Welcome to Allegheny City.


This website although striving to be historically accurate will differ from other bodies of work in that it will chronicle AC from the perspective of people who grew up in the area during the post war baby boom era of the 40s, 50s and early 60's

We owned homes on Monterey St, North Taylor Ave and Mimosa Way. Our roots in Allegheny City are traced to 1839 when our great great grandfather and his brothers operated a casting foundry on Lacock St, near the current location of PNC Park. Later our great great uncle ran a grocery at 311 Federal St.  Another relative was listed as a "Moulder" in the 1860 census, on Ohio, between West and Middle.

Some of our memories will include trips "Dawn Street" (Federal @ Ohio) as opposed to "Dawntawn" which required a ride on the trolley known to us as the "streetcar". We also hope to share photos, mementos, and artifacts from our personal collections, and not seen elsewhere. We hope to construct this site slowly over time, so please be patient and stop back often for updates.
Image of the Allegheny Theological Seminary is in 1908.
Do you know what is on this spot now?  Click here to watch the site transform to 2010 & find out. 		The structure above, The Allegheny Theological Seminary, was during the late 50's a
vacant building with all the windows broken, some sharp glass remaining as they were
popular targets to youngsters with rock in hand. Although the first floor was open to
exploration, it was avoided as the building was home to the "Rubber Man" according
to the older kids.

 

The North Side Story is a great program available on either DVD or VHS.

The North Side is where all the millionaires used to live, where the Pirates have been playing for years, and where you’ll find some of the most charming neighborhood on earth. In this fun documentary, WQED’s Rick Sebak (producer of Kennywood Memories, The Strip Show and Things That Aren’t There Anymore) takes you to the part of Pittsburgh that until 1907 used to be a separate city called Allegheny.

Of Course the NORTH SIDE was once the Great ALLEGHENY CITY. You are sure to enjoy this program produced locally by WQED

 

 

 Allegheny Town was established in 1784 by order of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. By 1840, the tiny wilderness community had grown in size and population to be incorporated as Allegheny City. Throughout the 19th century, Allegheny City became home to immigrants from many European countries who found work in the city’s expanding commercial and industrial firms, as well such prominent Americans as Andrew Carnegie, Samuel P. Langley, Mary Cassatt, George Ferris, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The citizens of Allegheny City’s many neighborhoods took great pride in their city’s heritage, schools, parks, and congregations. On January 1, 1907, Allegheny City was the third-largest city in Pennsylvania. By the end of that year, the city, as an autonomous municipality, no longer existed as a result of an annexation by Pittsburgh, its sister city across the river. Allegheny City: 1840–1907 documents the short history of this remarkable city.
PITTSBURGH, Then and Now

One of our favorite things to do is compare photographs of the same location, past and present, or "Then and Now". We got our inspiration for this form of comparative history from Arthur G. Smith's book. Mr. Smith laid the groundwork with his book and many others have followed with similar projects. Mr. Smith took photographs of many familiar locations in the late 1980's from the exact spot of the original and published them in this book on facing pages. This book, once readily available is fast disappearing. If you don't have this one in your Pittsburgh Book Library we urge you to consider adding it. Available by clicking the link to the right

 

Ongoing : First project is to chronicle the history of the NORTH SIDE from the post war era until the eventual decline in the 70's.

Please send your memories, thoughts, or photographs by FACEBOOK MESSAGE

Photographs will be returned and credit to you will be given for each image you provide.
 

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