Eighth Street (1784–1862)

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Not to be confused with the modern Eighth Street. For other streets that have been named Eighth Street, see Eighth Street (disambiguation).
Eighth Street
Neighborhood Central Business District
Origin of name Sequential numbering from the Monongahela River
Fate Covered by tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad; officially vacated in 1926

The shortest street in George Woods' original plan of Pittsburgh from 1784 was Eighth Street, spanning less than 240 feet between Liberty Street (today's Liberty Avenue) and Grant Street very near their intersection.[1] It seems to have disappeared as a meaningful street about 1862; it was dropped from George H. Thurston's city street directory between the 1861 and 1862 editions,[2][3] and it made its last labeled map appearance in S. N. & F. W. Beers' map of 1862.[4] The 1868 city ordinance that changed First through Seventh Streets into avenues did not mention Eighth Street.[5] In the 1872 and 1882 Hopkins atlases it is drawn but not labeled, possibly because it has essentially been covered by tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad.[6][7] In 1887 the railroad had forced the relocation of the northernmost block of Grant Street to the west, obliterating the last traces of the original Eighth Street.[8][9][10] Even so, the street was not officially vacated until 1926.[11]

References

  1. ↑ George Woods. A Draught of the Town Plat of Pittsburgh, Surveyed for John Penn, Jr., and John Penn, by George Woods, May 31st 1784. 1784. Reproduced as "Original plan of Pittsburgh" in plate 19 of Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872 (Historic Pittsburgh 1872p019). [view source] woods-plat
  2. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities: And the adjoining boroughs of Birmingham, East Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Manchester, Duquesne, West Pittsburgh, South Pittsburgh, Monongahela, and Temperanceville; also, of the villages of Brownstown, Minersville, East Liberty, Hatfield, Woodville, Troy Hill, Mt. Washington, Spring Garden, East Pittsburgh and Oakland, together with parts of Pitt, Collins, Peebles, St. Clair, M'Clure, Reserve, Chartiers and Shaler Townships, for 1861–62. George H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1861. Historic Pittsburgh 31735038288050. [view source] thurston-1861
  3. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities: And the adjoining boroughs of Birmingham, East Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Manchester, Duquesne, West Pittsburgh, South Pittsburgh, Monongahela, and Temperanceville; also, the villages of Brownstown, Minersville, East Liberty, Hatfield, Woodville, Troy Hill, Mt. Washington, Spring Garden, East Pittsburgh and Oakland; together with parts of Pitt, Collins, Peebles, St. Clair, M'Clure, Reserve, Chartiers and Shaler Townships, for 1862–63. George H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1862. Historic Pittsburgh 31735038289116. [view source] thurston-1862
  4. ↑ S. N. & F. W. Beers. Map of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Smith, Gallup & Hewitt, Philadelphia, 1862. LCCN 2012592151; https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/31783; 1862 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] beers
  5. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of streets." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1868. Passed Aug. 31, 1868. In The Municipal Record: Containing the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh: 1868, Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1868_20200904_2014). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Sept. 2, 1868, p. 5 (Newspapers.com 86347563), Sept. 3, p. 3 (Newspapers.com 86347623), and Sept. 4, p. 3 (Newspapers.com 86347714). [view source] ordinance-1868-name-changes
  6. ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1872-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1872 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1872
  7. ↑ Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1882. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1882-atlas-pittsburgh-allegheny; 1882 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1882
  8. ↑ Brian Butko. "When Grant Street got a zigzag." Heinz History Center, Mar. 22, 2020. https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/blog/western-pennsylvania-history-when-grant-street-got-a-zigzag/. [view source] butko-zigzag
  9. ↑ History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Including Its Early Settlement and Progress to the Present Time; a Description of Its Historic and Interesting Localities; Its Cities, Towns and Villages; Religious, Educational, Social and Military History; Mining, Manufacturing and Commercial Interests; Improvements, Resources, Statistics, Etc.: Also Portraits of Some of Its Prominent Men, and Biographies of Many of Its Representative Citizens, p. 482. A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889. Google Books DwzYAAAAMAAJ; Internet Archive historyofalleghe1889cush. [view source] history-of-allegheny-county
  10. ↑ Atlas of the City of Pittsburgh, vol. 1. G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1889. http://historicpittsburgh.org/maps-hopkins/1889-volume-1-atlas-pittsburgh; included in the 1890 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] hopkins-1889-vol-1
  11. ↑ "An ordinance vacating Eighth Street, from the north line of Grant Street as opened by Ordinance No. 267 approved July 3, 1925, to Liberty Avenue." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1926, no. 24. Passed Jan. 18, 1926; approved Jan. 20, 1926. Ordinance Book 37, p. 76. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the Year 1926, appendix, p. 13, Smith Bros. Co. Inc., Pittsburgh (Google Books A5zkbeRRvzUC; HathiTrust uiug.30112109819794; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1926). [view source] ordinance-1926-24
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