Abstract
Between 1750 and 1780, control of presentday Pittsburgh changed hands numerous times. By the late 1800s, this early political instability, coupled with floods, fire, and the rise of industry, meant that 18th-century Pittsburgh was, for the most part, history. Today, only a few scattered reminders of this era survive above-ground in the city center. Even more elusive are features embedded in its early surveys, like the city’s oldest blocks, first laid out in 1765. Bounded by streets with names that have changed, and obscured by modern structures, these original city streets quietly hold the key to Pittsburgh’s origins.
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