Liberty Avenue

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Not to be confused with West Liberty Avenue or East Liberty Boulevard. See also Ladoga Street, which was formerly named Liberty Avenue.
Liberty Avenue
Neighborhoods Bloomfield, Central Business District, Lower Lawrenceville, Polish Hill, Strip District
Wikipedia Liberty Avenue (Pittsburgh)
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Liberty Street (1764 – ca. 1872)

A sketch of Liberty Avenue (labeled just "Liberty") appears in the margin of John Campbell's plan of lots in Pittsburgh in 1764, leading east-northeast from Fort Pitt, just six years after the British captured the Point from the French.[1] It was fully incorporated into the street grid twenty years later when George Woods laid out the first town plat; Woods named it Liberty Street.[2]

Bob Regan says that Liberty Avenue was named for the Northern Liberties, the former name of the Strip District, through which the avenue passes.[3] This etymology, of course, requires two elements in order to be plausible: first, the Northern Liberties must have been so called by the time the street was named, and second, the street must have passed through that area (or at least led to it). Campbell's early sketch is too simple to shed light on either of these points. Woods' 1784 town plat shows Liberty Street going only as far as Grant Street and Watt Street (today's 11th Street).[2] His map of the eastern vicinity of Pittsburgh, made in the same year, does not show a continuation of the road, nor does it use the name Northern Liberties.[4] However, William Darby's 1815 map shows the Northern Liberties to the northeast of Pittsburgh as a fairly well established area, with Liberty Street running through the middle.[5] So this origin of the name seems possible.

Other sources do not make a connection to the Northern Liberties; they say simply that Liberty Avenue was "reminiscent of the patriotic spirit of the early times,"[6] "a salute to freedom-conscious colonists,"[7] or "a popular symbol of the freedom the colonists fought for,"[8] or that it "took its name from the zeal that brought on the Revolution, when the word was a rallying cry, and marked itself on towns and streets all over this district."[9] George T. Fleming wrote, "It is very evident our best known street names came after the Revolution. Liberty suggests the independence of the colonies and Penn the proprietaries."[10] However, it is worth bearing in mind that the name Liberty dates back at least to 1764, well before the Revolution. The fledgling settlement of Pittsburgh had just survived the Siege of Fort Pitt, and feelings of loyalty to Britain must have been running high.[11][12]

Liberty Street became Liberty Avenue in the early 1870s, shortly after Penn Street became Penn Avenue. The 1862 Beers map of Allegheny County showed Penn and Liberty Streets.[13] George H. Thurston's 1869 directory of Pittsburgh, in its street directory, listed "Liberty" and "Penn" (implying that they were called streets).[14] The 1870 and 1871 editions listed Penn Avenue but still just "Liberty."[15][16] The 1872 directory was the first to list Liberty Avenue.[17] The 1872 Hopkins atlas of Pittsburgh showed Penn and Liberty Avenues.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ John Campbell. Plan of Lots in Pittsburgh—1764. 1764. Reproduced in William G. Johnston, Life and Reminiscences from Birth to Manhood of Wm. G. Johnston, Knickerbocker Press, New York, 1901 (Google Books N-QEAAAAYAAJ; Historic Pittsburgh 00adj9508m; Internet Archive lifereminiscence00john); in George T. Fleming, "Flem's" Views of Old Pittsburgh: A portfolio of the past precious with memories, p. 5, Geo. T. Fleming, Pittsburgh, 1905 (HathiTrust 011204797, 100770599; Historic Pittsburgh 31735056290277; Internet Archive flemsviewsofoldp00flem; LCCN 08028848); in George T. Fleming, "History told in Pittsburgh street names: Some commemorative designations have been lost, but others are still in use to recall the story of their selection: Haphazard municipal nomenclature," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Nov. 29, 1914, sec. 5, p. 2 (Newspapers.com 85906737); in George T. Fleming, "History from an old map: Masson's map of Pittsburgh, 1805, further considered—Campbell's plan of 1764, Woods and Vickroy's complete plan of 1784—the old military plan unwillingly retained—Vickroy's deposition quoted: Pioneer names enumerated as lot owners; Historic characters recalled by names on Masson's plan—explanation of numbering of lots and some mention of freeholders—Imlay's topographical description of 1793," Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 16, 1922, sec. 2, p. 2 (Newspapers.com 85913850); in George T. Fleming, Fleming's Views of Old Pittsburgh: A portfolio of the past, p. 10, Crescent Press, Pittsburgh, 1932; in George Swetnam, "Ferry Street historic, one of oldest in city: Backward switch gives recognition to man undeserving of honor," Pittsburgh Press, Nov. 25, 1954, p. 16 (Newspapers.com 149015965); in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 21; and in Bob Regan, The Names of Pittsburgh: How the city, neighborhoods, streets, parks and more got their names, p. 57, The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. This map is often called the "military plan of Pittsburgh." [view source] campbell
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 George Woods. A Draught of the Town Plat of Pittsburgh, Surveyed for John Penn, Jr., and John Penn, by George Woods, May 31st 1784. 1784. Reproduced as "Original plan of Pittsburgh" in plate 19 of Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872 (Historic Pittsburgh 1872p019). [view source] woods-plat
  3. ↑ Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the city, neighborhoods, streets, parks and more got their names, p. 70. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source] regan
  4. ↑ George Woods. A General Draught of the Farms and Out Lots in the Manor of Pittsburgh, Situate Between the Alleghany and Monongahela Rivers, Laid Out by Order of Tench, Fransis, Esqr. Attorney for John Penn, Jr, and John Penn. 1784. Reproduced in plate 17 of Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, G. M. Hopkins & Co., Philadelphia, 1872 (Historic Pittsburgh 1872p017). [view source] woods-farms
  5. ↑ Wm. Darby. Plan of Pittsburg and Adjacent Country. R. Patterson and W. Darby, Philadelphia, 1815. Historic Pittsburgh DARMAP0197, DARMAP0198. Reproduced in John W. Reps, The Making of Urban America: A history of city planning in the United States, p. 207, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N. J., 1965 (LCCN 63023414); and in Bruce J. Buvinger, The Origin, Development and Persistence of Street Patterns in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, p. 24. Also reproduced as "Plan von Pittsburg und Umgebungen" in Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (Heinrich Luden, ed.), Reise Sr. Hoheit des Herzogs Bernhard zu Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach durch Nord-Amerika in den Jahren 1825 und 1826, vol. II, following p. 200, Wilhelm Hoffmann, Weimar, 1828 (Internet Archive reisesrhoheitdes00bern, reisesrhoheitdes00inbern). [view source] darby
  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. 23. Pittsburgh Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, 1924. Historic Pittsburgh 00awn8211m; Internet Archive earlylandmarksna00mill. [view source] miller
  7. ↑ Margaret Carlin. "How our streets got their names." Pittsburgh Press, Feb. 6, 1966, Pittsburgh's Family Magazine, p. 10. Newspapers.com 149098376. [view source] carlin
  8. ↑ James K. DeLaney. "Spectres of past haunt Pittsburgh's corner signposts: Street names 'pennants of tribute.'" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Mar. 30, 1967, [p. 41]. Newspapers.com 88235360. [view source] delaney
  9. ↑ George Swetnam. "Here in Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh Press, Sept. 29, 1947, p. 15. Newspapers.com 149729673. [view source] swetnam
  10. ↑ George T. Fleming. "History recalled by street names: Stanwix brings to mind many important happenings in the early days of the Western Pennsylvania settlement." Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Dec. 6, 1914, sec. 2, p. 8. Newspapers.com 85907599. [view source] fleming-history-recalled
  11. ↑ T. J. Chapman. Old Pittsburgh Days. J. R. Weldin & Co., Pittsburgh, 1900. HathiTrust 100551464; Historic Pittsburgh 00hc03930m. [view source] chapman
  12. ↑ Bruce S. Cridlebaugh. "Field notes: Changing Pittsburgh street names—from downtown to Lawrenceville." Pghbridges.com: Bridges & tunnels of Allegheny County & Pittsburgh, PA, Feb. 9, 2000. http://pghbridges.com/articles/fieldnote_pghstnames.htm. [view source] cridlebaugh
  13. ↑ S. N. & F. W. Beers. Map of Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Smith, Gallup & Hewitt, Philadelphia, 1862. LCCN 2012592151; 1862 layer at Pittsburgh Historic Maps (https://esriurl.com/pittsburgh). [view source] beers
  14. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships; for 1869–70. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1869. Historic Pittsburgh 31735038288522. [view source] thurston-1869
  15. ↑ George H. Thurston. Directory of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships; for 1870–71. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1870. Historic Pittsburgh 31735055723153. [view source] thurston-1870
  16. ↑ H. Boone. Directory of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships, for 1871–72. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1871. Historic Pittsburgh 31735033431283. [view source] boone-1871
  17. ↑ H. Boone. Directory of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships, for 1872–73. George H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1872. DonsList.net PghAllegh1872CDM; Historic Pittsburgh 31735055722825. [view source] boone-1872
  18. ↑ Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs. 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
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