Market Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
Market Street
Neighborhood Central Business District
Origin of name Market Square or a predecessor marketplace

The segment of Market Street between Fort Pitt Boulevard and Third Avenue was one of the very first streets of Pittsburgh, laid out as part of John Campbell's "military plan" of 1764. The other streets in Campbell's plan were Water Street (today Fort Pitt Boulevard), First Street (today First Avenue), Second Street (today the Boulevard of the Allies), Third Street (today Third Avenue), Ferry Street (today Stanwix Street), and Chancery Lane (today Chancery Way).[1][2][3]

When George Woods laid out the town of Pittsburgh twenty years later, Campbell's plan was incorporated without change, including its streets and its peculiarly small lots.[2][3]:487–488[4] Woods' plan shows Market Street passing through Market Square, which served as a public market. Campbell's plan does not extend north far enough to show a square, but presumably the area was already being used as a market, hence the name of the street.

Pittsburgh's first market house was built in 1787 at the corner of Market Street and Second Street (today's Boulevard of the Allies), and Wednesday and Saturday were named as market days.[2][5][6][7] A second market house was built in 1794 at the foot of Market Street on the Monongahela River.[5] By 1815 a courthouse and market house, both of brick, had been built in Market Square.[8][5][9]

Market Street has never been renamed since it was originally laid out in 1764, making it the oldest street name in Pittsburgh today.

References

  1. ↑ John Campbell. Plan of Lots in Pittsburgh—1764. 1764. Reproduced in William G. Johnston, Life and Reminiscences from Birth to Manhood of Wm. G. Johnston, Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1901 (Google Books N-QEAAAAYAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 00adj9508m; Internet Archive lifereminiscence00john); in George T. Fleming, "Flem's" Views of Old Pittsburgh: A Portfolio of the Past Precious with Memories, p. 5, Geo. T. Fleming, Pittsburgh, 1905 (HathiTrust 011204797, 100770599; Historic Pittsburgh 31735056290277; Internet Archive flemsviewsofoldp00flem; LCCN 08028848); in George T. Fleming, "History told in Pittsburgh street names: Some commemorative designations have been lost, but others are still in use to recall the story of their selection: Haphazard municipal nomenclature," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Nov. 29, 1914, sec. 5, p. 2 (Newspapers.com 85906737); in George T. Fleming, "Vickroy tells of surveying new city: Laying out of Market, Liberty and other arteries in Pittsburgh detailed: Much speculation," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Apr. 1, 1917, sec. 5, p. 2 (Newspapers.com 85873662); in George T. Fleming, "History from an old map: Masson's map of Pittsburgh, 1805, further considered—Campbell's plan of 1764, Woods and Vickroy's complete plan of 1784—the old military plan unwillingly retained—Vickroy's deposition quoted: Pioneer names enumerated as lot owners; Historic characters recalled by names on Masson's plan—explanation of numbering of lots and some mention of freeholders—Imlay's topographical description of 1793," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 16, 1922, sec. 2, p. 2 (Newspapers.com 85913850); in George T. Fleming, Fleming's Views of Old Pittsburgh: A Portfolio of the Past, p. 10, Crescent Press, Pittsburgh, 1932; in George Swetnam, "Ferry Street historic, one of oldest in city: Backward switch gives recognition to man undeserving of honor," Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 25, 1954, p. 16 (Newspapers.com 149015965); in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 21; and in Bob Regan, The Names of Pittsburgh: How the City, Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks and More Got Their Names, p. 57, The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. This map is often called the "military plan of Pittsburgh." [view source] campbell
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Neville B. Craig. The History of Pittsburgh: With a Brief Notice of Its Facilities of Communication, and Other Advantages for Commercial and Manufacturing Purposes. John H. Mellor, Pittsburgh, 1851. Google Books cE0OAAAAIAAJ; HathiTrust 001263103; Historic Pittsburgh 00aee7261m, 31735056285699; Internet Archive historyofpittsbu00crai. [view source] craig
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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. A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889. Google Books DwzYAAAAMAAJ; Internet Archive historyofalleghe1889cush. [view source] history-of-allegheny-county
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 History of Pittsburgh and Environs, vol. 2. American Historical Society, New York and Chicago, 1922. Google Books 3staAAAAYAAJ, TPUMAAAAYAAJ; HathiTrust 011262563; Internet Archive historypittsbur00yorkgoog, historypittsbur02socigoog. [view source] history-pgh-environs-2
  6. ↑ A. A. Lambing and J. W. F. White. Allegheny County: Its Early History and Subsequent Development, p. 65. Snowden & Peterson, Pittsburgh, 1888. Google Books 6bY-AAAAYAAJ; HathiTrust 008957728, 100693049; Historic Pittsburgh 00aee8946m; Internet Archive centennialhistor00lamb; LCCN 18008828. [view source] lambing
  7. ↑ Erasmus Wilson, ed. Standard History of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. H. R. Cornell & Co., Chicago, 1898. Google Books 1dcwAQAAMAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 00hc03974m; Internet Archive standardhistoryo00wils. [view source] wilson-erasmus
  8. ↑ Wm. Darby. Plan of Pittsburg and Adjacent Country. R. Patterson and W. Darby, Philadelphia, 1815. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0197, DARMAP0198. Reproduced in John W. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A History of City Planning in the United States, p. 207, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1965 (LCCN 63023414); and in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 24. Also reproduced as "Plan von Pittsburg und Umgebungen" in Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Heinrich Luden, ed.), Reise Sr. Hoheit des Herzogs Bernhard zu Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach durch Nord-Amerika in den Jahren 1825 und 1826, vol. II, following p. 200, Wilhelm Hoffmann, Weimar, 1828 (Internet Archive reisesrhoheitdes00bern, reisesrhoheitdes00inbern). [view source] darby
  9. ↑ Lois Mulkearn and Edwin V. Pugh. A Traveler's Guide to Historic Western Pennsylvania, pp. 39–40. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 1954. Historic Pittsburgh 31735057894978. [view source] mulkearn-pugh
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