Pitcairn High School - Retrospect Yearbook (Pitcairn, PA)

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,of Pilcann Chapter III-1844-1894 From the days of John Frazier down through the first hundred years, we have seen our Valley changing from the barbarous life of the lndian to a stage of advancement, not altogether unlike our present way of life. Quoting from the History of VVestern Pennsylvaniau written one hundred years ago, Great in many respects have been the changes within the century. Now the inhabi- tants of this region possess all the luxuries and refinements of long settled European countries. All the fashions of dress in the Metropolis of' Pennsylvania and other Atlan- tic cities flourish here. The linsey and coarse linens have been ex- changed for the substantial and fine fabrics of Europe and Asia, the hunting shirt for the fashionable coat of broadcloth, and the moccasin for boots and shoes of tanned leath- er. Ladies dress as fine as any in the Atlan- tic cities. The mechanical arts are not sur- passed by anv in the east. Literature and science receive great attention. Rv the persevering hand of industry the wilderness has been made to blossom. The aspect of the country has everywhere been changed. The horse paths along which the first settlers made their laborious journey over mountains and valleys were soon succeed- ed by wagon roads at first, and then by sub- stantial turnpike roads, and now what was a little more than a century ago the far back woods is brought into close and lucrative con- nection with several ofthe Atlantic cities. The journey formerly considered so long and expensive and even perilous is 110W made in less than fifty hours. Here we have a pen picture of the life of one hundred years ago. Could we listen in on a conversation over the back yard fence between John McGinnis and Michael 1Vall in 1844, we may have heard them talk about a young lawyer in illinois, Abraham Lincoln, even then attracting na- tional attention, or of a run-away slave who was given food and shelter on his way to free- dom in Canada, or about the admission of Texas then a source of great excitement, or of President Van Buren's policies which were leading up toward war with Mexico, or they may have talked about men surveying a right of way for a railroad down the Turtle Creek Valley. ln 1844 we were well supplied with roads. Two turnpikes, for several years providing stage coach service between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, were known as the Northern Turnpike, 11ow the VVilliam Penn Highway, and the Greensburg Pike, now the Lincoln Highway. Nearer home was the Great State Road which ran down the Valley along the north side of Turtle Creek, a remnant of which road is our present Broadway. This road extended from Greensburg to Pittsburgh by way of Harrison City, Blackburn, Pitcairn, and Turtle Creek Borough. Another road ran from the State Road 11OI'tl1 over our present VVall Avenue to the Northern Turnpike at the present Cross Roads Church in Monroeville. Another road connected the Greensburg Pike and the Northern Turnpike com- ing through Pitcairn from the Tilbrook farm and winding down the hill from the present Grimm farm to the foot of Brinton Avenue where it crossed the State Road, proceeded southward through the meadow, crossing Turtle Creek on a wooden bridge, Hllll then on to the Greensburg Pike. It will be re- membered that in the early days Turtle Creek followed a channel along the edge of the hills adjoining the present Borough of lVall. and that Dirty Camp Run flowed down through the then meadows and met Turtle Creek at or near the site of the present Engine Round House. In 1844 six families resided within the bor- ders ot' our present Borough: NValls, McGin- nis, Muldoon, Barr, Glew and Nasers. It is a remarkable coincident that each of these six early pioneers of Pitcairn are still represent- ed by children or grandchildren who now live in and own real estate in the Borough. One of the really important events in the Valley occurred in the later forties when sur- veyors first staked out a right of way for a railroad to be built from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. . After the surveyors sketched their proposed line down the Conemaugh River as far as Torrence, they hesitated. Some wished to continue down the Cone- maugh River 011 a watcrgrade, through Blairs- ville, Saltsburg, Freeport and the Allegheny River, while others argued in favor of the nearer route through Derry and Greensburg. The course of the Railroad being decided, sur- veyors completed their work through to Pitts- burgh along the banks of Turtle Creek. The Railroad, after purchasing a right of way along the bank of Turtle Creek four rods CContinued on page 215 nineteen

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,of eauncllf GROVER C, IQING XVILLIAM E. IQANE C. S. MILIAER Secretary President Solicitor eighteen W. M. HICKS E. E. SUMMERS J. C. MCGINNIS S. H. SNEE E. C. HILLIARD L. H. DEVINEY

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P' Enough Ujficiaii BURGESS ' XYILLIAM B. RHODES CHARLES P. LEGER DIARY M. OGLE JOHN E. CATHCART Chief of Police Tax Collector See'y. Board of Health BOROUGH OFFICIALS TYVARREN C. MCDOWELL JAMES H. PORTER W. ALDEN MCMUNN BENJAMIN L. MARSH twenty Constable ' Auditor Auditor Auditor