Turtle Way

From Pittsburgh Streets
Turtle Way
Neighborhood East Allegheny
Origin of name Modification of the earlier name Turner
Turner Alley (until 1910)
Turtle Alley (1910–1914)
Origin of name Modification of Turner

This alley was originally named Turner Alley. It appears, unlabeled, in R. E. McGowin's map of 1852.[1] Turner Alley is listed in H. Boone's 1871 directory[2] and is labeled in the 1882 Hopkins atlas.[3]

In 1910, three years after the annexation of Allegheny into the city of Pittsburgh, over 900 streets were renamed in order to fix duplicates; Turner Alley was renamed Turtle Alley.[4] The name seems to have been a simple modification of Turner. It became Turtle Way in 1914 when an ordinance changed all alleys in the city to ways.[5]

Bob Regan includes "Turtle" in his "Streets of Pittsburgh" crossword puzzle, clued as "Any of various aquatic and land reptiles having a bony shell and flipper-like limbs for swimming."[6] Unfortunately this is just a dictionary definition of the word turtle and gives no information about the origin of the street name.

References

  1. 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
  2. H. Boone. Directory of Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities, the Adjacent Boroughs, and Parts of the Adjacent Townships, for 1871–72. Geo. H. Thurston, Pittsburgh, 1871, p. 39. Historic Pittsburgh 31735033431283. [view source]boone-1871
  3. Atlas of the Cities Pittsburgh and Allegheny. 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
  4. "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
  5. "An ordinance changing the name 'Alley' on every thoroughfare in the City of Pittsburgh, to 'Way.'" Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1914, no. 402. Passed Nov. 10, 1914; approved Nov. 16, 1914. Ordinance Book 26, p. 360. Reprinted in the Pittsburgh Post, Nov. 23, 1914, p. 11 (Newspapers.com 86505785), and Nov. 24, p. 12 (Newspapers.com 86505809). [view source]ordinance-1914-402
  6. Bob Regan. The Names of Pittsburgh: How the city, neighborhoods, streets, parks and more got their names, pp. 183–186. The Local History Company, Pittsburgh, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9770429-7-5. [view source]regan