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1759 FORT DU
QUESNE, NOW PITTSBURGH, AND ITS ENVIRONS, from the
January, 1759, issue of The Scots Magazine. This woodcut map has
sometimes been called the "first map of Pittsburgh,"
since General Forbes' army seized control of the Forks of
the Ohio and renamed it "Pittsburgh" in
November, 1758. Apparently, within three months, a
horseman got to Philadelphia and a ship from there
reached London. The map identifies several sites as given
by the number key at the bottom, and is accompanied by a
short article with extracts from the letters of General
Forbes. An untitled version appeared in the London
Magazine of January 1759 per Wheat & Brun #421.
It also appeared in Poor Roger, 1760, and in Father
Abraham's Almanac, 1761. The small fort 3) on the
map probably refers to Fort Prince George, constructed by
a small force of Virginians under command of Captain
William Trent in 1754, while 2) refers to the French Fort
Duquesne. Another possibility is that the small fort is
Mercer's Fort, constructed to house troops between the
destruction of Fort Duquesne and the building of Fort
Pitt. There were apparently no Indian villages right at
the Forks, but several up and down the three rivers are
named. The most substantial was Logstown, 10) on the map.
Scale: 1 inch = 20 miles. Size: 4 x 4 inches. |
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1761 PLAN OF FORT
PITT and parts adjacent with both rivers. This is a
manuscript map of the fort done by Bernard Ratzer circa
1761. It is reproduced in Hulbert(1907) with this date in
four plates, all shown here, plate 2, plate 3, plate 4. The complete plan is also
shown in Stotz II-61. This plan had to be somewhat
conjectural as the fort took several years to complete. |
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1765 (John Rocque's
Plans) Before he died in 1762 John Rocque prepared A
Set of Plans and Forts in America. Reduced from Actual
Surveys. This work provided the plans of all the
frontier forts Rocque could lay hands on. The plans for
Fort Bedford and Fort Pitt are illustrated in Schwartz (1994),
Fort Ligonier was also included. The other forts were in
New York and Canada. After Rocque's death, his wife Mary
Ann published the work in 1765 in London. This work is on
line at A
Set of Plans and Forts in America, 1765. In 1896 the state government
published Report of the Commission to Locate the
Sites of the Frontier Forts of Pennsylvania, a large
and detailed two volume work with a description on line
at frontierforts.htm. |
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1772
PLAN OF FORT PITT OR PITTFBOURG, from Mante's History
of the Late War, London 1772, reproduced in Winsor
which is the image shown here; also reproduced in Egle.
The Late War is the French and Indian War which ended
circa 1763. This is the form of the fort begun in 1759
and the foundations and a surviving blockhouse can be
seen today at Point State Park in Pittsburgh. Brown shows
a sequence of plans dating from a manuscript sketch of
Fort Duquesne in 1754 up to the 'Plan of the New Fort at
Pittsburgh', November 1759, which is almost identical to
this image. The history of the forts at Pittsburgh is
complex. The first fort was a rudimentary one built by
Virginians in 1754 and called Fort Prince George. It was
destroyed the same year by the French who built Fort
Duquesne. On December 1, 1758, the ruins of Fort Duquesne
were officially renamed and from then on the Forks of the
Ohio was called Pittsburgh. A temporary fort was built
circa 1758-59 near the Monongahela River to house troops
under the command of Colonel Hugh Mercer, and was called
Mercer's Fort, see Brown, No. 35 and map 1758.9. This was
followed by Fort Pitt, which took several years to build.
It was abandoned by the British in 1772, taken over by
Virginians in 1774 and renamed Fort Dunmore. It was again
abandoned when the new Fort Fayette was constructed in
1791-92. This newer fort was used by General Anthony
Wayne during the Indian wars in the Northwest Territory. |
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1780 A
MAP OF THE LAND ABT. RED STONE AND FORT PITT, GIVEN TO ME
BY CAP. CRAWFD. The image is from the Library of Congress.
This is an anonymous manuscript map with annotations by
George Washington done circa 1780 per Sellers & van
Ee #1332. The map itself was probably prepared earlier by
"Cap. Crawfd," and may date circa 1758-71. It
shows the river system around Pittsburgh located at upper
right. "Crawfd" is undoubtedly Colonel William
Crawford for whom Crawford County in Pennsylvania is
named. He was a long time friend of Washington who
survived the French & Indian War, Pontiac's Rebellion,
and the Revolution, only to be burned at the stake in
1782 while leading an expedition into Ohio. Though the
coverage is perhaps too broad to strictly call this a
Pittsburgh map, it allows display of the fact that
Washington slept there, though prior to when it was
called Pittsburgh. Abraham Lincoln also slept there,
staying at the Monongahela House on his way to Washington
after the election of 1860. This hotel is long gone, but
recently the bed Lincoln used was discovered stored in
the atttic of a county warehouse and given to the
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. |
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1784 (Pittsburgh)
This 13.5 x 17 inch parchment manuscript map of downtown
Pittsburgh sold at auction in 2005 for $55,000 to an
apparently private owner. It is the only surviving copy
of the original Survey & Town Plan of Pittsburgh by
George Woods, an agent for the Penns who owned the land.
Three copies of the original document were known, but two
were lost in the Great Fire of 1845. The third was held
by Senator James Ross, who authenticated the map by
deposition in an 1841 court case. A copy of the map (complete
with Ross's authentification) is in the Allegheny County
plat book, and subsequent real estate ownership in
Pittsburgh's downtown is based on it. It shows the
present downtown street arrangement with blocks laid out
in individual building lots. In 1872, G. M. Hopkins
published Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh,
Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, which
contained the printed copy shown here of the manuscript
original. |
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1787
PLAN OF THE LOTS LAID OUT AT PITTSBURG AND THE COAL HILL.
Copied by John Hills, surveyor, Philadelphia 1787. This
is a manuscript landownership map in the Library of
Congress, Sellers & van Ee #1333. There is a similar
manuscript map dated 1787 in the Darlington Memorial
Library at the University of Pittsburgh. Coal Hill, to
the right on the south bank of the "Monongahala",
is now called Mount Washington, a name more suitable for
upscale living. This image is from a poor modern
reproduction. |
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1795
FORT PITT IN 1795. This is a facsimile map from Report
of the Commission to Locate the Sites of the Frontier
Forts of Pennsylvania mentioned above, and shows the
downtown layout set out by the 1784 manuscript map.
Whether another manuscript map is the basis of this one
is not known. It may be a conjecture from other maps of
the period such as those above. |
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1812
VIEW OF THE COUNTRY ROUND PITTSBURG’, Drawn by J.
Melish, J. Vallance F.S.A. Sculpt. This small map is from
Travels in the United States of America, in the Years
1806 & 1807, AND 1809, 1810 & 1811 by John
Melish. Melish was from Scotland and visited America
several times before settling here in 1811. He made notes
on his visits and published Travels... in 1812
which included the maps that began his cartographic
career.This map covers about 10 miles around Pittsburgh
and is illustrated in Ristow, page 180. Blank verso.
Scale: 1 inch = 0.3 miles. Size: 6.5 x 4 inches. |
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1828
PITTSBURGH, page 101 from View of the United States,
Historical, Geographical, and Statistical..., by
William Darby, Philadelphia, published by H. S. Tanner
1828. This is a map of downtown with part of the north (Allegheny)
and south (Birmingham) shores. There is a table on the
left with letters locating points of interest within the
city. The Pennsylvania Canal and the penitentiary are
named. Blank verso. Scale: 1 inch = 3000 feet. Size: 3.5
x 6 inches. |
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1848
VIEW OF PITTSBURGH, FROM THE NORTHWEST, an engraved print
from A New and Popular Pictorial Description of the
United States, Third Edition 1848, by Robert Sears.
The Sears' book provided many Americans their first
glimpse at well-known national landmarks, monuments,
famous buildings, and natural wonders. All of the
illustrations were finely drawn engravings printed on
good paper. A virtually identical print had appeared in
Day in 1843, so the same plate was used or copied. Size:
5 x 8 inches. |
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1854
PITTSBURG. This map is the verso of page 115 from an
unknown geography or gazetteer. The page with text has
the date 1854 and the map is probably no later than 1860.
The Pennsylvania Canal is shown with its aqueduct across
the Allegheny River. There is only one bridge, called the
Suspension Bridge, over the Mon. A Pennsylvania R.R.
Depot is shown at the Point with a dotted line,
apparently tracks, coming down Liberty Avenue. So, this
map catches Pittsburgh right at the transition from canal
to railroad. No scale, but 1 inch ~ 5 blocks. Size: 9 x 5.5
inches. |
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1854
PITTSBURG. A print from The Pictorial Sketch-book of
Pennsylvania, by Eli Bowen, Eighth edition revised
and greatly enlarged, W. White Smith, Publisher, No. 195
Chestnut Street, Philadelphia 1854. This book has about
500 pages and is really a travelers guide with an
accompanying map of Pennsylvania. The section in the back
with this sketch is titled Locomotive Sketches with
Pen and Pencil from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh; and
was also published separately. Bowen's book originally
appeared around 1852 and so must have been very popular.
The view is from Mt. Washington. There is one bridge over
the Mon and several over the Allegheny; though none at
the Point. |
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1855 THE
CITIES OF PITTSBURG AND ALLEGHENY….PENNSYLVANIA (AND)
THE CITY OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, Plate No. 40 published by J.
H. Colton & Co., New York. Although dated 1855, this
map appeared in an 1859 edition of Colton's General
Atlas, the same map appeared in several editions.
Two city plans appear on the same page, only Pittsburgh
is shown here colored by ward, showing streets, main
buildings, railroads, stations etc. Scale: 1 inch = 0.375
miles. Size: 8 x 12.5 inches. |
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1860
PITTSBURGH. Published by Woodward & Rowlands,
Pittsburgh. Map taken from R. E. McGowin's map of
Pittsburgh. Schuchman & Haunlein, Lith. The source
and exact dating of this map is not known; it is believed
to date between 1855 and 1865. Only the downtown is shown.
The canal enters town across the Allegheny and flows into
the basin at the foot of Grant Street. The Pennsylvania
Railroad comes down Liberty Avenue to a depot at the
Point. There are no Point bridges, one bridge across the
Mon called the Suspension Bridge. There are four
structures across the Allegheny including the canal
aqueduct. Blank verso. No scale, 1 inch ~ 1 block. Size:
21 x 25 inches. |
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1871
PITTSBURGH, ALLEGHENY & BIRMINGHAM 1871. drawn from
nature, lithographed & published by Otto Krebs,
Pittsburgh, Pa. Krebs, Otto, lithographer. This bird's-eye
view of Pittsburgh shows the Point in the foreground,
Birmingham (the South Side) is at the right and Allegheny
(the North Side) is in the distance on the left. This
image comes from the Library of Congress. There is a
second Krebs lithograph of much the same scene dated
1874 by the Library of Congress, at whose website both
can be see in greater detail. This later view shows a
Point bridge extending across the Allegheny River to the
North Side. |
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1872
PITTSBURG, FROM SOLDIERS MONUMENT. A.R.W., W. Roberts Sc.
This print of Pittsburgh from the south side heights was
published in Picturesque America, or, The Land we live
in : a delineation by pen and pencil of the mountains,
rivers, lakes, forests, water-falls, shores, can~ons,
valleys, cities, and other picturesque features of our
country, with illustrations on steel and wood by
eminent American artists; edited by William Cullen Bryant.
New York : D. Appleton and Co. c1872-74. A.R.W. is
believed to be Alfred R. Waud. The 1842 courthouse is
prominent although the artist has twisted it to display
the front. The suspension bridge across the Mon is shown.
Size: 4.75 x 10 inches. |
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1872
SOUTH PITTSBURG AND ALLEGHANY CITY. A.R.W. (Alfred R Waud).
Two views looking south across the Mon at top, and north
across the Allegheny at bottom; and taken from Picturesque
America as the print above. The Mon shore has the
appearance of being more industrialized than the
Allegheny. An early Point bridge is seen in the bottom
view. This journal, edited by William Cullen Bryant, was
published from 1872 to 1874 and this print may date later
than the one above. The verso has a view of the Ohio
River from Marietta. Size; 10 x 12 inches. |
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1875
BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF PITTSBURGH . AS SEEN FROM TRAINS ON PAN
HANDLE ROUTE. Lithographed by Otto Krebs, Pittsburgh.
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1871...
by Otto Krebs. This small 2.5 x 8 inch vignette appears
on an atlas map showing routes of the Panhandle Railroad
and otherwise dated to 1875 or a little later. Although
dated 1871 along the bottom, this view is later than the
Krebs one of similar date above as two bridges are now
shown at the point. A large print of this is not listed
in Stout or Reps, and Krebs may have altered one of this
earlier views to produce this little one which is similar
but not the same. |
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1876
OUTLINE PLAN OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, published by L. H.
Everts & Co., press of J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Philadelphia. This is Plate II from Everts' A History
of Allegheny County 1876. The north has been cropped
in this view to center Pittsburgh, which is the county
seat. This map is interesting for the variety of street
grids shown as the city expands outward. Blank verso.
Scale: 1 inch = 4 miles. Size: 14 x 11.5 inches. |
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1877
BIRDSEYE VIEW OF PITTSBURGH. This print is page 377 and
from an unknown source, though it may come from Pictorial
History of the U.S. 1876. The view is from
Mt. Washington (the old Coal Hill). The 1842 courthouse
is shown so the print dates earlier than 1882 when this
courthouse was destroyed by fire. Steamboats are pulled
up on the Mon shore which is lined with warehouses and
smoke is coming from many stacks. Size: 5 x 7.5 inches. |
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1877
VIEW OF PITTSBURGH, LOOKING UP THE OHIO. This print is
page 314 from Egle. The viewpoint is similar to the 1848
print shown above, and Pittsburgh looks just a tad more
smoky. |
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1880
VIEW OF PITTSBURGH. An illustration (apparently by one H
Delorme) on page 865 from Volume LXII Number 367 of the
December 1880 issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine.
The image depicts A panoramic view of Pittsburgh from Mt.
Washington. Bridges are shown at the Point; the old
courthouse which burned in 1882 appears. On the verso is
a night time scene of laborers with mills in the
background. Size; 3.5 x 8 inches. |
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1889
PITTSBURGH IN 1889. This print was actually made in 1939
and appears on pages 112-113 of a Fortune Magazine from
that year. The pages were an ad from the Union Trust
Company celebrating its 50th anniversary; the
accompanying 1939 print is shown below. The cartographer
is identified as Ezra C. Styles. There are small inset
maps at the corners. The 1888 Richardson courthouse is
shown and there is an Exhibition Hall at the Point which
apparently stood until 1916. The number of bridges across
the rivers has grown. Size: 11 x 14 inches. |
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1892
REED’S MAP OF PITTSBURGH AND ALLEGHENY CITY,
published by Baird Reed, Pittsburgh, Pa. Copyright 1891.
This black & white map has a ad on the top face, with
an 1892 date, for J. R. Weldin & Co. And there is
another ad on the bottom for John S. Roberts Wall Paper.
The map is attached to a brown paper cover with The
Pittsburg Photo-Engraving Co.... Commericial Engraving
Superior Printing Telephone 1459. The expansion of the
city away from the Point area is now obvious. Size: 26 x
21 inches. |
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1895
PITTSBURG AND ALLEGHENY. The origin of this map is
uncertain but it is believed to be from Johnson's
universal cyclopedia; a new edition, prepared by a
corps of thirty-six editors, assisted by eminent European
and American specialists, under the direction of Charls
Kendall Adams. New York, D. Appleton, A. J. Johnson, 8
Volumes 1893-97. This is an attractive map and identifies
topographic features, roads, churches, hotels, theatres,
public buildings, colleges, and railroads. The north side
is still the city of Allegheny and Pittsburgh includes
only a portion of the south side; Beltzhoover, Knoxville,
and Lower St. Clair are shown as still independent. Blank
verso. Scale: 1 inch = 7/8 mile. Size: 11 x 13.25 inches. |
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1896
MAIN PORTION OF PITTSBURG AND ALLEGHENY, copyright 1896
by Rand McNally & Co. This map is thought to have
been published in McNally's Pittsburg Dispatch Atlas. This
view shows a detailed downtown street map, while the
verso is a township map showing the vicinity around
Pittsburgh. |
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1900
VIEW OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA. The exact dating of
this anonymous photogravure is not known; it is believed
to come from an 1890's photo book but the text below the
map ("One hundred and fifty years ago there stood on
the delta formed by the Alleghany and Monongahela rivers
the old French fort Du Quesne.") could date it to
1905. The picture was taken from the western edge of Mt.
Washington and shows the city in its industrial prime. |
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1902
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA 1902. Drawn by T. M. Fowler.
Published Morrisville, Pa., T. M. Fowler & James B.
Moyer. Fowler did views of almost 300 towns in
Pennsylvania and this is his view of Pittsburgh. The
image comes from the Library of Congress website where it
can be seen in greater detail. |
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1905 (Pittsburgh)
An undated and untitled map of the Pittsburgh region that
has been sectioned and pasted on linen for easy folding.
It looks like a circa 1900 US Geological Survey map.
These were issued circa 1900-1905, so that dating is used
here. About 10 miles around the Point are shown. Size: 18
x 19 inches. |
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1906
RAINEY’S MAP OF MONONGAHELA RIVER COAL REGION FROM
PITTSBURG TO WEST VIRGINIA LINE, copyright 1896 by C. T.
Rainey, Revised Edition - Jan. 1906, copyright assigned
to N. P. Hyndman, Pittsburg, Pa. Andrew B. Graham Co.
Lithographers, Washington, D.C. This map shows the region
from about 8 miles west of Pittsburgh east to the county
line and then south towards West Virginia. It is
something of a stretch to include this map but it
illustrates what built Pittsburgh industry. Mon Valley
coal field ownership is shown by color with around 20
companies identified. Surface owners (who had no rights
in Pennsylvania as the legislature was controlled by
corporations, and who still don't) are also identified in
small print. There are still large operating coal mines
south of the city in Washington, Fayette, and Greene
counties. The map is printed on treated paper backed with
linen and folds into a black cover. Hyndman was a
Pittsburgh map seller located at 7 Wood Street. This image shows the top with Pittsburgh
in greater detail. Rainey also made a similar farm
ownership map of Greene County. Scale: 1 inch = 1.25
miles. Size: 44 x 24 inches. |
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1906
MAP OF PITTSBURGH, ALLEGHENY AND ENVIRONS, from Official
Records, Original Plats and Actual Survey, 1906.
Published R. L. Polk and R. L. Dudley. This large foldout
map shows the street layout, rail
and street car lines, ward boundaries, etc. It extends
west to McKees Rocks, east to Wilkinsburg and includes
the south side. There is a street gazetteer on the verso.
It folds into the plain brown cover pictured, sold by H.
A. Schafer News Co. Inc., 307-9-11 Third Ave., Pittsburg,
Pa. Size: 26 x 40 inches. |
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1906
PITTSBURGH PA. AND ENVIRONS, page 743 from The
Automobile Official AAA 1906 Blue Book, A Touring Guide
to the best and most popular routes in the Eastern and
Northern states, with a Canadian section. Published
by the Class Journal Company. Here is the city at the
dawn of time, or at the dawn of the automobile age, the
same thing in the US. The map shows what were considered
the main through routes of the time. The 782 page book
gives detailed driving directions for hundreds of
numbered routes, several through Pittsburgh. This one is the way to Gettysburg. The
directions are interspersed with maps and ads as shown
here. |
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1907
This is a view of the mid-downtown area from the South
Side. The gracefully curved Smithfield Street bridge is
to the right. The image is from the Library of Congress.
The panoramic photo craze ran from around the turn of the
century to about 1930. The LOC has a fairly extensive
collection much of which is digitized and available at
their American Memory website. |
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1908
This is a panoramic view of the entire downtown from Mt.
Washington. Again the Smithfield Street bridge is to the
right; the huge clunky railroad bridge to the left is
long gone. Almost all old (and new) views and photos of
Pittsburgh are from Mt. Washington, for obvious reasons
if you have ever visited the city. The image is from the
Library of Congress. |
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1909
This view of the Point area is from further west along Mt.
Washington. The superimposed vignette to the right with
the man standing on a terrace has nothing to do with
reality and is apparently intended to be satirical. The
image is from the Library of Congress. |
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1911
PITTSBURGH MAIN THOROUGHFARES AND THE DOWN TOWN DISTRICT
1910, IMPROVEMENTS NECESSARY TO MEET THE
CITY’S PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS. A report by
Frederick Law Olmsted, prepared under the direction of
the Committee on City Planning. Publication No. 8,
February, 1911. This booklet has the following maps: 1)
LOCATION MAP FOR 80 IMPROVEMENTS IN THE OUTLYING
THOROUGHFARES, 20 x 26 inches, a marked up US Geological
Survey map. 2) GENERAL MAP OF THE PITTSBURGH DISTRICT, 10
x 13.5 inches, and which is stippled to show land use. 3)
GENERAL PLAN OF THE DOWN TOWN DISTRICT, 10
x 13.5 inches, with suggested parks marked in green. The
last 2 maps are illustrated here. Olmsted was a famous
landscaper whose best known work is New York's Central
Park and the Biltmore House grounds. Needless to say,
this being Pittsburgh, little to none of this planning
was ever implemented. |
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1912 (Pittsburgh)
This is an untitled manuscript map of the South Side
stamped “EXHIBIT COURT OF COMMON PLEAS ALLEGHENY
COUNTY, MARCH 27 1912, EDWIN L. ALLEN OFFICIAL
STENOGRAPHER,” and apparently used for a court case.
The scale is roughly 1 inch = 50 feet, so it shows about
a half mile of the South Side shoreline from Becks Run
downstream. Although drawn to be viewed in this
orientation, it is confusing. South is to the top and
west, or downstream, is to the left, the Mon is at the
bottom. Many John Miller buildings are named, stables,
sheds, and a school house. The right-of-way of the
Pittsburgh, McKeesport and Youghiogheny Railroad is noted
but not built. The map is hand colored, soiled, and being
rolled for so many years, no longer flat. Only a small
section at the start of the map is shown here. Size: 19 x
70 inches. |
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1915
PITTSBURGH, a Rand McNally Vest Pocket Map showing
streets, transportation lines, parks, public buildings,
etc. The maps itself is titled RAND MCNALLY NEW
COMMERCIAL ATLAS MAP OF PITTSBURGH, and not quite all of
it is shown in this view. The verso has a gazetteer of
streets and buildings. The map folds into a 6.25 x 4 inch
paper cover and is undated but believed to date circa
1915-20. The old Point bridges are shown and Allegheny
City is part of Pittsburgh. Size: 20 x 26 inches. |
 |
1918
ONE WAY STREETS AND PARKING REGULATIONS PITTSBURGH, PA.
Ah, downtown parking, a problem even in 1918. This is an
undated Gulf road map of Pittsburgh with no printer
identified and in the form of a mailer. The text has
"After Sept. 1, 1919", so the map dates either
1918 or early 1919. The cover is similar to other Gulf
1918 road maps, so that dating is used here. Five Gulf
stations are listed for Pittsburgh and two for
Philadelphia. Today parking is not all that tight
downtown because it is so expensive. Size: 11 x 9 inches.
|
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1920
This is a panoramic view of downtown from Mt. Washington
similar to those shown above. Again the Smithfield Street
bridge is to the right and the railroad bridge at the
center is now gone. The image is from the Library of
Congress. |
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1923
WAGNER’S COMPLETE INDEXED MAP OF PITTSBURGH AND
ADJOINING BOROS, The A. C. Wagner Co., Publishers, PO Box
1055 Pittsburgh, Main Plant Cincinnati. This is an
undated map but it has a Gulf ad on the
back that appeared from around 1919 to 1923, so that
dating is used here. The map folds into the 7 x 4 inch
paper cover shown containing pages with a street index
which is continued onto the map. Trolley and rail lines
are shown. Blank verso. Scale: 1 inch = 0.45 miles. Size:
24 x 38 inches. |
 |
1923
AUTOMOBILE TOURISTS’ MAP THROUGH PITTSBURGH, PENNA.
Copyright 1923 Chamber of Commerce of Pittsburgh. This is
a strip map centered on Pittsburgh and extending from New
York to Chicago and St. Louis. It contains this 7.5 X 6
inch map showing the route of the
Lincoln Highway (now US 30) through town along with a
connection south to the National Road (now US 40). Today,
instead of traveling along the north shore of the Ohio
River, US 30 goes south across the Fort Pitt bridge and
through the Fort Pitt tunnel. |
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1926
LIPPINCOTT AND NCNEIL'S MAP OF GREATER PITTSBURGH,
Lippincott and McNeil, Engrs, 237 4th Avenue, Pittsburgh.
Copyright 1926 H. C. Lippincott. This street map, despite
the title, shows only the immediate city. Street car
lines are in red and there is a street index around the
edge. This is a later version of a map first put out
around 1920. Folds into a 7 x 4 inch yellow paper cover
to which it is attached. Blank verso. Scale: 1 inch =
2000 feet. Size: 36 x 48 inches. |
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1931
JUST AROUND THE CORNER, Amoco - Rand McNally. Although
Gulf published city maps from its earliest days (see 1918
above), the other oil companies were slower to put out
such maps. This tiny 6 x 7 inch map is an early one from Amoco. It
was intended to show the location of their gas stations. |
 |
1939
PITTSBURGH IN 1939. This print appears on pages 112-113
of a Fortune Magazine from that year. The pages were an
ad from the Union Trust Company celebrating its 50th
anniversary; the accompanying 1889 print is shown above.
The cartographer is identified as Ezra C. Styles. There
are small inset maps at the corners. Skyscrapers are
starting to poke up. Size: 11 x 14 inches. |
 |
1941
CRAM’S OFFICIAL INDEXED STREET MAP OF PITTSBURGH,
MCKEESPORT, WILKINSBURG, AMBRIDGE, DUQUESNE AND 68 OTHER
MUNICIPALITIES IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA. The George F. Cram
Co. Inc., Indianapolis. This map has the code LR241, and
so is dated February, 1941. It is folded like a road map
with a colorful cover. Besides the main map, not all of which is shown, it
has this image of downtown. Size: 34 x 24
inches. |
 |
1941
SOUVENIR OF PITTSBURGH, PENNA. Copyright 1941 by Minsky
Bros. & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. A 9 sheet folded
postcard with a map of downtown on the inside
cover and 18 color views. Folded postcards can probably
still be found today at tourist stops, but their craze
ran from about 1920 to 1950. The biggest publisher was
Curt Teich & Co. of Chicago, whose cards date from
the early 20s. Minsky licensed the process and his cards
began to appear in the late 30s. Size folded: 4 x 6
inches. |
 |
1950
THE PREMIER STREET MAP OF PITTSBURGH, published by
Geographia Map Co. Inc. 145 W. 57th St., New York.
Produced under the direction of Alexander Gross, F.R.G.S.
This is an undated foldout map probably put out in the late
40s, so dated circa 1950 here. It is an attractive large
map with a street gazetteer on the verso that folds into
the 9.5 x 4.5 inch purple cover pictured. Scale: 1 inch =
1600 feet. Size: 34 x 45 inches. |
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1955
GREATER PITTSBURGH
INCLUDING 108 COMMUNITIES, Official Arrow City Map. This
undated map is copyright by R. L. Polk, Boston; and
distributed by Triangle News Company, Inc. McKees Rocks.
The old Point bridges are shown along with the new Fort
Pitt Bridge labeled I79, no Duquesne Bridge across the
Allegheny, so the map is circa 1955-60. The current
route over the bridge is I376. There is a street
gazetteer on the verso. Size: 28 x 42 inches. |
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1956
MONONGAHELA RIVER NAVIGATION CHARTS, issued by the
Corps of Engineers US Army, the District Engineer,
Pittsburgh District, 925 New Federal Building, Pittsburgh
19 Pa. This booklet has an index map and 21 river charts
showing navigation from the Point to just past Fairmont,
WV. This chart shows the point area. Here is
a later map showing the Point from OHIO
RIVER NAVIGATION CHARTS, 1978. |
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1959
PITTSBURGH PA. AND VICINITY STREET AND INTERURBAN RAILWAY
TRACKAGE 1859-1959, Published by Pittsburgh Electric
Railway Club, Inc., based on various maps of 1869 to 1955,
and researched by PERC members. Compiled and drawn by M.
F. McGrew. This map describes itself, a history on one
sheet of city trolley lines. About two thirds of the map
is shown here, a section to the west is not seen. Blank
verso. Scale: 1 inch = 1 mile. Size: 11 x 25 inches. |
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1960
THIS IS THE NEW PITTSBURGH. A red cover brochure put out
by the Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau. It
unfolds to a map of downtown with a gazetteer
of buildings, photos, and text. Undated, but circa early
60s, Forbes Field is still there. Size unfolded: 16 x 18
inches. |
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1960
MAPCO MAP OF GREATER PITTSBURGH PENNSYLVANIA, Copyright
Map Corporation of America, Boston, Mass. This undated
map is circa 1960 because Fort Pitt Bridge and tunnel are
shown as under construction. The verso contains street
names with location index. It folds into a 9 x 4 inch
yellow paper cover saying Distributed by Triangle News Co.,
McKees Rocks. Size: 31 x 42 inches. |
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1966
(Pittsburgh) A set of four maps from the book Urban
Atlas: 20 American Cities: A Communication Study Notating
Selected Urban Data at a Scale of 1:48,000, by Joseph
R. Passanneau & Richard Saul Wurman. 1966. M.I.T.
Press. The maps are: 1) a city street map with verso of
land use, 2) a personal income map, 3) a population density map,
4) a combined income and density map. Only the two maps indicated
are shown here. In the combined map, blue is money and
red is population. About two thirds of each map is shown
in the image. This use of dots to show demographics seems
awkward, and the maps are plastic coated for some reason.
Size: 18 x 18 inches. |
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1985 (Pittsburgh)
An untitled and undated Landsat photograph from space of
Pittsburgh. It was published by the US government on
heavy photographic paper circa mid 80s. The coverage
includes the area north and west of the Point. The shiny
surface makes these landsat maps hard to photograph
clearly. Size: 23 x 29 inches. |
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1998
PITTSBURGH FROM SPACE. EOSAT 1998 M-SAT Corp., Rockville,
Md. Another Landsat photograph, this one from a private
company. Coverage here extends west and south of the city.
Size: 20 x 28 inches. |
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2006 (Pittsburgh)
An untitled and figurative advertising map put out by the
Pittsburgh Roars Committee and published by Pittsburgh
Magazine, an arm of the local public TV station WQED.
Only the section around the point is shown here. "Pittsburgh
Roars" was a city wide ad campaign originating with
an art exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art called
"Fierce Friends: Artists and Animals 1750-1900."
Other local arts groups tried to work animal themes into
whatever they were doing at the time. And, of course,
Pittsburgh Zoo participated. The idea was to entice
tourists into the local attractions (and hotels and
restaurants). The map is out of proportion and some of
the things on it are conjectual; the African-American
center, for example, is only now (2008) starting
construction. Size: 16 x 21 inches. |
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Almost
Now Try one of these: http://www.yahoo.com/, http://maps.google.com/, http://www.mapquest.com/, for a current street or
aerial map like the little one here. |
