Old man for a' that

Pittsburgh and Allegheny, 1854

The world was so recent that many things lacked names

Interesting article on aging immigrants and their isolation. I'm sure it's on a much smaller scale here in Pittsburgh, but I have observed it as I'm out and about the city with a gerontological eye.

Reminded me of an old post, "Where the Grandparents Cohabitate"

Making Old Trains Run on Time

From the Unwritten History of Braddock's Field (1917):

Things were done in a much more simple manner in those days than at present. An incident which happened on one occasion shows the absence of red tape in the management at that time.

While Andrew Carnegie was Superintendent, Mr. J. B. Corey, a coal operator, who still lives in Braddock, went to Mr. Carnegie and asked for some coal cars. Carnegie said "All right, they will be out there before you will". Mr. Corey said that would be impossible, as he intended going out on the next trip of the one passenger train which ran between Pittsburgh and Braddock at that time, and which was lying in the station ready to start.

Then Mr. Carnegie ordered that the coal train be coupled on ahead of the passenger train, which was done, much to the displeasure of the conductor, John Routh, a famous character in the early days of railroading on the Pennsylvania, and the coal cars really reached Braddock before Mr. Corey did.

Also, J.B. Corey was not from Braddock originally. He was from Port Perry, which is just over the hill from Wilmerding.

More about J.B. Corey on the streets of Braddock as an old man:

Towns usually improve with age, but Port Perry as a town has been practically obliterated by the growth of great industries as the years have gone by. In J. B. Corey's Memoir we find that his father brought his family to Port Perry on the occasion of having secured, in company with his brother, the contract to erect the lock and dam known as No. 2, for the Monongahela Navigation Company, J. K. Moorehead being president of the Company. The work on the dam was started in the year 1840. J. B. Corey was then about eight years old. At the present time he is nearly eleven times that age and in comparatively good health. I saw him on the streets of Braddock as this was being written, greeting old and new acquaintances with a vim that was surprising in one of his great age.

It's amazing to think that old J.B. Corey may well have spoken to my grandfather, who at the time (circa 1917) was a little kid playing in the streets of Wilmerding.

Old Government Job

More from J.B. Corey's memoir. It was just put on archive.org last week, not sure how long it has been on Google books.

In the previous post, I said he was from Pittsburgh. He was from Braddock, his parents being among the earliest settlers there. Here is his house, which I presume is long since gone (no sign of it anywhere along Jones Ave on Google street view).

Here he is at 82, with this 31 yr old horse.

Old Memory ATM

I came across this remarkable memoir by Pittsburgh native J.B. Corey (published by the Pittsburgh Printing Company). He wrote it in 1914, at the age of 82. Here is what some newspaper editors said in their introduction:

Here is his second encounter with Abe Lincoln during his time as a government clerk in DC:

Old Center of Everything

In the run up to the 'Burgh being the center of the world for a few days, it's worth remembering from whence we came. This from the 1899 Historic Towns of the Middle States:

Old G-20 Commons

I hope Pittsburgh can be a model for all things good and lasting during the G-20. I know hope is not a plan.

I came across the above print in the catalogue accompanying A Panorama of Pittsburgh: Nineteenth-Century Printed Views, a Frick Art & Historical Center exhibition in 2008. The September 22-25, 1857 date caught my eye, but when I read the description it got me thinking about ways we build community around events.

"It is an attractive print produced locally for posting prominently around the city in the days leading up to the fair. The colorful image of the fairgrounds invites viewers to come see for themselves the attractions, while text provides more information on the event. This print had an ephemeral purpose and most copies would have been posted in public spots where they would be unlikely to survive much beyond the event itself, if even that long."

A ways from there to #myG20 -- will it be ephemeral too?

Anyone know where the "Allegheny County & Western PA Fair Grounds" was in 1857?

Like Being There

Old Paralysis

A preview of the G-20 downtown experience?



A city waits relief!

Old 'Burgh Traffic...

...same as it ever was.

Old Netroots & New Sprouts

That's the title of the last page of the 1936 "Civic Pittsburgh" publication detailing reasons to rationalize local government (found on archive.org and originally contributed to the web for free download and perusing by EveNDon.com - where they have archived a bunch of old Pittsburgh publications).

After attending Netroots Nation today and pondering what Pittsburgh can learn from Netroots Nation, I thought of titling this post "The Alive Hand of Our Descendents Lies Lightly on Us" (and not just because I have been walking around the house holding my 2 month old son).

This was my first Netroots Nation, though I was an early member on Daily Kos back in 2003 (posting as Chance the gardener) and involved in some of the e-mail discussions amongst the original volunteer organizers for what was first called Yearly Kos in 2006. Four years later, it's remarkable to see 2,000 bloggers of all ages convening in our fair city, and to meet in person some of those I admire greatly for their progressive voices (which are not so much in the wilderness anymore).

So, what can progressives in Pittsburgh learn from Netroots Nation? I think simply creating more opportunities to come together in person is a good place to start, both to create more of an actual community and to anchor ourselves in on-the-ground activities that reach folks who maybe aren't as plugged in (i.e., our elderly neighbors).

It's also worth remembering that at just 4 yrs old, the annual gathering known as Netroots Nation is still just a kid. You wouldn't know it though from the organization -- it has been very well run, and the Convention Center is a great setting. The city has gotten good reviews from those I have spoken with in the halls...

Old Motley Population

A canoe trip passing through Pittsburgh by G.W. Featherstonhaugh.

Journal entry from July 24, 1835:

Old Pete and the 'Burgh

Old Honus

In honor of the Bucs beating the Cubs on the North Shore tonight, a shot of an older Honus Wagner (1916) sliding back into first base at Weegham Park.



The image comes from the Library of Congress collection, featuring hundreds of great shots from the Chicago Daily News.

I made this old Dead Ball Era movie about three years ago using many of those shots...55K views, Holy Cow!

Old Burgh Ephemera

There were 13 daily and weekly newspapers in 1864 Pittsburgh.

And five street passenger railways.

Old Sacrifice

A summer evening in Pittsburgh, June 1943, around the time my friend Bob was headed over to China to fly the Hump:

"OPA (Office of Price Administration) lawyers hold nightly hearings for offenders in the pleasure driving regulations. Policemen, accompanied by OPA investigators, stop the drivers, question them. If there is any question about their reason for driving, they are asked to appear at a hearing that same night or any time in the next three days. This man is furious because his gas ration book was taken away when he was caught driving to a baseball game."

Something to keep in mind when stuck in traffic headed to the next Bucco game...

No Special Burgh Affinity Here

From Edwin James' account of S.H. Long's expedition from Pittsburgh to the Rocky Mountains in 1819-1820:

"Pittsburgh has been so often described, the advantages and disadvantages of its situation, and the gloomy repulsiveness of its appearance, have been so often and so justly portrayed, that we should not think ourselves well employed in recounting our own observations."

Old Pittsburgh Map

President Obama's affinity for Pittsburgh extends to the arts. For while he flew to NYC to see a play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone is set in Pittsburgh (in 1911).

In line with all things old and in the Pittsburgh way, here is a map found in the Library of Congress collection, with no exact date. The legend says "A Dot = 200 persons." Sometime around 1850?

Image Courtesy of the Frances Loeb Library, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University (via the Library of Congress online collection)

Old Fitsburgh

From the nullspace, Pittsburgh ranks 16th on the list of 50 fittest MSAs (.pdf)

16th is pretty good when you consider our aging population (17.1% over 65 compared to the national MSA average of 11.5%). Interesting ecological approach to defining fitness, but it seems the parks and recreational opportunities are just that -- indicators of fitness opportunities, not necessarily fitness.

Old and in the Way

...in a good way.