Eureka Street
| Eureka Street | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhoods | Allentown, Mount Washington |
| Origin of name | Perhaps from "Eureka," the state motto of California, from Ancient Greek εὕρηκα heúrēka 'I have found' |
| North Street (until 1881) | |
| Origin of name | Its location to the north of South Street (Excelsior Street) |
This street was laid out as North Street by Benjamin McLain and Thomas S. Maple in their plan of Allentown, recorded in 1868. It was the sister of South Street (today Excelsior Street).[1][2] It was renamed Eureka Street in 1881, apparently because of the duplication with North Street in Lawrenceville (which was also renamed by the same ordinance, becoming part of Foster Street).[3]
"Eureka" and "Excelsior" are the state mottos of California and New York, respectively; it is possible this was the inspiration for these street names. Incidentally, the name of Industry Street to the south was also given by the 1881 ordinance,[3] and "Industry" is the state motto of Utah, but Utah did not become a state until 1896.
Bob Regan includes "Eureka" in his "Streets of Pittsburgh" crossword puzzle, clued as "A cry of scientific discovery; also a town in northwest California."[4] Unfortunately this is just a dictionary definition of the word eureka and gives no solid information about the origin of the street name.
See also
- North Street, for other streets that have had that name
References
- ↑ "McLain and Maple's plan of sub-division and extension of Allentown." Recorded Mar. 6, 1868, Plan Book 3, pp. 234–235. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778659. [view source] mclain-maple-allentown-plan
- ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 100. 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
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1880–1881, no. 33. Passed Feb. 28, 1881; approved Mar. 4, 1881. Ordinance Book 5, p. 212. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1880, pp. 213–234, Herald Printing Company, Pittsburgh, 1881 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880). [view source] ordinance-1880-1881-33
- ↑ Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the City, Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks and More Got Their Names, pp. 183–186. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source] regan
