St Mary of the Mount High School - St Mary Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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Early Pittsburgh Waterfront Pittsburgh Sesqui-Centennial — 1908

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oleivom Enclosed within the covers of this bools. is a brief history of the beginning of Moinit Washington. All the available historical facts that contributed to Mount Washington ' s development are here recorded so that we might be fully appreciative of the ne v period of history which is just beginning — The Redevelopment Program for Pittsbingh. The building of the Saint Mary of the Mount new high school and convent is one of the first steps in the Renaissance of Motmt Washington. In our history of the parish, ve have tried to record the material growth of the parish during its 28 years of existence. It is impossible to record or to measure its spiritual gro vth. Much of the progress of the parish is due to those - vhose names are not mentioned herein because they are unkno vn to us. But the important thing is that their deeds are known to God and are recorded in His books never to be for- gotten. The material progress of Saint Mary of the Mount which reveals the gro vth of a small mission into one of the finest and largest parishes of the diocese is ample proof of the spiritual growth of the good people who are responsible for that growth. For such and so many material and spiritual gifts, - ve are grateful to God, and to His Blessed Mother to whom our parish was dedicated in 1874. It is most fitting that the parish -whose church overlooks the Golden Triangle should be dedicated in honor of Our Blessed Lady, just as the first church established in Pittsburgh vas dedicated in her honor under the title of The Blessed Mother of the Assumption of the Beau- tiful Rivers. In reading the pages of this book of the history of Saint Mary of the Mount parish, not only do we realize its growth but also its influence over all the diocese. From here originated not only the Apostolate but also the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Our hope and prayer is that as we become a part of the Renaissance of Pittsburgh in a material vay, ve may, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also become a far greater part of her spirittial Renaissance. Reverend J. Donald O ' Neil.

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Jiisto The construction of a ne v convent and high school is just another milestone in the consistent progress that has attended St. Mary of the Mount Parish on Mt. Wash- ington since its inception in the year 1873. That we might get a proper perspective of the growth and expansion of the Mt. Washington parish, it will be well to go back into the history of this region where Christ ' s vork for souls has so patently been blessed. What we now know as Mt. Washington was formerly known as Coal Hill. During the Revolutionary period a British soldier discovered coal vithin the cliffs of this region. In fact, it was this coal that kindled the fires of Fort Pitt and later served as the main coal supply during the early development of the city of Pittsburgh. Not until April 2, 1872, was the name of Coal Hill abandoned in favor of the name of Mt. Washington, after the Father of our country. It was atop this plateau-like land of Mt. Washington on November 28, 1753, that George Washington made a survey of Fort Pitt and foresaw the important position of Pittsburgh as the gateway to the West. Pittsburgh is a city of hills, but none is comparable to the plateau of Mt. Wash- ington Avhich commands one of the most beautiful panoramic vicAvs in the United States. Standing 1,220 feet above sea level and 500 feet above the junction of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Mt. Washington remained undeveloped territory for many years, and while the city of Pittsburgh developed within the Golden Triangle and along the north bank of the Allegheny River, Mt. Washington remained farmland for the few who had settled there. The original farms on Mount Washington were purchased from John Penn, the Younger, and John Penn, the Older. Coal Hill wns part of the manor of Pittsburgh. It was one of the manors that the Common vealth of Pennsylvania permitted the Penns to retain following the Revolutionary War. The ground on which Saint Mary of the Mount Church and School are located was originally a part of the farm pur- chased by Abraham Kirkpatrick from the Penns. Abraham Kirkpatrick, a major in the Revolutionary War, played a very important part in the Whiskey Rebellion. He was married to the sister of General Neville ' s wife. On March 27, 1794 Abraham Kirkpatrick purchased from the Penns two farms designated in the original plan as farms 10 and 11. The land consisted of seven hun-