Highland Park in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Park Land History

Highland Park

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 11, 2021

1. Park Land History Marker

Inscription.

Park Land History. Highland Park. , In 1788 Alexander Negley, one of the first settlers in the area that is now known as Highland Park, purchased a 278-acre farm along the Allegheny River which he named "Fertile Bottom." This land extended over much of what is now Highland Park north of Bryant Street. Today the acreage and location of Highland Park are nearly identical to Negley's original property., However, it was not Negley who bestowed the land to the city of Pittsburgh for a public park, but it was through the efforts of a man named Edward Manning Bigelow that Highland Park can be counted as the third largest park in Pittsburgh. Bigelow acquired the land for Highland Park during his time as Pittsburgh's Director of Public Works in the late 1800s. Numerous purchases were made from individual land owners totaling over $900,000., The land constituting Highland Park had a rich history prior to Bigelow's acquisitions. The owner of one of the first farmhouses acquired for park purposes in the area, James McCully, constructed one of the first oil refineries at the base of Washington Boulevard. The oil floated down the river and was stored in tanks on the bluff where the Highland Park swimming pool now stands., There is also a past to the land surrounding the Farmhouse. Built for the widow of Alexander Negley, the Farmhouse was once operated as a small dairy farm in the early 1800s. By the late 19th century, the Farmhouse was converted into a clubhouse serving the Highland Park Country Club. Today it is a park building used for gatherings and its playground is a popular family attraction., Highland Park gets its name from Robert Hiland, the surveyor who was hired to subdivide the Negley lands around East Liberty. Hiland Avenue was originally the road that led into the park, but all instances of "Hiland" were changed to "Highland" by City Council in 1890., [Photo captions, top to bottom, read] , . [Top two read] Historic Postcard of the View from Highland Park, . Aerial View of Highland Park in 1937, . Historic Negley Farmhouse

In 1788 Alexander Negley, one of the first settlers in the area that is now known as Highland Park, purchased a 278-acre farm along the Allegheny River which he named "Fertile Bottom." This land extended over much of what is now Highland Park north of Bryant Street. Today the acreage and location of Highland Park are nearly identical to Negley's original property.

However, it was not Negley who bestowed the land to the city of Pittsburgh for a public park, but it was through the efforts of a man named Edward Manning Bigelow that Highland Park can be counted as the third largest park in Pittsburgh. Bigelow acquired the land for Highland Park during his time as Pittsburgh's Director of Public Works in the late 1800s. Numerous purchases were made from individual land owners totaling over $900,000.

The land constituting Highland Park had a rich history prior to Bigelow's acquisitions. The owner of one of the first farmhouses acquired for park purposes in the area, James McCully, constructed one of the first oil refineries at the base of Washington Boulevard. The oil floated down the river and was stored in tanks on the bluff where the Highland Park swimming pool now stands.

There is also a past to the land surrounding the Farmhouse. Built for the widow of Alexander Negley, the Farmhouse was once operated

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

as a small dairy farm in the early 1800s. By the late 19th century, the Farmhouse was converted into a clubhouse serving the Highland Park Country Club. Today it is a park building used for gatherings and its playground is a popular family attraction.

Highland Park gets its name from Robert Hiland, the surveyor who was hired to subdivide the Negley lands around East Liberty. Hiland Avenue was originally the road that led into the park, but all instances of "Hiland" were changed to "Highland" by City Council in 1890.

[Photo captions, top to bottom, read]
• [Top two read] Historic Postcard of the View from Highland Park

• Aerial View of Highland Park in 1937

• Historic Negley Farmhouse

Erected by City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1788.

Location. 40° 28.555′ N, 79° 54.827′ W. Marker is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. It is in Highland Park. It is on Farm House Road north of Grafton Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is adjacent to the Negley Farmhouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pittsburgh PA 15206, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in the Ohio River Valley,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., September 11, 2021

2. Park Land History Marker

Negley Farmhouse in background

: Pioneer Cemetery (here, next to this marker); Highland Park Zoo (here, next to this marker); Highland Park (approx. ¼ mile away); D.A.R. Memorial Plaque (approx. ¼ mile away); Mrs. Nathaniel B. Hogg (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Highland Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Flora (approx. 0.3 miles away); Billy Eckstine (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pittsburgh.

Also see . . . Highland Park (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy). (Submitted on September 15, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 15, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 653 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 15, 2021, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.