Park Land History

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