village began to develop vital institutions. Hugh Henry Brackenridge , a Pittsburgh resident and state legislator, introduced
19481-558: The mineral-rich Allegheny Mountains led to the region being contested by the French and British Empires, Virginians , Whiskey Rebels , and Civil War raiders . For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York City and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment; it had the most U.S. stockholders per capita. Deindustrialization in the late 20th century resulted in massive layoffs among blue-collar workers as steel and other heavy industries declined, coinciding with several Pittsburgh-based corporations moving out of
19642-473: The mountains. In 1841, the Second Court House , on Grant's Hill, was completed. Made from polished gray sandstone, the court house had a rotunda 60 feet (18 m) in diameter and 80 feet (24 m) high. Like many burgeoning cities of its day, Pittsburgh's growth outstripped some of its necessary infrastructure, such as a water supply with dependable pressure. Because of this, on April 10, 1845,
19803-459: The nearly 3,000 Germans to the New York colony. The Crown supported migration of the immigrants to help settle the New York colony. The plan was that they would work off their passage in a form of indenture in camps devoted to producing ships' stores, such as tar and other materials. Later they would be allowed to trade their work for land. Most of the Germans were first located in what were called
19964-437: The new industrial suburbs was the model town of Vandergrift , according to Mosher (1995). Caught up in a dramatic round of industrial restructuring and labor tension, Pittsburgh steelmaker George McMurtry hired Frederick Law Olmsted 's landscape architectural firm in 1895 to design Vandergrift as a model town. McMurtry believed in what was later known as welfare capitalism , with the company going beyond paychecks to provide for
20125-468: The political dynamics in the Six Nations had shifted. Canasatego, always pro-British, had died. Some Iroquois tribes were leaning toward the French, although the Mohawk remained pro-British. They had extensive trade relations with the British in Albany and eastern province of New York. Early in the summer of 1754, on the eve of the eruption in the colonies of tensions from the Seven Years' War , called
20286-465: The railyards, including 100 train engines and more than 1,000 cars. Forty men were killed, most of them strikers. By 1911, Pittsburgh was producing half the nation's steel. Pittsburgh was a Republican party stronghold until 1932. The soaring unemployment of the Great Depression , the New Deal relief programs and the rise of powerful labor unions in the 1930s turned the city into a liberal stronghold of
20447-504: The record cold daily maximum is −3 °F (−19 °C), which occurred three times, most recently the day of the all-time record low, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 82 °F (28 °C) on July 1, 1901. Due to elevation and location on the windward side of the Appalachian Mountains, 100 °F (38 °C)+ readings are very rare, and were last seen on July 15, 1995. Average annual precipitation
20608-452: The region where the Allegheny and the Monongahela join to form the Ohio. Paleo-Indians conducted a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the region perhaps as early as 19,000 years ago. Meadowcroft Rockshelter , an archaeological site west of Pittsburgh, provides evidence that these first Americans lived in the region from that date. During the Adena culture that followed, Mound Builders erected
20769-484: The same methods, our wise forefathers have taken, you will acquire such Strength and power. Therefore whatever befalls you, never fall out with one another. Benjamin Franklin printed this speech, which some historians believe influenced development of American concepts of political unity. After the Treaty of Lancaster, Virginia and Pennsylvania colonial officials acted as if the Iroquois had sold them settlement rights to
20930-605: The sixth-best area for U.S. job growth. Pittsburgh is sometimes called the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges . Its rich industrial history left the area with renowned cultural institutions, including the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy , Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium , Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens , the National Aviary , and a diverse cultural district . The city's major league professional sports teams include
21091-513: The social needs of the workers; he believed that a benign physical environment made for happier and more productive workers. A strike and lockout at McMurtry's steelworks in Apollo, Pennsylvania, prompted him to build the new town. Wanting a loyal workforce, he developed a town agenda that drew upon environmentalism as well as popular attitudes toward capital's treatment of labor. The Olmsted firm translated this agenda into an urban design that included
21252-511: The start of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), or, the Seven Years' War , a global confrontation between Britain and France fought in both hemispheres. In 1755, the Braddock Expedition was launched, accompanied by Virginia militia officer George Washington . Two regiments marched from Fort Cumberland across the Allegheny Mountains and into western Pennsylvania. Following a path Washington surveyed, over 3,000 men built
21413-531: The steel and more than one-third of all U.S. glass was produced in Pittsburgh. A milestone in steel production was achieved in 1875, when the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock began to make steel rail using the new Bessemer process . Industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie , Henry Clay Frick , Andrew W. Mellon , and Charles M. Schwab built their fortunes in Pittsburgh. Also based in Pittsburgh
21574-639: The strike. Forty men died, most of them workers, and more than 40 buildings were burned down, including the Union Depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad . Strikers also burned and destroyed rolling stock: more than 100 train engines and 1000 railcars were destroyed. It was the city with the most violence of any affected by the strikes. In 1892, a confrontation in the steel industry resulted in 10 deaths (3 detectives, 7 workers) when Carnegie Steel Company 's manager Henry Clay Frick sent in Pinkertons to break
21735-667: The summer; special interpretive events; and appointments. Weiser and Anna's descendants continued the family's civic involvement. Their daughter Maria married Henry Muhlenberg . Their son Peter Muhlenberg became a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolution , and Frederick Muhlenberg served as the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives . A great-grandson, Peter M. Weiser (born 1781), joined
21896-520: The town less essential in east–west commerce. In the coming decade, however, many improvements were made to the transportation infrastructure. In 1818, the region's first river bridge, the Smithfield Street Bridge, opened, the first step in developing the "City of bridges" over its two rivers. On October 1, 1840, the original Pennsylvania Turnpike was completed, connecting Pittsburgh and the eastern port city of Philadelphia . In 1834,
22057-559: The town of Reading in 1748, was a key figure in the creation of Berks County in 1752, and was appointed to serve as its chief judge until 1760. Weiser was also a teacher and a lay minister of the Lutheran Church , and one of the founders of Trinity Church in Reading. In 1756, during the French and Indian War , the Lenape began to raid central Pennsylvania. When the colony organized a militia, its leaders appointed Weiser as
22218-425: The track. The nearby Native American community of Logstown was an important trade and council center in the Ohio Valley. Between June 15 and November 10, 1749, an expedition headed by Celeron de Bienville , a French officer, traveled down the Allegheny and Ohio to bolster the French claim to the region. De Bienville warned away British traders and posted markers claiming the territory. In 1753, Marquis Duquesne ,
22379-862: The universities, and the Petersen Events Center . The Strip District to the west along the Allegheny River is an open-air marketplace by day and a clubbing destination by night. Bloomfield is Pittsburgh's Little Italy and is known for its Italian restaurants and grocers. Lawrenceville is a revitalizing rowhouse neighborhood popular with artists and designers. The Hill District was home to photographer Charles Harris as well as various African-American jazz clubs. Other East End neighborhoods include Point Breeze , Regent Square , Highland Park , Homewood , Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar , Larimer , East Hills , East Liberty , Polish Hill , Hazelwood , Garfield, Morningside, and Stanton Heights. The West End includes Mt. Washington , with its famous view of
22540-487: The upper Allegheny. With the war still ongoing, in 1780 Virginia and Pennsylvania came to an agreement on their mutual borders, creating the state lines known today and determining finally that the jurisdiction of Pittsburgh region was Pennsylvanian. In 1783, the Revolutionary War ended, which also brought at least a temporary cessation of border warfare. In the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix , the Iroquois ceded
22701-572: The value of homes in the South Side had increased in value by about 10% annually for the 10 years leading up to 2014. East Carson Street has developed as one of the most vibrant areas of the city, packed with diverse shopping, ethnic eateries, vibrant nightlife, and live music venues. In 1993, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh purchased the South Side Works steel mill property. It collaborated with
22862-400: The war effort. This resulted in the highest levels of air pollution in the city's almost century of industry. The city's reputation as the "arsenal of democracy" was being overshadowed by James Parton 's 1868 observation of Pittsburgh being "hell with the lid off." Following World War II, the city launched a clean air and civic revitalization project known as the "Renaissance," cleaning up
23023-436: The war resulted in deaths of Pennsylvania colonists during the French and Indian Wars . But for many years, Weiser helped to keep the powerful Iroquois allied with the British, as opposed to the French. This important service contributed to the continued survival of the British colonies and is believed to have helped the victory of the British over the French in the French and Indian Wars. Between 1734 and 1741, Weiser became
23184-506: The world's richest men. Carnegie once wrote that a man who dies rich, dies disgraced. He devoted the rest of his life to public service, establishing libraries, trusts, and foundations. In Pittsburgh, he founded the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University ) and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh . The third (and present) Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail was completed in 1886. In 1890, trolleys began operations. In 1907, Pittsburgh annexed Allegheny City , which
23345-604: The year in Pittsburgh is July, with a 24-hour average of 73.2 °F (22.9 °C). Conditions are often humid, and combined with highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) on an average 9.5 days a year, a considerable heat index arises. The coolest month is January, when the 24-hour average is 28.8 °F (−1.8 °C), and lows of 0 °F (−18 °C) or below can be expected on an average 2.6 nights per year. Officially, record temperatures range from −22 °F (−30 °C), on January 19, 1994 to 103 °F (39 °C), which occurred three times, most recently on July 16, 1988;
23506-644: Was George Westinghouse , credited with such advancements as the air brake and founder of over 60 companies, including Westinghouse Air and Brake Company (1869), Union Switch & Signal (1881), and Westinghouse Electric Company (1886). Banks played a key role in Pittsburgh's development as these industrialists sought massive loans to upgrade plants, integrate industries and fund technological advances. For example, T. Mellon & Sons Bank , founded in 1869, helped to finance an aluminum reduction company that became Alcoa . Ingham (1991) shows how small, independent iron and steel manufacturers survived and prospered from
23667-468: Was a leader of the Progressive movement statewide and supported Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 election. During the mid-19th century, Pittsburgh witnessed a dramatic influx of German immigrants , including a brick mason whose son, Henry J. Heinz , founded the H.J. Heinz Company in 1869. Heinz was at the forefront of reform efforts to improve food purity, working conditions, hours, and wages, but
23828-472: Was buried on a small hill slightly west of his house. Weiser's will bequeathed about 4,000 acres (16 km ) and part of his farm to Berks County. Shortly after Weiser's death, relations between the colonists and the Native Americans began a rapid decline. Although the British leaders tried to restrict colonial settlement to east of the Appalachians, to preserve Native American territory west of there,
23989-486: Was federally recognized as "Pittsburg", though use of the final h was retained during this period by the city government and other local organizations. After a public campaign, the federal decision to drop the h was reversed. The Pittsburg Press continued spelling the city without an h until 1921. [REDACTED] Kingdom of France 1690s–1763 [REDACTED] Great Britain 1681–1781 [REDACTED] United States 1776–present The area of
24150-545: Was incorporated as a borough on April 22, 1794, with the following Act: "Be it enacted by the Pennsylvania State Senate and Pennsylvania House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ... by the authority of the same, that the said town of Pittsburgh shall be ... erected into a borough, which shall be called the borough of Pittsburgh for ever." From 1891 to 1911, the city's name
24311-451: Was manufactured by hand, including furniture, tools, candles, buttons, and needles. Settlers had to deal with harsh winters, and with snakes, black bears, mountain lions, and timber wolves. Because of the fear of raids by Native Americans, the settlers often built their cabins near, or even on top of, springs, to ensure access to water. They also built blockhouses, where neighbors would rally during conflicts. Increasing violence, especially by
24472-445: Was named Grant's Hill in his memory. With this defeat, Forbes decided to wait until spring. But when he heard that the French had lost Fort Frontenac and largely evacuated Fort Duquesne , he planned an immediate attack. Hopelessly outnumbered, the French abandoned and razed Fort Duquesne. Forbes occupied the burned fort on November 25, 1758, and ordered the construction of Fort Pitt , named after British Secretary of State William Pitt
24633-517: Was once the site of railyards and associated dense, inexpensive housing for mill and railroad workers. Starting in the late 20th century, the city undertook a Main Street program in cooperation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation , encouraging design and landscape improvements on East Carson Street, and supporting new retail. The area has become a local Pittsburgher destination, and
24794-517: Was one of several possible destinations. Another alternative was the divergent route that became Braddock's Road a few years later through present-day New Stanton . In the event, the colonists did not succeed in turning the path into a wagon road much beyond the Cumberland Narrows pass before they came into conflict with Native Americans. The colonists later mounted a series of expeditions in order to accomplish piecemeal improvements to
24955-416: Was only half-built by April 1754, when over 500 French forces arrived and ordered the 40-some colonials back to Virginia. The French tore down the British fortification and constructed Fort Duquesne . Governor Dinwiddie launched another expedition. Colonel Joshua Fry commanded the regiment with his second-in-command, George Washington, leading an advance column. On May 28, 1754, Washington's unit clashed with
25116-521: Was producing $ 764K in iron; $ 249K in brass and tin, and $ 235K in glass products. When, on March 18, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city, it had already taken on some of its defining characteristics: commerce, manufacture, and a constant cloud of coal dust . Other emerging towns challenged Pittsburgh. In 1818, the first segment of the National Road was completed, from Baltimore to Wheeling , bypassing Pittsburgh. This threatened to render
25277-420: Was producing large quantities of iron, brass, tin, and glass products. By the 1840s, Pittsburgh had grown to be one of the largest cities west of the Allegheny Mountains . Production of steel began in 1875. During the 1877 railway riots it was the site of the most violence and damage in any city affected by the nationwide strikes of that summer. Workers protested against cuts in wages, burning down buildings at
25438-542: Was producing significant quantities of iron, brass, tin, and glass. On March 18, 1816, the 46-year-old local government became a city. It was served by numerous river steamboats that increased trading traffic on the rivers. In the 1830s, many Welsh people from the Merthyr steelworks immigrated to the city following the aftermath of the Merthyr Rising . By the 1840s, Pittsburgh was one of the largest cities west of
25599-405: Was sent by Governor Gooch to Onondaga to meet with the Iroquois leaders. The governor sent £100 worth of goods with Weiser as a peace offering. The battle was one of the motivating factors that led colonial authorities to negotiate the 1744 Treaty of Lancaster . In 1744, Weiser acted as the interpreter for the Treaty of Lancaster , which was agreed to by representatives of the Iroquois and
25760-625: Was the nation's eighth-largest city , accounting for between one-third and one-half of national steel output. The Pittsburgh Agreement was subscribed in May 1918 between the Czech and Slovak nationalities, as envisioned by T. G. Masaryk , concerning the future foundation of Czechoslovakia . The city suffered severe flooding in March 1936. The city's population swelled to more than a half million, attracting numerous European immigrants to its industrial jobs. By 1940, non-Hispanic whites were 90.6% of
25921-514: Was the first constable, and William Troop was the first clerk. Following the American Revolution , the village of Pittsburgh continued to grow. One of its earliest industries was boat building for settlers of the Ohio Country . In 1784, Thomas Vickroy completed a town plan which was approved by the Penn family attorney. Pittsburgh became a possession of Pennsylvania in 1785. The following year,
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