Ward Street

From Pittsburgh Streets
Ward Street
Neighborhoods Central Oakland, South Oakland
Origin of name Edward Ward

Ward Street is named for Ensign Edward Ward.[1][2][3][4][5] He was a member of a small company under Captain William Trent (for whom Trent Street is named) sent by the British in 1754 to build a fort at the Forks of the Ohio, that is, the Point. On April 17, while Trent was away and Ward was in temporary command, a large force of French and Native American men under Captain Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur descended the Allegheny River and demanded the British surrender. Faced with the overwhelming numbers of the French, Ward was forced to comply. The French then took command of the Point and built Fort Duquesne. This bloodless victory was one of the first confrontations in what became the French and Indian War.[1][6][5]

Bob Regan also proposes a second possibility: Hugh J. Ward, a man from Hazelwood in Pittsburgh who invented the game of bingo.[5] Ward was born about 1890, and he developed bingo in the 1920s after seeing a similar game called "housey-housey" played in Canada.[7][8] The Pittsburgh origin of bingo is a fun piece of trivia, but it is easy to see that its inventor cannot be the source of the street name, for Ward Street appears on maps as early as 1852.[9][10] (Compare Aiken Avenue, Dithridge Street, Oliver Avenue, and Wood Street, which Regan also claims were named after inventors.)

The portion of Ward Street south of Zulema Street was made part of McKee Place by a city ordinance in 1889,[11] but this was reversed three years later.[12] This section of the street was officially opened in 1890, while it was called McKee Place.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 George T. Fleming. "Tale of French success at the Point: History of Contrecoeur's expedition to the Forks of the Ohio is recalled: Invasion in force: Stories of Ensign Ward's surrender and the building of old Fort Du Quesue [sic]: Historic street names." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Feb. 14, 1915, sec. 5, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85897872. [view source] fleming-french-success
  2. ↑ George T. Fleming. "Wood's [sic] plan of Pittsburgh: Thomas Vickroy's account of the survey of 1784 and parts taken in city's early life by Craig and Bayard." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Dec. 13, 1914, sec. 2, p. 2. Newspapers.com 85908612. [view source] fleming-woods
  3. ↑ Clifford C. Ham. Marilyn P. Ham, ed. Historic Oakland: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Articles from The Oakland Newspaper: 1989–1995, p. 16. Oakland Planning and Development Corporation, Pittsburgh, 2007. [view source] ham
  4. ↑ Gilbert Love. "What's in a name? A lot!: Titles of city streets recall persons famed in U. S. history: From Golden Triangle eastward, thoroughfares list great and near great of colonial and revolutionary days." Pittsburgh Press, Feb. 12, 1944, p. 9. Newspapers.com 147946752. [view source] love-titles
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the City, Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks and More Got Their Names, p. 74. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source] regan
  6. ↑ Annie Clark Miller. Early Land Marks and Names of Old Pittsburgh: An Address Delivered Before the Pittsburgh Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution at Carnegie Institute, Nov. 30, 1923, p. 11. Pittsburgh Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, 1924. Historic Pittsburgh 00awn8211m; Internet Archive earlylandmarksna00mill. [view source] miller
  7. ↑ Joe Browne. "The birthplace of bingo? It's right here in Pittsburgh!" Our Towne. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 5, 1980, p. 25. Newspapers.com 88789706. [view source] bingo-birthplace
  8. ↑ "Canada's 'housey-housey' introduced here as 'bingo': Streamlined style given game by Hazelwood man." Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Dec. 12, 1939, p. 11. Newspapers.com 523579047. [view source] housey-housey
  9. ↑ Walter C. Kidney, Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Oakland, p. 12. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C., 2005, ISBN 978-0-7385-3867-9. LCCN 2005926081. [view source] kidney
  10. ↑ 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
  11. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name of Ward street to McKee Place from McKee Place to Wakefield street." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1889, no. 180. Passed Dec. 9, 1889; approved Dec. 11, 1889. Ordinance Book 7, p. 219. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1889–90, pp. 291–292, Chas. F. Peck & Son, Pittsburgh, 1889–1890 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecordselect1889) and Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1889–90, pp. 321–322, Chas. F. Peck & Son, Pittsburgh, 1889–1890 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecordcommon1889). [view source] ordinance-1889-180
  12. ↑ "An ordinance changing the name of 'McKee place,' between Zulema street and Wakefield street, to 'Ward street.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1892, no. 319. Passed Dec. 1, 1892; approved Dec. 3, 1892. Ordinance Book 8, p. 538. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the [Select and Common Councils] of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1892–3, appendix, p. 100, Devine & Co., Pittsburgh, 1892–1893 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1892). [view source] ordinance-1892-319
  13. ↑ "An ordinance authorizing the opening of McKee Place from Zulema street to Wakefield street." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1890, no. 295. Passed Feb. 24, 1890; approved Feb. 27, 1890. Ordinance Book 7, p. 319. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1889–90, p. 330, Chas. F. Peck & Son, Pittsburgh, 1889–1890 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecordselect1889) and Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Common Council of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1889–90, p. 360, Chas. F. Peck & Son, Pittsburgh, 1889–1890 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecordcommon1889). [view source] ordinance-1890-295
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