Suismon Street
Suismon Street | |
---|---|
Neighborhood | East Allegheny |
Second Street (until 1910) | |
Origin of name | Sequential numbering south to north within a subdivision |
Suismon Street was originally named Second Street.[1]
In 1783, the Pennsylvania General Assembly created the "Reserve Tract" on the north side of the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers opposite Pittsburgh. This land was reserved to be sold by the state, the proceeds of which would help to defray the state's Revolutionary War debt. The town of Allegheny and the surrounding land were surveyed by David Redick in 1787 and the lots were sold at auction in 1788.[2][3][4]
The rectangle that is today bounded by East North Avenue, Madison Avenue, East Ohio Street, and Cedar Avenue was surveyed as "out lots" numbered 141 and 144 and half of out lots 140 and 145; each of these out lots was a square 40 perches (660 feet) on a side, containing 10 acres. James O'Hara was the original purchaser of out lot 141 and later acquired the others. After his death, this land was inherited by his daughter Mary O'Hara Croghan, along with other property, including the Point (see Fort Street). Not long after, it was inherited by her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Croghan, who later married an English captain named Edward W. Schenley. Mary Schenley was one of the largest landowners in Pittsburgh, and kept ownership of this parcel of land at least into the 1880s.[5][6][7][8][9]
At some point between 1835 and 1852, this rectangle was subdivided into lots and streets were laid out.[10][1] The east–west streets, north from Ohio Street, were named First, Second, and Third Streets.[1][11][12][13]
In 1910, three years after Allegheny was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh, over 900 streets were renamed to fix duplicates. In order to avoid confusion with the numbered streets downtown, the numbered streets in old Allegheny were given new names that began with the same letter as their old ones: First Street became Foreland Street, Second became Suismon Street, and Third became Tripoli Street.[14] Foreland, Suismon, and Tripoli Streets form one of Pittsburgh's F–S–T sequences.
The origin of the name Suismon is obscure. The name seems not to exist in any context other than this street. It may have been an arbitrary coinage by the city clerks who compiled the list of new street names in 1910.
See also
- Second Street (disambiguation), for other streets that have had that name
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 R. E. McGowin. Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny and of the Boroughs of South-Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East-Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Duquesne & Manchester etc. Schuchman & Haunlein, Pittsburgh, 1852. https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32269. [view source] mcgowin-1852
- ↑ "Old state body laid out town of Allegheny: Executive council in 1788 fixed lot prices and furnished names for streets and alleys: Origin of the present parks." Pittsburg Press, Dec. 1, 1907, p. 32. Newspapers.com 142120163. [view source] old-state-body
- ↑ Allegheny City Society. Allegheny City, 1840–1907, pp. 10–11. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C., 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5500-3. LCCN 2007927944. [view source] allegheny-city
- ↑ Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson. Allegheny City: A history of Pittsburgh's North Side, pp. 2–3. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2013, ISBN 978-0-8229-4422-5. LCCN 2012047727. [view source] rooney-peterson
- ↑ Reserve Tract of Land Opposite Pittsburgh. L. J. Richards & Co., 1863. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0084. Reprinted in Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson, Allegheny City: A history of Pittsburgh's North Side, pp. 2–3, University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 2013, ISBN 978-0-8229-4422-5 (LCCN 2012047727). A variation entitled City of Allegheny 100 Years Ago is reprinted in Walter C. Kidney and Arthur P. Ziegler, Jr., Allegheny, p. 2, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, 1975 (LCCN 75-43276), and in Allegheny City Society, Allegheny City, 1840–1907, pp. 10–11, Images of America, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C., 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5500-3 (LCCN 2007927944). [view source] reserve-tract
- ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, pp. 79–80. 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
- ↑ Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny, plate 31. 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
- ↑ Charles Shetler. "James O'Hara's landholdings in Allegheny County." Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine, vol. 34, no. 1, Mar. 1951, pp. 23–33. https://journals.psu.edu/wph/article/view/2365. [view source] shetler
- ↑ Emily M. Weaver. The Fort Pitt Block House, pp. 46–47, 66. History Press, Charleston, S. C., 2013, ISBN 978-1-60949-933-4. [view source] weaver-block-house
- ↑ Lewis Keyon. Map of Pittsburgh and Its Environs. Johnston & Stockton, Pittsburgh, 1835. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0577; 1835 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] keyon
- ↑ The Cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny, with Parts of Adjacent Boroughs, Pennsylvania. 1855. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0089; https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~1688~130047; https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agdm/id/32240; 1855 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). In George W. Colton, Colton's Atlas of the World: Illustrating physical and political geography, J. H. Colton & Co., New York, 1856 (https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?q=Pub_List_No%3D0149.000). [view source] colton
- ↑ R. E. McGowin. Pittsburgh: Engraved from R. E. McGowin's map for Geo. H. Thurston. Wm. Schuchman & Bro., Pittsburgh, 1856. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0091. [view source] mcgowin-1856
- ↑ 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
- ↑ "An ordinance changing the names of certain avenues, streets, lanes and alleys in the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1910, no. 715. Passed Mar. 31, 1910; approved Apr. 5, 1910. Ordinance Book 21, p. 342. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh for the years 1909–1910, appendix, pp. 312–328, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1910 (Google Books doQzAQAAMAAJ; HathiTrust uiug.30112108223832; Internet Archive Pghmunicipalrecord1909). Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Apr. 19, 1910, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86611990, 86612022), Apr. 20, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612278, 86612297), and Apr. 21, pp. 10–11 (Newspapers.com 86612601, 86612625). [view source] ordinance-1910-715