A Great City Will Grow

George Washington, a major in the British Army during the French and Indian War, predicted that at the junction of the two rivers there would eventually grow a great city. Due to the strategic significance of the area we now know as "The Point", the junction was a prized possession to any occupying force, offering control of all river traffic to the western frontier. The French needed the Ohio River to connect their colonies in Canada (known as New France) and Louisiana. The British needed control of the Ohio in order to expand their power beyond the Appalachians. Both countries expended great manpower and resources to gain dominance over this advantagious location.

The British and The French

The British initially had a small garrison stationed at Fort Prince George. In April of 1754, the French sent in a force that overwhelmed the vastly outnumbered British. A new French fort was built at the junction, named Fort Duquesne. Major Washington first encountered the French at a skirmish known as the Jumonville Affair, then on July 4, 1754 was attacked by a superior French and Indian force and compelled to surrender at Fort Necessity. The army of France now had complete control over the region and, most importantly, the river junction.

In July of 1955, the British struck at the French force at Fort Duquesne, and suffered a serious setback. Now a colonel, George Washington was again present for this monumental defeat, one that reverberated through the British Colonial Empire. Stung by this defeat, and determined to regain control of the region, the British struck back in 1758. A force of 6000 British and Colonial troops, led by General John Forbes, reclaimed the junction for the British Empire once and for all.

General Forbes ordered the construction of a much larger and stronger fort to be built over the remains of Fort Duquesne, to be renamed Fort Pitt. He also named the surrounding area Pittsborough, chartered in 1759, in honor of the Prime Minister of England, William Pitt.

The colony at Pittsborough grew rapidly around the Fort, which became one of the largest British strongholds in North America. Settlers began to migrate into the South Hills area, providing goods and services for the many British troops and the growing population.

Indians on the Warpath

By 1763, the final year of the French and Indian War, the British had control of much of northeastern North America. Most of the native Indian tribes were displeased by their treatment from the British occupiers. The main concern of the Indians was the continued settlement of people along the western frontier, which in 1763, included the Ohio River basin.

An Indian leader named Pontiac began organizing many Indian tribes together to rebel against the British. Pontiac's force included groups from the Delaware, Huron, Illinois, Kickapoo, Miami, Potawatomie, Seneca, Shawnee, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes. An Indian War, known as Pontiac's War, began in 1763.

Pontiac wanted to drive the British back to the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains. Many small British outposts were overrun and the Indians were on the verge of total victory. The only remaining outposts west of the Appalachians were at Fort Detroit, Fort Pitt, Fort Ligonier and a handful of other outposts.

In May of 1763, the Indians attacked Pittsborough, burning all cabins and killing all white settlers except those who escaped to the sanctuary of the fort. Pontiac laid seige to the fort from May 27 to August 9. During this time they made several attempts to storm the fort, but were repelled each time with grave losses.

British Colonel Henry Bouquet led a successful counterattack at the Battle of Bushy Run that lifted the seige of Pittsborough. Without the assistance of the French, who were near surrender themselves, the Indians soon were forced to retreat. Their campaign to drive the British from their lands ended, and the frontier was opened to colonial expansion and settlement.

Settlers once again began to migrate into the area, and Pittsborough again began to build and expand. Fort Pitt was dismantled in 1772, and control of the region passed to the newly formed United States of America during the American Revolution. In 1783, that conflict ended and a new nation was born.

Rapid Development of Pittsburgh

After years of only being a garrison town, the borough of Pittsburgh began to develop slowly but steadily after the Revolutionary War. With frontier expansion booming, Pittsburgh soon became the Gateway to the West. The discovery of valuable natural resources and reliable river passages helped in the development of Pittsburgh’s industry and commerce. Gristmills, printing shops, glassworks, and the iron industry flourished. By the dawn of the 19th century, millions of people heading west traveled through the area. The City of Pittsburgh was chartered in 1816.

The abundance of coal in the nearby hills led to the rapid development of the coal industry to feed the growing industrial surge, not to mention the growing local population. Numerous mining ventures moved into the lands east and south of the city. Farms were also a common site in the area to the south of Coal Hill, many on the land now known as Brookline.

Settlement of the South Hills - St. Clair Township

A track of 395 acres, patented in 1786 to David Strawbridge, in pursuance of the Virginia Certificate was called "Castle Shannon." The first permanent settlers, up to the year 1800, were farmers who migrated from southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland. Many of these hardy pioneers were veterans of the American Revolution. A search of old records reveals the family names of Strawbridge, MacKay, Shawhan, Kennedy, McDermott, Hughey, Broddy, and Brison. Early in the 19th Century, we find such families as Espy, Plummer, Sylvester, Fetterman and Knowlson. The area was a prosperous farming district.

Prior to the erection of Allegheny County in 1788, the district was part of Washington County. Civic-minded citizens had to travel long distances over poor roads in order to cast their ballot on election days. The earliest voting place was at Shawhan's (later Colonel Espy's Tanyards) at Pioneer and West Liberty Avenues. After 1788, they voted at Obey's place on Carson Street, where the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad Company station now stands. This was termed the lower district of St. Clair, which gave the township its name.

When Allegheny County was formed on September 24, 1788, the area unofficially refered to as Brookline was known as lower St. Clair, part of St. Clair Township. It was also officially refered to as West Liberty. Upon the erection of Allegheny County the court proceeded to divide the County of Allegheny into three distinct sections. The first section included the townships south of the Ohio River and south and west of the Monongahela River. The second section is the part that lies between the Monongahela and Ohio Rivers. The third section included the tract north of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers.

The first section included three townships: Moon, St Clair and Mifflin. St. Clair Township occupied the southeastern corner of South Fayette, part of Snowden, the whole of Baldwin, and upper and lower St. Clair (Brookline/West Liberty).

A notable early settler in St. Clair Township was William Dilworth. William was born in 1791 when Pittsburgh was still a straggling village connected by row boat ferries with the nearby settlements of Allegheny and Birmingham. His father was an early entreprenuer in the local coal industry.

At age 21, Mr. Dilworth joined General Harrison's army in its 1812 campaign against the British and Indians. After the war William settled on Mt. Washington. He opened some of the first mines to supply Pittsburgh with coal. He was married in 1817 to Elizabeth Scott, daughter of Colonel Samuel Scott of Ross township.

He built perhaps the first school house in lower St. Clair township and gave free schooling to the children of the miners in his employ. Mr. Dilworth paid the teacher out of his pocket and purchased books for the pupils. The school building was erected near what today would be the south portal of the Liberty Tunnels, in 1820.

Mr. Dilworth paid $15 per acre for the coal lands he purchased south of Pittsburgh and during the latter part of his life sold quantities of the same land for $3000 per acre. In partnership with a Mr. Coltart, he also built a court house and jail in Pittsburgh in the mid-1830s, and also built the piers of the old Monongahela Bridge, which was destroyed in the great fire of April 10, 1845.

In 1847, he was elected to the Legislature and served one session. A church, possibly the first in the area, was erected at what is now West Liberty Avenue and Saw Mill Run in 1859.

The surface of lower St. Clair township is much the same as the rest of Allegheny County, hilly and broken. Numerous small streams flow through it and springs are exceedingly abundant, thus affording plenty of water and power for manufacturing purposes. Coal was the staple production of the township, although agricultural pursuits were quite extensively carried on.

By the dawn of the 20th century, when the local mines were beginning to close, the locality was practically all farms. It was then a common sight in the summer evenings to see a constant line of market wagons on their way to the city with produce.

West Liberty was incorporated into a Borough in 1876. The residential areas were principally settled by men employed in the numerous coal mines owned by William Dilworth.

The Birth of Brookline

In the earliest days of settlement, an old Indian trail led from Pioneer Avenue to approximately the area of what is now Castlegate Avenue and Brookline Boulevard, where the farm of the McNeilly family was located. The area around the farm was known as Chimney Town. The trail was called the Chimney Town Road and may well have been the colonial designation of the area that was to one day become Brookline.

The area which now comprises Brookline was settled prior to 1800. Many of these early settlers were also veterans of the American Revolution, and had served under General Washington. After the war the soldiers were issued land grants as partial payment for their services to the country. They tilled the soil and developed a prosperous farming district. Boggs Grist Mill, near the city end of Pioneer Avenue, ground their grain. Espy's Tanyards, near the other end of Pioneer, furnished the leather for their boots, saddles and harnesses.

Brookline was never incorporated as a separate and distinct municipality but was merged with the City of Pittsburgh in 1908, and was made part of the original 44th Ward. By the mid-1900s, it comprised the 21st to the 27th election districts of the 19th Ward. (NOTE: It now comprises part of the 19th and 32nd Wards of the City of Pittsburgh, and is made up of West Liberty, East Brookline, Ebenshire Village, and Brookline - although the name "Brookline" is now assigned to the entire area.)

Pioneer Avenue was a State Road

Pioneer Avenue was established in 1797 as the State Road from Pittsburgh to Washington and was later known as the upper road from Boggs Mill and also the Coal Hill and Upper St. Clair Turnpike road. It was an artery of major importance because it connected the old Township road (now Warrington Avenue) with the Morgantown Road (now Banksville Road) across Mt. Washington and the road from Millersville, which is at the foot of Greentree Road at Independence Street, West End. Pioneer Avenue was, at the time, the only main thoroughfare to reach the city from the south.

Wenzell Avenue, which led from Pioneer Avenue to Greentree Road, was laid out in 1832. West Liberty Avenue, along Plummer's Run, from the Bell House to Pioneer Avenue, near Potomac Avenue, was laid out in 1839. Since the community had no brick yards or saw mills, all builders' supplies had to be hauled over these poor roads, with the wagons often sinking hub deep in mud.

When the original horse-drawn street car line was laid on West Liberty Avenue, the road was paved between the rails only, and it remained so until 1817 when it was widened and improved. Whited Street is a former Township road and, with the exception of a few streets, such as McNeilly Road, Brookline Boulevard, and the aforementioned streets, practically all other streets were created by virtue of lot plan developments, principally by the West Liberty Development Company between 1905 and 1908.

Early Commercial Enterprises

Among the early commercial enterprises were Espy's Tanyards, located at the upper end of Pioneer and West Liberty Avenues. Here leather was supplied for boots, saddles and harnesses. Boggs Grist Mill was situated at the lower end of Pioneer and West Liberty Avenues. At a later date, Hartley and Marshall's coal mine was at Wenzell Way and West Liberty Avenue, while across the road was Kerr's blacksmith and horseshoe forge. Wilhelm's General Store was located near Pauline Avenue on West Liberty Avenue; the only store being Algeo's at Washington and Bower Hill Roads. Food, drink, and lodging were to be had at Beltzhoover's Tavern at the foot of Capital Avenue, Hayes Tavern at Pioneer and Wenzell Avenues and the old Bell House, which stands near the present Liberty Tunnels.

Ways To Travel

Transportation from the South Hills to Pittsburgh in the early days was slow and difficult. Travelers got to the city by way of the narrow gauge Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad, which followed the general course of the Shannon Drake trolley line. They would take the Haberman Avenue Cable Car up to Mount Washington, then down the Castle Shannon Incline to the South Side. From there they traveled by horse car to the city.

Most of the coal mined around Brookline was hauled on the Castle Shannon Railroad through a tunnel, the portal of which was at the curve in Sycamore Street, then down to Carson Street, by an old cola incline.

By 1902 the old Charleroi street car line ran the length of West Liberty Avenue, and extended to many South Hills communities, including a single-track line that led to Brookline Boulevard. This made travel a little easier, but there was still no direct link to the city, except the long trip over Mount Washington.

Within a few short years, man made huge strides in transportation. In 1903, the Wright Brothers historic flight and Henry Ford's first automobile were actualities. The street car tunnel under Mount Washington was opened in 1904. This was a phenomenal breakthrough to the South Hills. It shortened the trip to town by miles and by hours. It gave impetus to the West Liberty Development Company and other real estate firms, from 1905 to 1908, to lay out streets and lots in the portion of West Liberty Borough which was to become Brookline.

All Dirt Roads

At the turn of the 20th century all roads were dirt and there were no sidewalks. The heavy traffic, which was mostly horses and wagons, cut deep ruts into the roads so that in wet weather the mud was often axle deep. Pedestrians fared no better.

Finally, Reverend Jones of the Knowlson Methodist Church, located at the Brookline Junction with West Liberty Avenue, with the help of a friend, secured funds to purchase boards for a boardwalk. With the help of the community, the boards were laid from the city line to the Old Bell House at Saw Mill Run and West Liberty Avenue. This was the first public improvement in the area.

The West Liberty Development Company began laying out lots in the Brookline area in 1905. This new residential section attracted so many people that in February of 1907 West Liberty Borough voted for annexation into the city of Pittsburgh. On the first Monday in January, 1908, it was annexed to the city as the 44th ward. Brookline became the 19th ward in 1910 when the city of Allegheny was also annexed into the city of Pittsburgh.

Street Car Service

The first streetcar railway south of the Monongahela River was a horse-drawn car line, which operated from Carson Street to Thirtieth Street. In the winter the floor was covered with straw to keep the passengers feet warm. Horse-drawn rail traffic was established in the South Hills in the early 1800s, but there were only a few routes available. The first electric cars were used in this part of the city in 1890 and were controlled by the Pittsburgh and Birmingham Traction Company. The cars seated about 25 people.

In 1903-04 the streetcar tunnel was built and the line through Beechview to Mount Lebanon was constructed. Regular service through the tunnel began on December 2, 1904. In 1905 a single-track line was constructed through Brookline from Kerr's Blacksmith Shop on West Liberty Avenue (the Brookline Junction) to the old Charleroi and Washington line near Oak Station (near the present Overbrook School.) Service was discontinued beyond Edgebrook Avenue, on Brookline Boulevard, after 1909.

In 1910, West Liberty Avenue was double-tracked, and this line was extended through to Brookline all the way to the new developments in East Brookline. It passed Edgebrook and went to Breining Street, where the track became a single track. The line continued for two more blocks until a loop near Witt Street, then it made the return trip back up the Boulevard. This new and modern line greatly improved service to the area and directly led to a surge in residential construction, and population growth.

Rail traffic in Brookline continued until September 1966, when the 39-Brookline street car service was discontinued by the Port Authority in favor of a move to bus service.

A Ride on the 39-Brookline Trolley in the Early 1900s

This account was published by Mr. Donald Hahn, an old Brookline resident. He details what it was like taking the 39-Brookline trolley from the South Hills Junction through to the old trolley loop. It is a wonderful look back at what Brookline was like around 1910. It was copied from a Brookline Journal article.

We are now aboard a Brookline trolley car (Toonerville) at the South end of the tunnel (South Hills Junction in modern lingo), for the trip to Brookline. We swing and sway down through the barn yard to its end, and the switch. Here the conductor got out, threw a switch, and the motorman pulled onto the single track cutoff that leads to Warrington Avenue. The conductor threw back his switch, and threw the light giving right of way to the single track at Ye Old Bell House.

The Bell House stood just across Saw Mill Run. An old wooden bridge spanned the run. Here the conductor turned off the single light. Double track started here and we turn onto West Liberty Avenue. Born's Hotel was on one corner and Elijah Lee's blacksmith shop was on the opposite corner. Gilfillan and Orr Feed Company was next to Born's, and a frame house was across the street. From there up to Cape May Avenue just a few frame houses stood.

This real estate boom in the South Hills resulted in the improvement of Brookline as we know it today. (NOTE: Among the farming property parceled into lots were those of: Fleming, Goettle, Hughey, Knowlson, Paul, Stillwagon, and in East Brookline, Anderson). Brookline Boulevard was widened in 1935 and improved. Practically all other streets were paved.

Recreational Provisions

Every year the Brookline Board of Trade carried on a big Fourth of July celebration featuring baseball games, races, a band concert and refreshments. In 1925, through the kindness of Walter Fleming, the Fleming grounds were used for this purpose.

Before Brookline had a real movie theatre, movies were shown on a big screen made of several big sheets sewn together and stretched between telephone poles directly across from the Stebbrook Pharmacy, then known as Alm's Pharmacy. This was only done on the Fourth of July.

Occassionally, on warm summer nights, an improvised theatre was set up in the field taking in the area from the Chinaman's Laundry to the house near Flatbush (formerly occupied by Dr. McCombs - a dentist) and going from Brookline Boulevard to Bellaire Avenue was vacant. The movie projector was placed somewhere in the center of the big field, and the movie operator was Robert Byrnes Sr.

Finally, in the days before the movie theatre was opened on Brookline Boulevard, selected movies were shown at Resurrection church auditorium.

The first playground that Brookline ever had was located between Berkshire and Woodbourne Avenues, below Castlegate Avenue. Later three more playgrounds were established. They were located between Gallion and Rossmore Avenues, Fordham and Norwich Avenues, and at the corner of Aidly and Pioneer Avenues. The residents were permitted to use these plots for playgrounds through the kindness of the owners.

There was also a field between Whited Street and Milan Avenue (laying between Gallupe and the other side of Milan) that used to be a recreation park in the summer for the kids. There was a big sand box, swings and slides, as well as volley ball, with teachers in attendance to monitor the activities.

Eventually these plots of land were sold and the children were left without any space for playing.

At Brookline School, the adjacent ground was leased for five years and then purchased in 1923. This land was to be used as a playground. Much of this property was used in the next school expansion. Because of this, Professor Joseph F. Moore, in order to further the recreational activities of the youth in the Brookline district, and as chairman of the Playground Committee of the Brookline Board of Trade, became interested in acquiring and developing a plot along Pioneer Avenue as a playground site.

This dream became a reality when the Council of the city of Pittsburgh passed an ordinance which acquired and developed this land as a playground which is now known as the Moore Recreation Center.

As Brookline grew and developed, the need for further recreational facilities arose. The Brookline Community Center Association was chartered in 1945, and their primary goal was to acquire and develop land in East Brookline to be used as a Community Center.

In 1945 the 20-acre Anderson Farm in East Brookline was put on the market. The land was purchased by the Community Center Association for a little under $20,000. Located between Breining Street and Brookline Boulevard, the newly acquired land was in a central location and perfectly suited for development into a park.

Work was begun immediately on excavation of the hilly terrain, and in 1952 the Brookline Little League began their inaugural season on the new Community Center baseball field. The old farmhouse was renovated and the surrounding acreage became the site of frequent carnivals and other recreational activities.

In 1966, the land was sold to the city for $1 with the promise that it would be developed into a city park. Forty years and several million dollars later, Brookline Memorial Park is one of the cities nicest community recreation parks. Moore Park also underwent some major renovations in the 1990s.

The Fourth of July Parade

One of Brookline's elder statesmen shared their memories of the Fourth of July parade. The account was printed in an old edition of the Brookline Journal. Most of that article is reprinted here.

Things sure have changed as the years went by. Take, for instance, the Fourth of July celebration. In the good old days things sure did hum on this patriotic day.

In the morning, about 8:30, the kids would head for Berkshire Avenue and Castlegate. There they would line up for the big parade. They each received a crepe paper hat and a nice American flag on a stick.

In those days there was no canned music. There was a uniformed band, and they played off and on all day.

The first place they held the celebration was in the big area that lay between Rossmore and Gallion Avenues and Wedgemere Avenue. There was a nice ballfield there, too. The community would gather and watch the ballgames, especially on the Fourth of July. Some of the player's names who played for the Brookline team were Joe Powers, Ick Dooley, and Jimmy Carl.

Over the years, the Fourth of July celebration was held at several different places. It was first held at the area between Rossmore, Gallion and Wedgemere; then it was held up on Fordham Avenue, between Queensboro and Stebbins Avenue. This location was used only once. It was a failure through no fault of its own. The year it was held there, the Fourth of July was so cold people didn't turn out. They didn't care much for ice cream cones either. Hot dogs would have been more welcome.

Next, the celebration was held at the Brookline School. The band sat under the big tree next to the school building, and played all day long. The only problem there was not enough seats for the people who watched the ballgames.

One nice thing they did when it was held at Brookline School; there were Brentwood Motor Coach buses that rode along the Boulevard all day long and picked up people who wanted to come to the celebration. There were no parking problems. Everybody rode the buses. The kids would ride up and down the Boulevard just for the fun of it.

Finally, when Moore Park opened in 1939, the celebration moved there, and stayed there ever since. The baseball games went on every year. However, since that day there have been no more large parades. There was a small parade that lasted into the 1960s. Today, there is no Fourth of July parade in Brookline.

In lieu of the Fourth of July Parade, the Brookline Community still boasts a Memorial Day Parade, the Little League Parade and the Halloween Parade. In late September, the community now holds an annual Autumn Moon Festival that attracts hundreds of Brookliners to the Boulevard for a weekend of fun, food, games and entertainment.

The Community Picnic

Dating back to the early 1900s, the Brookline Business Men's Association, and later the Chamber of Commerce, has sponsored the annual School and Community Picnic. Complimentary tickets were passed out at the local schools and more were generally purchased at the amusement park. It was a grand day to get out, have some fun on the rides, and mingle with friends and neighbors from the community.

An aging veteran of many picnic days remembered:

"The community picnic has remained a feature in Brookline to this day, but it has lost a little of the luster of the old days, when picnic day was generally the only day of the year that families would make the trip to the amusement park.

"In the old days, most people didn't have their own cars, or if they did the husbands used them to go to work. Families would meet on picnic day at one of the designated stops and board the streetcars for the long trip to the park.

"One of the big stops was Creedmore. There would be hundreds of folks gathered there, all dressed up in summer clothes and carrying big baskets of picnic lunches.

"The first picnic Brookline ever had was at Kennywood Park. The only trouble with that was that it was so late for the kids getting home on the specials. By the evening, almost all the kids were tired but no one was crying, because a young fellow named Joe Butch got up in the front of the street car and sang song after song. After that first attempt, the picnics were all held at West View Park."

The picnics continued at West View Park until that park closed in 1977. Many Brookliners will remember the Big Dipper or the Racing Whippet. There was the Alpine Sky Ride that ran the length of the park, and it was a good way to relax and get a good look around. Kiddieland was a big hit with the little ones, and older folks loved the big band sounds in Danceland. There was also a bar at the entrance to the park, and often times that parents would get tired and end up at the bar while the kids ran on adrenaline from one ride to another.

After West View Park closed, the picnic moved back to its roots at Kennywood Park and has remained there ever since. There are no more free tickets, but reasonably priced discount tickets are available at most Boulevard stores prior to picnic day. The picnic is held yearly in June.

It's hard to beat Kennywood for roller coaster excitement. There is the Thunderbolt, the Jack Rabbit, the Racer and the Phantom's Revenge. The Exterminator will move the weak stomach and the Lil' Phantom is great for the kids. Kennywood is steeped in tradition and the Old Kennywood section features some historic favorites, like The Whip and the Pittsburg Plunge. Many will remember old favorites like the Laser Loop, the Steel Phantom and the Little Dipper.

Brookline Institutions Chartered

* The Brookline Board of Trade, organized since 1907, promoted the annual Independence Day (July 4th) celebration.
* Outstanding among the local civic and patriotic organizations is Brookline American Leagion Post #540, which was chartered in 1938.
* The Brookline Business Men's Association was chartered in 1944. This group promotes neighborhood activities, including the annual school and community picnic, the Halloween celebration, and other yearly events. The BBMA was the forerunner to the current Chamber of Commerce.
* The Kiwanis Club, the Lions Club and Women's Civic Club are active groups.
* Business and Financial Interests are served by the Brookline Savings and Trust Company and the Brookline Building and Loan Association. The Savings and Loan, over the years, has seen many name changes. It was Western Pennsylvania National Bank, Integra Bank, and finally National City Bank.
* The Joint Civic Committee was chartered in 1930. This group was responsible for the many infrastructure changes and modernization projects that occured in the 1930s.
* The Brookline Little League Association was organized in 1951.
* The Brookline Knights Football Association was organized in 1974.
* The Brookline Youth Soccer Association was organized in 1982.
* The Brookline Area Community Council was chartered in 1966. The Community Council works with city and state government representatives to bring the concerns and needs of the Brookline citizens to their attention. The Community Council also acts as a go-between to assist in obtaining funding for the many ongoing improvements to the Brookline area.

Modern Stores in the 1930s

Back in the 1930s, the health of the community was protected by six physicians and six dentists. There was a chiropractor, a chiropodist, an optometrist, and two funeral directors. There were modern stores, restaurants and bars, barber shops, etc. There was also a movie theater located at the Cedars of Lebanon.

Transportation was mainly by bus or trolley. Automobiles were available but the majority of the population could not afford the luxury. The Brookline Branch of the Carnegie Library was opened in 1930, moved to a new location in 1942, and finally moved again to it's present location at 716 Brookline Boulevard in the 1980s.

The first Post Office was established at an early date in the Mt. Lebanon section near the present Bower Hill Road on the upper Washington Road (West Liberty Avenue). A new Brookline Post Office substation was established in 1935, and finally a new branch office was built in 1958 on the 600 block of Brookline Boulevard.

Up until the mid-1970s, Brookline Boulevard maintained the same kind of makeup as far as the types of stores in operation. There were several hardware stores (Fred's, Nolan's, Bryant's, Jay's), the Town and Country women's store, the Boulevard Men's Shop, Tryson's Shoe Store, The Sound Shed record store, three seperate pharmacies (Charleson's, Brookline Pharmacy and Stebbrooks), several individual doctor's offices, and numerous other service oriented establishments.

The 1970s saw the rise of the suburban malls, and the 1980s saw the rise of the superstore. These larger stores swamped the small business owner, and caused quite a shift in consumer tastes. Many of the small community stores went out-of-business as the public flocked to the new and larger mega-stores and to the comfort of the modern shopping malls.

Today, Brookline Boulevard is still a vibrant commercial district, but the makeup of the stores that populate the boulevard has seen many changes. Rather than hardware stores, there are pizza stores. Rather than upscale clothing stores there are dollar stores. There are still banks and barber shops and hair dressers, but instead of small community pharmacies we see a large CVS Pharmacy, part of a nation-wide chain of pharmacies, and in place of the local family doctor's office we see more and more of the impersonal HMO family medical centers.

Despite these changes, Brookline Boulevard is still populated by businesses that offer a fine selection of goods and services and it is still possible to find a great deal at places like A-Boss Opticians and Decio's formal wear. You can also stop for ice cream at the Boulevard Ice Cream Store or dine on fine cuisine at the Moonlight Cafe. If your insurance permits, you can still get that community pharmacy feel with Fred DiPasquale at the Medicine Shoppe or browse through the selection of fresh bakery products at Party Cake and Kribel's Bakery.

Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline is 1250 feet above sea level. Brookline was named after Brookline, Massachusetts. Many of the early settlers came here from that area after the American Revolution. It is a well-watered area. There was a spring at 725 Berkshire Avenue, and one at what is now the intersection of the lower end of Bodkin Street and Brookline Boulevard. A brook flowed adjacent to Edgebrook Avenue. In addition to Saw Mill Run Creek, a creek also flowed along West Liberty Avenue which was known as Plummer's Run. A duck pond was located in the area near McNeilly Road. The area to the left of Edgebrook Avenue was also a pond (Luppy's Pond) until it was drained after World War II to permit residential development.

What's In A Name? - Brookline Streets

Brookline Boulevard will always be called just that. Officially, it's always been called Brookline Boulevard. That goes back to the turn of the century. It will still be Brookline Boulevard as time marches on into the 21st century. But that can't be said of Brookline's back streets. Old street maps, provided by Jim Moran, indicate the rapid changing of the guard in the years before Brookline was annexed into the city of Pittsburgh.

Prior to annexation, Bellaire Avenue was known as Beacom and Bellaire Place was Beverly. Whited went through a series of changes, from Weston to Knowlson to Oak. Milan was called Belmont. Merrick was known as Whited, Oakridge as Ormond, and Creedmore was Carlton. Bodkin Street was known as Hunter Avenue, and until the 1930s as a part of Brookline Boulevard itself. Pioneer Avenue was known for some time as Lang Avenue, and West Liberty Avenue was Plummers Run.

Some of the other Brookline side streets and their former names follow:

Wedgemere - West Point, Flatbush - Winchester, Queensboro - Marlboro, Chelton - Chelsea, Rossmore - Cromwell, Gallion - Glendale (also Montour), Edgebrook - Putnam, Woodbourne - Bunker Hill, Bayridge - Sumner, Fordham - Brynmawr, Norwich - Lexington, Castlegate - Concord, Midland - Merton (also Merrimac), Breining - Richmond and Fairhaven Road.

Berwin - Cambridge, Plainview - Highland, Woodward - Willoughby, Woldford - Winthrop, Beaufort - Oxford, Birtley - Beverage, Bellbrook - Benkerd, LaMarida - Strang, Fernhill - Siebert, Mayville - Centre, Dunster - Dentgon, Crysler - Clermont.

Some Random Notes on Brookline's Past

* In the wintertime there was always sled riding on the city streets. There was a dandy sled track on Bellaire Avenue from Flatbush Avenue toward Wedgemere. There were manhole covers that always seemed to be bare of snow, and they would always cause sparks to fly. Other good tracks were Castlegate and Starkamp. Those in East Brookline would gather on Milan Avenue or the cobblestone hill called Birchland.

* Brookline School used to have a big plot of ground for their use as a school garden. It was located between Gallion and Rossmore Avenues, near Pioneer. The kids were assigned plots and planted, weeded and hoed their own garden. In fact, this practice started with Brookline School and was so successful that it spread to other city schools. Brookline's West Liberty School also had their own gardens . The produce supplied the children with fresh vegetables for lunch and the surplus was sold at the local stores.

* Resurrection Church used to be in the basement of the present school building. After a particularly damp spell, the floor (which was laid on the ground) would buckle and everyone would have to watch their step so they wouldn't trip. At Father Quinn's request, some of the men of the parish volunteered their services, and took up the whole wooden floor, put down a concrete floor and relaid the wooden floor. Father Quinn worked right along with the men, wheeling concrete in a wheelbarrow.

* There were hundreds of mules that used to work in the coal mines behind Edgebrook Avenue.

* The original Brookline single-track streetcar line used to end at Creedmore Avenue, and had to be extended to Fairhaven (Overbrook) so Pittsburgh Railways could keep their franchise. The track was only in place for a couple years, but the old tunnel that leads to the PAT south busway, at the bottom of the city steps by Jacob Street, was built for this purpose.

* There was a milkman, ages ago, named Johnny Haigle, and old Grandpa Marloff, who used to come around with these huge containers of milk to deliver. Then, there was Mr. Catterall, who sang at many of the weddings at Resurrection Church. Finally, there was the large, jolly cop who walked the beat on Brookline Boulevard named Officer Hogel. The kids loved him.

* Off of Edgebrook Avenue, on the left in the woods was Luppy's Pond, where kids used to damn up the stream to create their own pool of water. In the same area as Luppy's Pond were some really old pioneer gravestones. One of the tombstones was etched with the name of Mary Boggs.

* On the day of Brookline's Halloween Parade, Mr. Melman used to go along the line of march at the parade and throw apples to the spectators. Today, Brookline still holds the annual Halloween Parade on the last weekend on October. There are many fine costumes decorating children and adults alike. In good weather, attendance numbers in the several hundreds. The parade is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Although Mr. Melman is no longer around to throw apples to the spectators, there are snacks available and prizes are awarded for the best costumes.

Urban Legends:
Ghost Stories and Religion - Seperating Fact From Fiction

As with every community, there are certain tales that inspire the imagination of the curious few, and over time these stories can become larger than life ... legends so-to-speak. Some deal with religion, the search for faith, and miracles of a heavenly nature. Others delve into the darker reaches of the mind, conjuring up visions of eerie creatures stalking the back roads of Western Pennsylvania.

One such tale deals with the sudden appearance of a feint vision of the Blessed Mother that mysteriously illuminated on a closet door in a home on Pioneer Avenue back in April of 2001. Visitors from far and wide flocked to the home to witness the "miracle", which appeared only after dark, turning the quiet Brookline residence into a sort of religious shrine for a couple weeks until the curiosity ebbed away. See Post-Gazette Article dated April 14, 2001.

Another tale, one of a more macabre nature, deals with a "monster" known as "The Green Man" who, some say, haunts the roadways of rural South Park. First witnessed back in the 1940s, it has been said that the so-called monster has been seen as far away from his usual stalking ground as the back roads of Brookline. Fear and the imagination can become quite a pair, but we're pretty sure that the Green Man never made it as far north as Brookline. There is, however, some truth in the tale of this scary individual. Learn the haunting but true story of the Green Man in this Post-Gazette Article dated October 31, 1998.