Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-08-02
MOUNT WASHINGTON.
Nesting Cloudward, it has Made
Great Strides Recently.
ITS EXTENSIVE STREET PAVING
And Much Rouse Building, All in Modest
and Quiet Way.
ITS TREMENDOUS VOTING CAPACITY

Mt. Washington, Thirty-second ward, has
been quietly looming up of late years all by
itself, and very few people, aside from those
who live there, know it. In fact, it is
doubtful whether the average resident OF
the city knows as much of the place as do
visitors, who ride up the inclined planes as
a novelty, and are astonished to find little
city, so bright and new that it shines like
gem in the tiara of the city. 1t has been
said that city set on hill cannot be hid,
but Mt Washington has managed to be
very nearly hidden, illustrating the declara-
tion in the Book of Mormon, blessed is he
that bloweth his own horn, for he shall be
blowed." Mt. Washington hasn't been
blowing itsHwn horn very much lately, has
not even hHd an indignation meeting for
several years, and while the East End has
been the cynosure of most eyes on purchase
bent, Mt Washington has been in measure
forgotten.
DATING FROM AWAY BACK.
1t may not be generally known, but it is
nevertheless fact, that a portion of Mt.
Washington was laid out in 1884, 105 years
ago. 1t was included in the Manoro Pitts
burg, and High street, now Grandview ave-
nue., was a street over 100 years ago. The
lots fronted on the river. They were quite
ample lots, four rods wide and running
from the river TO the top of the hill, some
700 feet, each lot containing over an acre of
ground.
Over 100 years ago Abraham kirkpatrick.
grandfather of Z. @. Bigham, ESQ.,, built
log house at the corner of what is now
Grandview avenue and Kearsage street. He
also built another farther back, which is
still standing, and a barn on the site now
occupied BY Mr.. Charles b. Humbert. The
first named house was torn down within the
last three years, and of the second house
the logs are hidden BY, quite modern
weatherboarding. Mr.. Kirkpatrick being
an officer of the General Government, and
consequently antagonistic to the men who
fought the Whisky Rebellion, found it
| rough shedding during that war, and the
insurrectionists burned his barn.
A VILLAGE IN 1920.
The oldest settlement that approached in
| appearance a village was near where the
house of John Wilbert, deceased, stands.
Peter Cool, Thomas Jones and some others
built log houses there in 1920. The first of
the Large family to come TO this section had
| built a distiliery on the back part OF the
hill, but in 1920 the distillery was regarded
as thing of antiquity, and even its site
had been forgotten by most people.
Steam and modern science have made Mt
| Washington. Had it not been for her in.
clined planes she would to this day have
remained a struggling village, but the
| plane is not so late an idea as some suppose.
About 1850 the late T. j. Bigham and q
man named Leslie laid out a plan of lots on
the heights and Leslie, whose talent lay in
the engineering line, began the construction
| of an inclined plane much similar to the
| one now in operation The road up the hill
! originally ran from where Thomas Neely's
stable now stands at grade so steep that in
ascending a line dropped from the lead
horses ears would strike the tailboard Of
| the wagon, and it was difficult even to get
groceries on the Mount. Some excavating
was done fer Mr.. Leslie's plane and a car
was bought, but it never carried any pass
engers. Not long since it was doing duty
as a summer house in the yard of the late
| G. B. M. Smith, Esq.
Instead Of an inclined plane Bigham &
Leslie and others finally contented them
| selves by building line of steps to the
brow of the hill. These steps were in use
| down almost to the time Of the building Of
L
considered great labor saving institution.
HUMBERT's IDEA ANCIENT ALSO.
1t is also stated that Mr.. Humbert's idea
of car hung on wires to transport people
from the foot of Market street to the top of
Mt. Washington, to the place where the
| Harper mansion stands was conceived by q
Yankee named Daniel Touse in 1850.
In 1868 Mr.. Peter Soffel was one of the
Board of School Directors, and he says the
| number of children enrolled was about 175
| In 1871 the schoolhouse at the corner of
| Sycamore and Stanwix streets became too
| small, and a new one was proposed. The
| proposition caused a bitter fight, and the
opponents of the project said the building
proposed would not be filled during the life
| of the generation. Since that time an addi-
| ton nearly as large as the building itself
| has been built, and now it is necessary to
pal and q teachers are kept busy taking
care OF an enrolment of nearly /, 500 pupils,
and but half the life of a generation has
passed since the old frame house became too
small.
Just here state of facts crops out which
| no one on the Mount seems able to explain.
There are about as many voters as children,
and yet the ward is not noted for old
bachelors. Were the recognized proportions
| given Dy SLaLlSIlclduS mdIutalneQ, tue aQult
males and females ought not to equal, leav-
ing out children too young to go to school,
more than one-half of the residue of the
population, which would give nearly 5000
school pupils. DR.. j. E. Wilson and j. G.
| Mccormick are supposed to know about
how many children have been born on the
Mount during the last 20 years, and they are
unable to explain the discrepancy except on
the ground that some voters
| VOTE EARLY AND OFTEN,
or large proportion of the children do not
60 to school. The population of the ward is
about 1000 The additional school building
now being erected will cost ST.. 900.
Up to a very recent date the conservatives
of the Mount have been able to fight of
street improvements, but the moderns have
at last succeeded in setting the ball rolling.
Miles of streets are being graded and paved,
and some heavy cuts are being made that
will cost vast amount of money but when
the work is finished it will be of vast use. as
by the inclined freight plane wagons carry
ing four tons are lifted to the summit in one
minute, whereas few years ago half a
ton was large load for two horses to pull
up the wagon road.
The character'of the houses built of late
years is much superior to those formerly
built. So far 81 have been erected this year
and the ring of the bricklayer's trowel and
sound of the carpenters saw can be heard in
| every direction.