Glen Osborne in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Count Noble / Mildmay Park Beauty
Count Noble
Across this lawn frolicked Count Noble (1879-1891). He has been called the greatest dog that ever lived. Count Noble sired generations of field and show champion English Setters and is a pillar of the breed in America. Bred by Richard Llewellin, he was imported from England and owned by Benjamin Frederick Wilson (1830-1896). Born in Wales, B.F. Wilson was a banker and captain of industry in the Iron City. The B.F. Wilson house and adjacent J. Barr Haines house were razed in 1973 for the construction of the Osborne Elementary School. A life-sized portrait of Count Noble by E.H. Osthaus (1858-1928) hangs in the Duquesne Club in downtown Pittsburgh. The New York Times reported the death of Count Noble on January 22, 1891. His body was mounted and displayed at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In 1999, the Count Noble exhibit was transferred to the National Bird Dog Museum, Grand Junction, Tennessee.
Side B
Mildmay Park Beauty
The residence of B.F. Wilson stood on this site in what was originally called Osborne Station. His wife, Susannah Roberts Wilson (1847-1919), was owner of the first English Toy Spaniel registered by the American Kennel Club in 1886, Mildmay Park Beauty. Beauty was born in 1883 in Mildmay Park, a district of London, England. She traveled many days by ship and then rail to her new home in Pennsylvania. Like her husband, Mrs. Wilson bred and exhibited her dogs in the earliest years of the sport of purebred dogs. Still known in other nations by its historic name, King Charles Spaniel, the breed was a favorite pet of the nobility and high society for many centuries. Only the Pug and Yorkshire Terrier, recognized in 1885, precede the English Toy Spaniel in seniority among Toy breeds in America.
Erected 2011 by Sewickley Valley Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Animals. A significant historical date for this entry is January 22, 1891.
Location. 40° 31.849′ N, 80° 10.054′ W. Marker is in Glen Osborne, Pennsylvania, in Allegheny County. Marker is on Beaver Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at Osborne Elementary School in Glen Osborne. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1414 Beaver Street, Sewickley PA 15143, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Western Pennsylvania Tuskegee Airmen Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Depreciation Lands Survey (approx. 0.9 miles away); Flatiron Building (approx. 0.9 miles away); Sewickley Public Library (approx. 0.9 miles away); Old Sewickley Post Office (approx. one mile away); Atwell-Christy House (approx. one mile away); St. Matthews African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (approx. one mile away); Capt. Frederick Way, Jr. (approx. one mile away).
Also see . . . Honoring Count Noble, the 'Man O'War of English setters'. (Submitted on July 24, 2016, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 24, 2016, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 469 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 24, 2016, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.