Dumpling Hall

Dumpling Hall, the home built by Col. Dunning McNair in 1790, was located near what is now Hay Street and Kelly Ave. Considered a mansion in its time. The house was built of cobblestones probably taken from the Allegheny River. Legend has it that it was named by a house guest who thought the cobblestones embedded in mortar resembled apple dumplings.

The house was 2 stories with a low attic. Originally,there were two rooms, hallway and stairs on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second.

At the end of the property were the stables for McNair's fast horses and shelters for his hunting dogs. It is not exactly known just when an L frame of four rooms; two lower and two upper and a lower and an upper porch were added. These additions gave a more spacious look to the building.

The interior of the house was decorated and furnished as the elegance of the time permitted. There were shiny oaken floors, white pine doors and window frames with window panes no doubt made in one of the glass factories along the Allegheny River. There were curiously carved old mantle pieces, high as a man's head and fireplaces with deep grates and iron-back walls, ornamented with fancy designs. There were fascinating deep window sills and small paned window sashes, thick six paneled doors.

After McNair's death, James Kelly bought the house and lived there until he died in 1882. The house was torn down in 1905, more than 100 years after it had first been built.

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Sources:

Wilkinsburg Historical Society. (2007). Images of America: Wilkinsburg. Arcadia Publishing.

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Dumpling Hall: Then and Now. (ca. 1972). N/A, 1–2. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cwl_ttyl2yQvbKkS6IduHddnRVq18yLk/view?usp=sharing