Source:Town-days/content
Of curious historical interest is an old letter in possession of W. V. Marshall, grandson of Thomas Vickroy, who first laid out Pittsburgh into town lots, and the propriatory manor into suitable outlots and farms. A street in Pittsburgh was named for Surveyor Vickroy, whose offices were in Bedford, Pa., at that time. Mr. Marshall, whose home is in Berlin, Pa., is visiting his son, Frank Marshall, of 934 Mellon street.
The letter fixes the month of May, 1784, as the beginning of the survey in company with George Woods, an assistant surveyor of Pittsburgh. Wood street was named for Mr. Woods, Mr. Marshall said. Coal Hill and Grants Hill are mentioned.
High Street Dispute.
The script is dated "Alum Bank, 27 Nov. 1841" and was brought forth by a dispute concerning land adjoining High street. The letter runs:
Mr. Lewis—Dear Sir: You informed me the other day that you had a dispute about some land adjoining High street on the top of Coal Hill, and wished some information from me.
I inform you that in May, 1784, I left Bedford in company with George Woods, as assistant surveyor of Pittsburgh, in order to lay out the town of Pittsburgh and the Propriatory Manor in suitable outlots and farms to suit purchasers.
The first thing we did we laid out the town of Pittsburgh in streets, lots and alleys; then we went on Grants Hill and laid out all the Manor north of the Monongahela in suitable farms for purchasers.
Then we crossed the Monongahela River and surveyed Jacob Bausman's narrow tract between the river and the foot of Coal Hill, including his house; then we made a survey above for Mr. Ormsby and several others who had improvements on the land.
Hills Still Here.
We then began at a white oak standing on the side of a hill, running thence a northwesterly course along line passing near a small house to a paint [sic], then ran a northeasterly line over large rocks and down a steep hill to a point at the river, then went to the top of Coal Hill and fixed a corner on the brow of the hill; then ran a line southeasterly by carefully marking and staking off Coal Hill lots (timber then standing) by setting a stake of every eight perches the whole length of the line on the verge of Coal Hill to opposite or nearly so to Jacob Bausman's house. In running this line we left ground for a road on our right hand 60 feet wide called High street; in running this line to the best of my recollections the small house above mentioned stood in the street; we ran several more lines in the Manor and then returned to Bedford.
After we returned to Bedford Mr. Woods and myself made the calculations and drafts in his office, and I left all my field notes, calculations and drafts on his table except a plan of the city of Pittsburgh and the Coal Hill lots.
Several years afterward Oliver Ormsby wrote to me requesting me to send him a plan of the Coal Hill lots. I inadvertently sent him the original and did not keep a copy; and the plan of Pittsburgh I lent to N. B. Craig, Esq., and he has never returned it.
P. S.—I think I sent the plan of the Coal Hill lots to Oliver Ormsby by one of his relatives. Respectfully yours,
THOMAS VICKROY.
Writes Features at 70.
Mr. Marshall is aged 70, and was former owner of the Berlin Record. He still does feature writing for newspapers. He said that the original plans of lots for Pittsburgh are in possession, he thinks, of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and that copies may be on record in the Bedford county court house.
A grandson, William Vickroy, lives at Windber, to whom the copy of the letter above belongs. Mr. Marshall said that his grandfather was the greatest surveyor on the frontier at that time. He promoted the Shade and Mary Ann furnaces near Windber fully 100 years ago, this property being now in the hands of the Cambria Iron and Steel Company, Mr. Marshall said. Thomas Vickroy died aged 90. He was descended from the Atlees of Philadelphia and Lancaster counties.
Mr. Marshall, speaking about himself, said he ran off from home to enlist when 16 years of age, in the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Ohio Volunteers in the Civil War. He is still a spry newspaper man.
