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    Dormont
    Dormont
    Dormont
    Ebook161 pages37 minutes

    Dormont

    By Dormont Historical Society

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    About this ebook

    Adjoining the southern border of Pittsburgh, Dormont is a small, independent borough whose name means "mountain of gold" in French. The borough developed rapidly even before its incorporation in 1909. In the early 1900s, the extension of Pittsburgh's railway system, the opening of the Liberty Tunnels, and the building of the Liberty Bridge, along with the recreational opportunities the borough has to offer, encouraged many families to settle and escape the pollution of Pittsburgh's steel mills. Through the years, the direct access to the city's business and cultural areas has drawn residents to the historic borough.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439621707
    Dormont
    Author

    Dormont Historical Society

    The images and information this book contains have been compiled mainly from the archives of the Dormont Historical Society, which is pleased to present this volume as a celebration of the community's past 100 years. The authors hope that its contents will bring back memories to the readers and so encourage them to see their own Dormont as they peruse its pages.

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      Book preview

      Dormont - Dormont Historical Society

      used.

      INTRODUCTION

      The area that is now Dormont borough was originally claimed by the Delaware and Shawnee Indians until the Six Nations, or Iroquois Confederation, assumed jurisdiction of the area. In 1768, the territory was part of the transaction in which Fort Stanwix was purchased from the Six Nations and parcels, or patents, of land could be bought by the early settlers.

      After being part of Cumberland County, in 1771 the area became part of Pitt Township, Bedford County. Two years later, Pitt Township was made part of Westmoreland County, and in 1781, at the settlement of the Pennsylvania-Virginia boundary dispute, the area was designated to be part of Penn Township in Washington County. It was 1788 before the area was declared to be in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County.

      The borough was formed from parts of Scott, Union, and Mount Lebanon Townships in 1909, 1915, and 1921. The resulting area covered eight plans of lots carved out of Espy, Anderson, and Fetterman farms. Residents wanted to use the name Mount Lebanon for their new area. However, settlers to the south, forming their own township, had rights to that name because a post office known as Mount Lebanon had been established in 1855. The South Hills Board of Trade accepted a coined name derived from the French mont d’or, or mountain of gold, for the new borough.

      Although the area was designated as a borough in March 1909, it was not officially organized until May 3, 1909, when Hugh M. Stilley was elected president of council and other officials were selected and committees appointed. Final letters of incorporation were granted by the courts in October 1909. Dormont was the first outlying municipality in the South Hills of Pittsburgh to be incorporated by that year.

      The intention had been to join the City of Pittsburgh later, as neighboring territories known as West Liberty, Beechview, and Brookline had done. The leaders of the borough movement, 150 freeholders, contended that they were not opposed to annexation to the City of Pittsburgh, but they wished to see the community have the benefits of certain improvements instead of turning all their tax collections over to the city to be spent elsewhere. They wanted that tax money used locally for boardwalks, the paving of a few streets, and the erection of streetlights. After many heated discussions, that group prevailed, keeping the borough independent. As early as July 1909, a program for the grading, paving, and curbing of all streets was begun. At the first election, F. G. Brown was elected burgess by a majority of the 165 votes cast.

      For several years after the organization, the building of homes was the most active in the history of any newly formed municipality in western Pennsylvania. Within a few years, available vacant property within the limits of the borough was substantially used for residential dwellings. When Potomac Avenue was widened and paved in 1912, its name was changed from Banksville Road. Early on, names of most of the other streets were changed also. As of now, no record has been found telling exactly why most of the new names were chosen.

      Pittsburgh Railways extending its trolley service to Potomac Avenue in 1913, and adding regular service in 1914 made the borough attractive to those looking for homes. When access to the city of Pittsburgh became easy with the opening of the Liberty Tunnels in 1924 and the building of the Liberty Bridge in 1928, the population of the borough experienced a 478 percent growth within the next decade.

      Through the years, Dormont’s schools advanced from the wooden Snyder Avenue one built in 1905 to the modern Dormont Elementary School, which opened at the intersection of Annapolis and Grandin Avenues in 1996. Between those years, Hillsdale School, Kelton Grade School, and Dormont High School had been built to meet the needs of the growing population. A high school was built in 1922 where the new elementary school would be erected. In 1964, the school districts of Dormont, Castle Shannon, and Green Tree were consolidated to form Keystone Oaks School District. After

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