O'Hara Township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
James Ross
O'Hara Township Community Park
Photographed by Kelly Phillips, June 8, 2024
1. O'Hara Township Community Park - James Ross Marker
If Guyasuta represented the pioneering years of O’Hara Township of the eighteenth century, then James Ross (1762- 1847) represented the settlement years of the early nineteenth century. What we know today as Aspinwall, O’Hara Community Park, the Waterworks Mall, Oak Hill Manor, and Veteran’s Hospital are all located in what was the James Ross estate. The land was purchased over a period of time in the early 1800s, and it eventually contained nine separate tenant farms within 1,923 acres of land. The estate’s mansion, called “The Meadows,” was built circa 1830.
Ross was a well-regarded attorney in Pittsburgh and represented George Washington in the area. He was appointed to the United States Senate in 1793 and served until 1803. When James O’Hara was in deep financial trouble, Ross provided legal help during the 1817 economic panic. Ross Street in Pittsburgh, Ross Township, and Ross County in Ohio are named for him.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 40° 29.865′ N, 79° 52.886′ W.
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Regionally, this marker is in Greater Pittsburgh. It is also 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: O'Hara Township Community Park - Prehistoric (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); O'Hara Township Community Park - People of the Longhouse (about 500 feet away); O'Hara Township Community Park - Guyasuta (about 500 feet away); O'Hara Township Community Park - Pittsburgh’s Riviera
Photographed by Kelly Phillips, June 8, 2024
2. O'Hara Township Community Park - James Ross Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2024, by Kelly Phillips of Verona, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 227 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2024, by Kelly Phillips of Verona, Pennsylvania. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
