Laxton Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
Laxton Street
Neighborhood Homewood West
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Puckety Road (until 1922)
Origin of name Pucketa Creek
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Charley Alley (1882–1914)
Portion Between Atwell Street and Lyric Street
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Charley Way (1914–1934)
Portion Between Atwell Street and Lyric Street

This street was originally a segment of Puckety Road, which led from the Greensburg Pike (today Penn Avenue) to Logan's Ferry at the mouth of Pucketa Creek,[1] for which the road was named. The 1862 map of S. N. and F. W. Beers shows that this road took a winding course to the northeast of Silver Lake (where Silver Lake Drive is today).[2]

The East End was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1868.[3] In May 1869, the Survey Committee of City Councils visited Puckety Road; they decided that the road should be straightened near Silver Lake.[4][5] In June 1869, a city ordinance authorized the opening of Puckety Road as a city street and changed its name to Lincoln Avenue.[6]

However, the old angle of the road to the north of Silver Lake still remained[7] and kept the name Puckety Road. Part of it was vacated by a city ordinance in 1879.[8] Some of the rest, from Atwell Street to Lyric Street, became Charley Alley in George Finley's Lake Home plan of lots in 1882.[9][10] The last part of Puckety Road, from Lyric Street to Upland Street, was renamed Laxton Street in 1922.[11]

Charley Alley became Charley Way in 1914, when a city ordinance changed all alleys in Pittsburgh to ways.[12] Charley Way was renamed Laxton Way in 1934.[13] This may still be the official name for the segment of this street between Atwell and Lyric Streets, as I cannot find any subsequent ordinance that made Laxton Way part of Laxton Street, but current street signs call the whole length Laxton Street.

In a 1937 Post-Gazette column about unusual Pittsburgh street names, Charles F. Danver wrote, "The names of the avenues and streets aren't so funny, but the gent who tagged the alleys certainly went to town. For instance, Charley way."[14] This was probably a self-deprecating joke.

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Fulton Stuart Collins, Jr. "Stringtown on the Pike": Tales and History of East Liberty and the East Liberty Valley of Pennsylvania: Its Origin, Early Struggles and the People Who Shaped Its Destiny, Past and Present, Together with Related Stories of Old "Pittsburg" Coincident with the Settlement of "Stringtown," pp. 100–101. East Liberty Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh. LCCN 65027412. [view source] stringtown
  2. ↑ 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
  3. ↑ Mark A. Connelly. "Collins Township–Lawrenceville Borough–Liberty Township–Oakland Township–Peebles Township–Pitt Township to Pittsburgh City 1868 Merger." Local Geohistory Project. https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/collins-township-lawrenceville-borough-liberty-township-oakland-township-peebles-township-pitt-township-to-pittsburgh-city-1868-merger/. [view source] lgeo-east-end-annexation
  4. ↑ "New streets: Important action of the Survey Committee of City Councils." Pittsburgh Gazette, May 10, 1869, p. 8. Newspapers.com 86349341. [view source] new-streets
  5. ↑ "New streets and avenues—tour of the Survey Committee." Daily Post (Pittsburgh), May 10, 1869, p. 1. Newspapers.com 86523268. [view source] new-streets-and-avenues
  6. ↑ "An ordinance authorizing the opening the [sic] Puckety Road, from the Frankstown Road to Spring street, and changing the name to Lincoln avenue." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1869. Enacted June 28, 1869. Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Gazette, July 2, 1869, p. 5 (Newspapers.com 86343567), July 3, p. 7 (Newspapers.com 86343613), and July 5, p. 7 (Newspapers.com 86343650). [view source] ordinance-1869-puckety
  7. ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, p. 65. 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
  8. ↑ "An ordinance vacating that portion of the Puckety road lying between Fifth avenue extension and a point nine hundred feet east of the same in the Twenty-first ward." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1878–1879, no. 78. Passed Mar. 17, 1879; effective Apr. 1, 1879. Ordinance Book 5, p. 201. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1878, p. 346, Herald Printing Co., Pittsburgh (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1878). [view source] ordinance-1878-1879-78
  9. ↑ "George Finley's Lake Home plan of lots: 21st Ward Pittsburg Pa." Laid out Feb. 1882; recorded Nov. 25, 1884, Plan Book 7, p. 117. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3779694. [view source] lake-home-plan
  10. ↑ "Dedication of the ground for half of Lyric street, from Lincoln avenue to Dagg alley, and from Lincoln avenue to Charley alley, and Tennis street, from Lincoln avenue to Dagg alley, and Atwell street, from Lincoln avenue to Dagg alley, and Dagg alley from Tennis street to Lyric street, and Charley alley, from Atwell street to Lyric street, 21st ward." Pittsburgh city dedication, 1885–1886, no. 146. Approved Jan. 11, 1886. Ordinance Book 5, p. 397. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1885, p. 286, E. S. Giles, Pittsburgh, 1885–1886 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1885) and Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1885, p. 251, E. S. Giles, Pittsburgh, 1885–1886 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1885). [view source] dedication-1885-1886-146
  11. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets and ways in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1922, no. 333. Passed Sept. 25, 1922; approved Sept. 27, 1922. Ordinance Book 33, p. 597. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1922, appendix, pp. 232–233, Kaufman Printing Company, Pittsburgh (Google Books -UEtAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223972; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1922). [view source] ordinance-1922-333
  12. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name 'alley' on every thoroughfare in the City of Pittsburgh to 'way.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1914, no. 402. Passed Nov. 10, 1914; approved Nov. 16, 1914. Ordinance Book 26, p. 360. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh for the Year 1914, appendix, p. 226, McClung Printing Co., Pittsburgh (HathiTrust uiug.30112108223899; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1914). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Nov. 23, 1914, p. 11 (Newspapers.com 86505785), and Nov. 24, p. 12 (Newspapers.com 86505809). [view source] ordinance-1914-402
  13. ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets and ways in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1934, no. 35. Passed Feb. 5, 1934; approved Feb. 9, 1934. Ordinance Book 45, p. 544. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Council of the City of Pittsburgh: For the Year 1934, appendix, p. 23, City Printing Company, Pittsburgh, 1934 (Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1934). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb. 14, 1934, p. 19 (Newspapers.com 88903365). [view source] ordinance-1934-35
  14. ↑ Charles F. Danver. Pittsburghesque. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 12, 1937, p. 8. Newspapers.com 90316941. [view source] danver-1937
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