Omaha Street

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Omaha Street
Neighborhood Mount Washington
White Oak Lane (until ca. 1870)
Origin of name The white oak tree, Quercus alba
Woak Lane (ca. 1870 – 1881)
Origin of name Probably a contraction of White Oak

This street was first laid out as White Oak Lane in a plan of lots extending Mount Washington by Thomas J. Bigham and William O. Leslie, recorded in 1850.[1][2][3] It was named for the white oak (Quercus alba), a tree native to western Pennsylvania.[4][5] In the same plan, a parallel lane to the north was named Locust Lane (today part of Sycamore Street), also for a tree.[1]

In the 1872 Hopkins atlas, this lane was labeled Woak Lane.[6] This name probably arose from a contraction of White Oak.

The South Side boroughs, including Mount Washington, were annexed by Pittsburgh in 1872.[7] In 1881, a Pittsburgh city ordinance changed "Woak street" to Omaha Street.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Mount Washington extended by Thos. J. Bigham & Wm. O. Leslie." Recorded Aug. 15, 1850, Plan Book 1, p. 175. Allegheny County Recorder of Deeds 3778264. [view source]bigham-leslie-plan
  2. 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
  3. New Map of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny and of the Boroughs of South Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East Birmingham, Lawrenceville, Duquesne and Manchester &c. Krebs & Bro., Pittsburgh, ca. 1866. https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_1cbd3ec7-9215-43d9-b7ba-c56dc69657a7/. [view source]krebs-bro
  4. Charles Fergus. Amelia Hansen, illus. Trees of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, 1st ed., pp. 119–123. Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, Penna., 2002, ISBN 978-0-8117-2092-2. LCCN 2002021747. [view source]fergus
  5. Stan Tekiela. Trees of Pennsylvania Field Guide, 2nd ed., pp. 208–209. Adventure Publications, Cambridge, Minn., 2021, ISBN 978-1-64755-204-6. [view source]tekiela
  6. Atlas of the Cities of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, and the Adjoining Boroughs, pp. 107–108. 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
  7. Mark A. Connelly. "Pittsburgh City 1872 Borough Mergers." Local Geohistory Project. https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/pittsburgh-city-1872-borough-mergers/. [view source]lgeo-south-side-annexation
  8. "An ordinance establishing the names of avenues, streets, lanes and alleys of the City of Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh city ordinance, 1880–1881, no. 33. Passed Feb. 28, 1881; approved Mar. 4, 1881. Ordinance Book 5, p. 212. In Municipal Record: Minutes of the Proceedings of the Select and Common Councils of the City of Pittsburgh, for the Year 1880, pp. 213–234, Herald Printing Company, Pittsburgh, 1881 (Internet Archive pghmunicipalrecord1880; https://pittsburgharchives.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_b24d64b7-2eda-488e-a00b-cddc143becfd/). [view source]ordinance-1880-1881-33