Historic Wilkinsburg

Let's learn some Wilkinsburg History!

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Historic Wilkinsburg

Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania 15221, United States

Created By: Wilkinsburg Public Library

Tour Information

Welcome to the Wilkinsburg Historical Walking Tour!

This historic tour through Wilkinsburg will show you many of the sights and places that have made their mark on Wilkinsburg throughout its history.

You'll of course find lots of churches on this tour. After all Wilkinsburg was once known as the Holy City!

This is a free roam tour! There is no particular route or order of sites you have to follow. Visit all or some of the sites at your leisure!

Please make sure you are being safe while on this tour. Pay attention to traffic and other obstacles. Do not trespass on private property.

More historical pictures, documents, pamphlets and more can be found at wilkinsburglibrary.org/historical

Brought to you by the Wilkinsburg Public Library and the Wilkinsburg Historical Society.


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What You'll See on the Tour

The current Wilkinsburg Borough Building at 605 Ross Avenue was built in 1939 and officially opened and dedicated on New Years' Day 1940.  It replaced the old Municipal Building located directly across the street from the current one.  Yo... Read more
Opened in 1911, by Richard A. Rowland, the Rowland Theater boasted vaudeville shows, silent pictures, plays and more.  The Rowland was one of the first theaters of its kind in Allegheny County and was devoted to "clean and refined popular-... Read more
Real estate developer Leopold Vilsack erected Wilkinsburg's first "skyscraper" on Wood St at Ross Ave in 1908.  He named the seven-story Carl building after his youngest son.  The post office was on the ground floor, which has housed many... Read more
Methodism was one of the first organized religions to take hold in the Wilkinsburg area. The Wilkinsburg Methodist Episcopal church moved to this location after selling its original building on Wallace Ave to the Baptist Church in 1890s. As... Read more
The Calvary Lutheran congregation was formed in Wilkinsburg in 1897 by Rev. F. H. Crissman who served as its first pastor until 1898. In 1901, the first Calvary Lutheran Church was built on a plot of land on South Ave. In the early 1900s ... Read more
Two cousins with the same name, Jane Holmes, were among Wilkinsburg's early benefactors.  One of them founded Sheltering Arms on land donated by James Kelly.  The home opened its doors in 1872 as a suburban "refuge for unfortunate women a... Read more
125 business leaders of Wilkinsburg met at Dudley’s Tea Room in the Shields Building on September 24, 1925, and unanimously agreed to build a $650,000 hotel for travelers along the Lincoln Highway and the Pennsylvania Railroad. A 21-pers... Read more
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... Read more
In 1864, the Singers began to build this three-and-a-half-story stone Gothic-style mansion.  The elaborate 18-room, four-bath Singer mansion was said to have cost an astonishing $75,000 (over 1 million dollars today!) The property was lai... Read more
In 1869, Jacob Weinman Senior--a coal mine operator--moved into this log house on Weinman Street in Wilkinsburg.  The family's fortunes would later improve and they moved to an impressive mansion on the corner of Franklin Ave and Coal St. ... Read more
After moving from the log cabin on what is now Weinman Street, Jacob Weinman moved to this beautiful residence on Franklin Ave in 1889.  Weinman operated a coal mine in the area and worked his way up from a small log cabin to this mansion... Read more
The hub of activity in Wilkinsburg's early days was Rippey's Tavern, run by Samuel A. Rippey and his wife Sutia. Rippey was the brother-in-law of another prominent Wilkinsburg citizen, Dunning McNair.  Samuel Rippey died in 1812, but ... Read more
In the early stages of Wilkinsburg's development children were usually educated in private homes. Parents would hire a teacher and then invite other children to attend such classes. The first public school in Wilkinsburg was built in 1840... Read more
The school board purchased three lots on Wallace Ave to build this modern three-story, 15-room school.  Horner School, named for Squire John Horner, opened in September 1882.  The building was set on spacious grounds and had a 400-seat as... Read more
The first railroad station in Wilkinsburg was built here in 1860 and later burned down in 1883.  A second railroad station was immediately erected on the same site in 1884, where the gazebo/pavilion is today. The second station served Wilk... Read more
Owner and designer W.F. Hamilton opened Dream City amusement park in May 1906. The entrance was located at the intersection of Laketon Road, Montier Street, and Verona Road (now Robinson Blvd). This park along with Luna Park in Oakland... Read more
Believe it or not, Wilkinsburg boasts two retirement homes founded by two women of the same name, Jane Holmes.  The two Janes were cousins and were dedicated to philanthropic undertakings in the area.  This particular site was founded in ... Read more
Located at the current location of the Pyramid Health rehabilitation facility, the United Presbyterian Home for Aged People was founded in 1892 by the United Presbyterian Women's Association of North America (UPWANA). UPWANA raised money f... Read more
This distinctive building at the south east corner of Penn Avenue and Hay Street was built in 1912 to be Wilkinsburg's first stand-alone post office. Since 1840 the Wilkinsburg post office had occupied spaces in various general stores, and... Read more
This is the location of the Caldwell and Graham Building.  Opened in the 1880s the store sold primarily women's clothing and accessories.  Many of today's older residents remember shopping at Caldwell & Graham's to get fabric, sewing ... Read more
The historic Beulah Cemetery was established in 1784 and many of Wilkinsburg's early founders are buried here including Col. Dunning McNair (1762-1825) who laid out the grid-style street plan and named the village Wilkinsburgh.  (Yes Wilki... Read more
At this location in 1916, Frank Conrad transmitted one of the first radio broadcasts from his garage.  The station that Conrad started would later become KDKA, the very first radio station.  Frank Conrad died in 1941 and the home was sold... Read more
Located on an 11 acre hilly parcel on Ardmore Blvd, WTAE (Channel 4) began broadcasting from this location in 1958. More info in our digital archives! ...
In the "Holy City" it means something to be the first. Methodism in Wilkinsburg began in 1832 as part of the Braddock Field Circuit.  The 24-member congregation of Wilkinsburg Methodist Episcopal Church built Wilkinsburg's first Church on ... Read more
At the present day site of Covenant Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Hill and Swissvale Avenue,  the Calvary Presbyterian Church was founded in 1903. In 1904 Calvary built a yellow brick church, but when Swissvale ... Read more
 The Christian Church of Wilkinsburg traces its origins back to 1901. Originally located in a 1866 steepled structure on Wood Street at South Avenue, (the former home of the First Presbyterian Church). The church burned down in 1915 and... Read more
On the present day site of El-bethel Temple Church, stood the Reformed Presbyterian Church. This religious group was known as "Covenanters", though the name of the church did not contain the word "Covenant".  The church traces its origins ... Read more
Located at the present day site of the Wilkinsburg Art and Cultural Center/Eastridge Branch of the Wilkinsburg Public Library, the First Church of Christ, Scientist opened its doors on March 23, 1952. This distinctive building has a large ... Read more
The First Presbyterian Church of Wilkinsburg is one of the oldest in the Borough being organized in 1866.  The congregation built its first church in 1866 on South Ave at Wood Street before the area became a business district.    By 1... Read more
The First United Presbyterian Church was built at what is now the site of Pittsburgh Ethnan Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church. The first meeting of the congregation was held in 1882.  At this meeting, 50 members united with the church an... Read more
Grace Evangelical United Brethren Church was once located at the present day site of Mulberry Community Full Gospel Church.  The Church traces its origins back to 1898 when congregants first organized and found a temporary place to gathe... Read more
Tracing its origins back to the early 20th, century the James Street Methodist Church was built on the present day site of Mt Calvary Baptist Church. The first service was held in 1904.  This was a Sunday school service and was held in the... Read more
The first Methodist Church in the Wilkinsburg area was established in 1832 on Braddock Ave in Swissvale.  In 1843, the congregation built a small brick building on Wallace Ave in Wilkinsburg.  The church was later enlarged and in 1865 bec... Read more
The Wilkinsburg Church of the Nazarene was built in 1927. It was originally built to be the worship center for Waverly Presbyterian. By 1937 the Waverly congregation had moved out and the church became Union Gospel. For over half a century... Read more
Located on the present day site of Deliverance Baptist Church, the Ross Avenue Methodist Church was first dedicated in 1906. In 1927 Swissvale Avenue was widened, which removed over 20 feet of frontage. The church leaders then purchased tw... Read more
A small group of Presbyterians gathered in the Lohr Building on Wood Street in June 1891 and planned their future worship space at Hay Street at Biddle Avenue. They worshiped in the Lohr Building for three years until the church building wa... Read more
In 1869 St. James Catholic Church erected a frame church on a lot fronting Franklin Avenue near the railroad tracks. On Christmas Eve 1888 the church was destroyed by fire. Soon after, a larger brick church and school was built to repla... Read more
St Mark A.M.E Church built the foundation of their worship center in 1918. After a decade, in 1928, the members themselves used their own wheelbarrows and muscles to move the bricks, windows and doors from the dismantled neighboring church... Read more
St. Stephen's Episcopal began as a mission in 1878.  Due to lack of funds and membership, parishioners originally met at the Brace Brother's Steam Laundry and worshiped amidst the hiss of natural gas from the furnace and the squeak of the ... Read more
Trinity Reformed Church built a small frame structure on this lot in 1871. By the mid-1890s the growing congregation needed a larger worship space and hired E. Milligan as the architect to design the "lantern" style buff brick church in 189... Read more
Located near the old Jacob Weinman mansion, the United Brethren in Christ Church was founded in 1850 with twenty-five members. The first house of worship was a small lot on the north side of Ross Avenue between Coal Street and Swissvale Ave... Read more
Wilkinsburg provided high school classes for area students since the 1880s, graduating their first class in 1887. The advanced classes were taught in various buildings around Wilkinsburg, and by adding a third floor in 1893 to the Kelly El... Read more
The first phone exchange in Wilkinsburg was built in 1899 and located in a one room structure.  The building was equipped with six switchboards, four enuncitators and two lockout boards as well as the terminal rack, public pay station boot... Read more
The very first hotel dedicated solely for the purpose of housing overnight guests was erected here in 1907.  Previously visitors to Wilkinsburg had to stay in one of the local taverns.
Johnston School was built in 1906 at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Ardmore Boulevard. It was built on land donated by the grandsons of General John Johnston who had a large farm in the area. In 1920 the building was destroyed by fire, l... Read more
In 1902, the School Board met in special meeting and adopted plans and specifications for the new First Ward school building.  Until that time all children in the First Ward attended Horner School.  Due to growing population and overcrowd... Read more
In 1903, a paid fire department replaced the volunteer department begun in December 1889. The department included 10 firemen and four hourses.  The horse-drawn fire equipment was kept in the Municipal Building on Ross Avenue (directly acro... Read more
Seven Mile House, built in the 1840s on land first purchased by Abram Horback in 1835, was a well-known tavern.  Located on the sourth side of the Pike, at Kelly's Lane (now Penn Ave at Hay St.), it was diagonally across the street from th... Read more
This brick gristmill was located on Penn Ave near Coal Street.  Brothers Edward Moore Thompson built it in 1825 as a water mill powered by Nine Mile Run.  It was later converted to a steam-powered mill owned and managed by Levi Ludwick fr... Read more
Alexander Hamilton (no not THAT Alexander Hamilton, but a distant relation) built Wilkinsburg's first brick house here in 1839. It took, Hamilton, who had learned brick making from his father, over a year to make enough bricks.  The Hamil... Read more
In 1889 a charter was granted to the United Presbyterian Women's Association of North America for the "establishment and maintenance of a hospital for the medical and surgical treatment and the nursing of the sick and disabled and conducti... Read more
Hampton Mine had their workings along the William Penn Highway.  The pit mouth opening was just east of where the Lincoln Statue stood between the William Penn Highway and Ardmore Blvd.   The Hampton Coal Company also owned a piece of la... Read more
One of the most recognizable landmarks in Wilkinsburg is its historic Pennsylvania train station built in 1916.  The station was opened to huge celebrations across the Borough which can be read about in detail here. The Pennsylvania statio... Read more
This large, rambling frame house, built in 1807 by contractor David Little, was situated at the northeast corner of what is now Penn Ave and Wood St.  Its owner, James Horner II, was Justice of the Peace and had his office attached to the ... Read more
George Johnston's brick farmhouse, shown in this 1885 photograph, was located on the Pike where Graham Field is today.  George in herited the farm from his father, Gen. John Johnston, who had received 620 acres as a grant for his service i... Read more
The first United States post office in Wilkinsburg was established in May 1840 under the name of Wilkinsburgh. Pres. Martin Van Buren named Abraham Stoner as postmaster.  The post office was located in the storeroom of Stoner's dry goods s... Read more
The Yingling Mansion has a history which stretches back over 100-years and can still be seen today, primarily in its original form as The Sleeping Octopus. The mansion was built in 1907 by Roswell Gardner Yingling, the owner of a Kittaning ... Read more
From the Wilkinsburg Historical Society Archives: July 2016: Woodlawn Cemetery was officially established February 28, 1903 at 1460 Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg. However, there are some grave stones that date from 1878 and 1882. There are 37 ... Read more
On the site currently occupied by Ferguson Playground, was once a school named after one of Wilkinsburg's founders, Dunning McNair.  McNair School was built in 1895. In 1899, Professor Shives of the Wilkinsburg Schools, had a far sighted ... Read more
In 1866 the Presbyterian congregation in Wilkinsburg built this large steepled edifice on Wood Street at South Avenue. Later, about 1902, as the Wood Street corridor became a bustling business District, the East wing was removed from the... Read more
This church at the corner of Ross Avenue and Center Street (807 Ross Avenue) was built in 1901 to be the home for St. Paul's Lutheran congregation. In 1913 the congregation of St. Paul's worshiped in the nearby Calvary Lutheran Church whil... Read more
From "Our History" Mulberry Presbyterian Church had its beginning from a group associated with little Beulah, a small church on William Penn Highway that started a Sunday School in Wilkinsburg Village in 1839.  The Sunday School developed ... Read more
The arched glass windows of the landmark Lohr Building have overlooked the intersection of Wood Street and South Avenue since those roads were teeming with horse-and-buggy traffic. Built in the late 1800s by Alexander Lohr, this three-story... Read more
In 1916 the Borough planned a great celebration for the opening of the new train station and the raising of the railroad tracks. To add to the event the Wilkinsburg school children were encouraged to donate money to purchase a statue of A... Read more
The Wilkinsburg Bank opened for business in the Borough in June 1896 at 901 Wood Street. About ten years later, they bought the lot behind the bank and moved their small structure to the back of the Wood Street lot.The smaller building was ... Read more
Once it became evident that the first telephone exchange in Wilkinsburg on Franklin Ave (point 43) was nowhere near adequate to handle the rapidly growing telephone system in the area, a second more permanent building was built on this site... Read more
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