Resurrecting Allegheny City

Book excerpt: In 1907, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania annexed a large land tract that already had an illustrious history as its own city-- the third largest and most prosperous in the state. What then on became known as the North Side of Pittsburgh was originally a place called Allegheny City, annexed against its will. Despite eventual acclimation and further prosperity, its identity, indelible, hangs as a mist over the storied land-- for historians, homeowners and visitors that today see all the modern spectacles set on the age-old stage, the lowland at the juncture of three majestic rivers. Resurrecting Allegheny City presents the cultural and social history of this lost society of Allegheny. It looks in-depth at the natives who put down footpath and, filled with significant maps, presents the long transformation of the land. Though now part of Pittsburgh for over one hundred years, the hills and valleys, woods and runs, burial ground, overlooks and sunken islands are all imprints of the catalysts that occurred here. This portrait of a place tells a tale from earliest time to present day-- showing a forward-moving society of the 1800s centered around a town square of the 1790s, presenting life in pre-twentieth century homes, and even addressing recent era where modern homesteaders have successfully battled challenges. It explains why, in 2007, many Pittsburgh Northsiders are sacredly tied to their neighborhood, their historic homes, and the very land upon which they find themselves rooted. They are defined, still, by Allegheny City.