Harry C. Gilchrist, History of Wilkinsburg Pennsylvania
Gilchrist writes,
The sketch is not drawn to scale, the buildings may be a little out of place, and the architecture may have been a little different than shown in the picture—no memory picture of anything can do justice. There is no picture of the village at that early date extant, neither is there anyone living who could check Mr. Turner’s recollections. The Wilkinsburg Academy was added because of its prominence.
This sketch of Wilkinsburg in 1844 is made from a pencil drawing made by the author as directed by the late William Turner, Sr., who was born here in 1835.
In 1844 the town contained four taverns, one grist mill, a post office, one church, one school, one toll gate, a stone quarry, blacksmith shop, and about four stores. Note the frog pond at the corner of Ross and Wood Streets where the Shields Building now stands.
A race track was located where the Old Couple and Old Ladies Homes are now situated on Coal, Rebecca, and Swissvale Avenues. This race track was approached from Swissvale Avenue.
From Ross Avenue eastward were vacant fields. From Dumpling Hall at the corner of Kelly and Hay Streets (then a lane) the timber extended to Fern Hollow. North of Wallace Avenue up over the hill was timberland, except for a field or two.
Mr. Turner stated after seeing the picture that Wilkinsburg resembled this picture when he was a small boy, with the exception of the Academy, which was not built until 1852.
In the foreword to the History of Wilkinsburg Pennsylvania Harry C. Gilchrist writes that William Turner Sr. contributed “early records and pencil tracings, making possible the artist’s sketch of the village in 1840. . . .”
The map might be a drawing in 1844 of a drawing for 1840!______
Harry C. Gilchrist. History of Wilkinsburg Pennsylvania. 1927, pp. ii, 30, 84—85.