From The Gazette in 1964
Looking back at Wilkinsburg 102 years ago we find that this village had its center directionally from North to South, the parallel roads being Wallace, Main and Ross. Note that Main is the present Penn Avenue. Sweeping from left, or west to east, we had Pitt, Hays, Woods, Mulberry, Centre, Steammill Alley, Coal and Water. Note that Hays is Hay, Centre is Center, Steammill Alley is Mill Street, and Water is Swissvale Avenue; note too that Mulberry was cut through and not divided as it has been as long as anyone hereabouts can remember.
Let us sweep from the left of the map to the right.
The Pennsylvania Central Railroad had been railed in and a depot was established in lower Wood where it presently meets Rebecca. On the present Third Ward side of the tracks, A. Bennett had a nursery and green house on lower Main (Penn) near where columbia Hospital has been so long established. Where Hay meets the present Franklin, Joseph Klingensmith had a saw mill.
Wilkinsburg’s greatest benefactor, James Kelly, lived at the present corner of Kelly and Hay, Kelly Street being named in his honor. There were scattered homesteads in the side of the railroad tracks described.
On the other side of the tracks, known as the Second Ward since the town was patented in 1887, we find two houses at the corner of Penn and Hay, listed for Mrs. N. Murray and H. W. Horbach, who also had a property across the street in the Pitt—Penn—Hay—Ross block where also stood the Seven Mile House.
At the corner corner of Wallace and Hay there was the residence of J. Adams. Mrs. Boyd lived on Wallace between Hay and Wood.
Facing Penn between Hay and Wood were a store, then the residences of L. B. Davidson. Dr. R. Wilson, Mrs. Coulter and Rev. J. Hunter. In the same block on the south side were James Kelly’s blacksmith shop, and the homes of J. S. Lacock, John McKelvy and John Horner.
A brick yard occupied the corner of South and Wood. J. Horner had a house on Wallace near Wood.
In the Penn—Wood—Wallace—Mulberry block stood Ezekiel and Kate Reece’s beautiful Stagecoach Inn, a famous National Pike hotel and tavern which was built after 1810 and which was used as a hotel for a century.
In 1882 J. Horner had built a house at the corner of the Great Trail, Penn, and Main (Wood).
On the south side of Penn in the next block were the houses of Dr. J. Carothers, “Heirs of Long” and A. Stoner’s store.
On Wallace, between Mulberry and Center were the homes of Rev. J. Hastings, R. Barr, J. Anderson and two schools, one for the learning of a mechanical trade and the other a reading’, ’ritin’ and ’rithmetic one-room building at the corner of Wallace and Center.
On the north side of Penn between Mulberry and Center there were houses of Mrs. McMullen, E. Thompson, Store, Post Office, Dr. J. Semple, H. Turner and a shoe store. On south Penn between Mulberry and Center were the J. McKelvy house, a tavern, then houses of J. Alshouse, J. Perchment, L.Statenfield and J. Rice. Facing Ross between Mulberry and Center were houses owned by Mrs. Irwin, D. Double and J. Kelly.
Sweeping beyond Center, the Presbyterian Church and Academy stood at the corner of Wallace at Center and E. Quinter had a house facing Wallace between Center and Mill.
Facing Penn between Center and Mill were a shoe store and the houses of J. Young, J.McAfee and Mrs. Wadsworth. On south Penn between the same roads was a house owned by W. G. Warren. Between the same roads on south Ross were the houses of Mrs. Thompson, J. H. Ashwood, a shoe shop and J. Snyder, and at Center and South J. Beecher had his home. Across the street at Center and South stood the Reformed Presbyterian Church.
The map scanner now sweeps across Mill (Steammill Alley) and finds Mrs. Delaney’s residence at Mill and Wallace, and S. Henry’s house faced Mill between Wallace and Penn. A. Hamilton had a house at Penn and Coal.
On south Penn, between Mill and Coal was the home of L. Ludwick, then there was the historic grist mill on Nine Mile Run, then a blacksmith shop, public bath and the home of G. Clelland. Mrs. Woodsides owned homes on south Ross between Mill and Coal. W. McWilliams had a house at Coal and Wallace. J. Kelly owned another house on north Penn near Coal.
The United Brethren Church was located on north Ross midway between Coal and Water (Swissvale). On upper Penn beyond Swissvale are homes owned by Mrs. McCracked, R. McCracken and Mrs. Manlier. Between North and Wallace on north Swissvale were homes of H. McGeehan and J. Ayers, and also on Swissvale, south of Ross was the home of I. Knight.
The Wilkinsburg Post Office map was researched, verified and prepared many years ago by William Boyd Duff of Wilkinsburg. This is the first time it has been reproduced and available to the public.
Note: Missed by the mapmaker was a new house built in 1862 on Ross Avenue by Simon Sarver for his bride Katherine Snyder. This house is numbered 1023 Ross Avenue.
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Wilkinsburg Public Library Digital Archives:
“Wilkinsburg 102 Years Ago,”The Gazette, September 24, 1964.