Southside iron, steel and glass and its connections to Carrick and Overbrook history.

I have included excerpts from other other sites and sources, that are closely related to Carrick and Overbrook communities development. At this point in time I wish to give credit to the sources that I have copied, rather than “ link “ our history site with theirs. I expect this process will change, and I ask them and you to bear with me as I learn and improve in this system.

Many of the busnesses on the Pittsburgh's Southside were owned and operated by people who lived in Carrick. As the numbers of iron, steel, bolt and glass bottle and glass plate companies increased from 1763 so did the need for employees and homes for them. Carrick itself had the Englert glass factory, and our area was called Englertville until 1853 when a post office was placed here and the name Carrick was applied to it. John Agnew, owned a 52 acre parcel of land that was a glass factory he shared with the Chambers brothers. The following highlighted notations are from a much larger list of glass companies. The letters to follow were identifying marks on bottles when they were made by bottle makers of that time. These bottle marks help collectors of today identify antique bottles. Anouther site of much interest was done by a Susan Buyers, a relitive of the Agnew family.

A & CO, A. & D. H. C,

Agnew & CO, Agnew & Son A & CO. Agnew & Company, Pittsburgh, PA (c.1854-1894+). There was a series of glass companies in the Pittsburgh area in which the Agnew family was involved, beginning as early as 1842 with Chambers & Agnew. Later, approximately 1854, the firm became John Agnew & Company (1854-1870); then, John Agnew & Son (1871-1876) and later simply Agnew & Company (1876-1892+). The most recent incarnation seems to have been "The Agnew Company", which was in operation in 1894 (a bottle catalog from this company exists, dated 1894) which may have continued on for some time afterwards. Jars that are marked "JOHN AGNEW & SON / PITTSBURG PA" presumably date from about 1871 to 1876, and those marked "AGNEW & CO / PITTSBURG PA" would date from c. 1876 into the early 1890s. See "A" entry.

A. & D. H. C. .........Alexander & David H. Chambers, Pittsburgh, PA (1843-c.1889). This was one of the most prolific glass companies in Pittsburgh during the mid-to-late 1800s. Huge quantities of bottles, flasks, and fruit jars were made, as well as window glass. Many local, regional, and nationally distributed sodas, mineral waters, beers, bitters, tonics, and other types of products were packaged in bottles made by A&DHC. Most commonly, bottles with this mark usually seem to date from the 1870s and 1880s, but the mark was probably in use at least from around the start of the Civil War, perhaps a bit earlier.

Agnew & CO............See "A & CO."

Agnew & Son...........See "A & CO."

A.G.W.................in some cases, American Glass Works, Pittsburgh, PA (1866-1905). This company, which was officially known as "American Glass Works, Limited" after 1880, MAY have produced some glass marked "A.G.W." during the time period of 1866-1880, although I am not aware of any definitive proof that they did. American Glass Works reportedly manufactured mostly window glass prior to 1880. After 1880, the mark was most frequently "A.G.W.L.", although various bottles that date after 1880 (such as certain hutchinson sodas) do carry "A.G.W."(no L) so I tend to believe that both mark variants were used, at times, during the 1880-1905 period. (See next two entries).

With much more to follow, I move on.

Steel and tool manufacturing has done similar markings on their products. I recall a lengthy conversation with a fellow Carpenter, Thomas Connally of Library Pa. (Since deceased) Tom was a man who collected our trades tools. He stated that there were hand saw manufacturers, some on Pittsburgh’s South Side that made hand saws for the reputable Diston saw/tool company.

However, according to him, Philadelphia got credit for hand saws that were made on the south side of Pittsburgh. The stamping pressmark from Phillie, had simply been copied and used here. But enterprizing Pittsburgh employee’s developed their own marking system with a mark of some kind, known at first only to them.

When time allows, I plan to search and list the names of glass and steel company names on vintage South Side maps. On maps from the Pittsburgh project web site, Joseph Keeling owned coal mines and inclines. His mining endevors were quite extensive, old mining maps show that besides south sides slopes, Mount Oliver, Carrick and Bon Air were mined out, to at least Becks Run, by him.

From Wikipedia, History of Pittsburgh's Southside Contents

• 1 History • 2 Iron and Steel Mills • 3 Bridges • 4 Inclines • 5 South Side Today • 6 References • 7 Bibliography

History

In 1763, King George III gave John Ormsby about 2,400 acres along the south bank of the Monongahela River as payment for his services during the French and Indian War. This land is known today as South Side. The land was then divided into four boroughs: South Pittsburgh, Birmingham, East Birmingham, and Ormsby. These boroughs were annexed into the City of Pittsburgh in 1872.1 In the early to mid 1800s, South Side was known as the center of the glass industry in America. In 1876, there were about 76 glass factories in the neighborhood. Presidents Andrew Jackson and James Monroe ordered glass tableware for the White House from the South Side companies. These factories produced all types of glass, such as goblets, window glass, bottles, tableware, etc.2 General James O’Hara and Major Isaac Craig, the pioneers of the glass industry in Pittsburgh, opened the first glass factory in the county. This factory was located on the South Side near the present day Duquesne Incline parking lot. By the 1920s, most of the glass factories had moved away due to high taxes and lack of room to expand.

Iron and Steel Mills

Iron and Steel mills in South Side were the workplaces of the World. In 1854, Benjamin Franklin Jones and James Laughlin became business partners and formed the American Iron Workers. Jones and Laughlin created the first ever blast furnace and named it Eliza, which was located on the north side of the Monongahela River. This furnace was connected to South Side by the Hot Metal Bridge. By 1916, J & L had six blast furnaces and nine 200-250 ton open furnaces. By 1929, J & L was producing 1.74 million tons of steel each year. However, the steel factories started to experience economic trouble in the 1960s. Due to these economic problems, there was a rapid decline of J & L factories and they began to demolish the older buildings. Then by 1989, the steel industry was gone. Today, many stores and restaurants have developed in South Side where the steel mills once stood.3

Bridges

Before bridges were constructed, the only way to cross the river was by ferry. Pittsburgh, which is known as the “City of Bridges”, has many bridges that cross the Monongahela River into South Side. The Monongahela Bridge (formerly known as the Smithfield Street Bridge) was designed in 1818 and built of wood and iron. During the great Pittsburgh fire of 1845, the bridge burned in less than 10 minutes. The bridge was then rebuilt in 1846. The Liberty Bridge was built in 1928 and was designed by George S. Richardson. This bridge connects downtown Pittsburgh to the Liberty Tunnels and then to the South Hills. Some of the other bridges of South Side are: The Wabash Bridge, The Panhandle Bridge, The Tenth Street Bridge, The Birmingham Street Bridge, and The Hot Metal Bridge.4

Inclines

Before cars or other ways of transportation were invented, the horse-drawn trolleys were the only means of transportation in South Side. After the horse-drawn trolleys, then came the cable traction cars, and then finally the electric trolley. Horse cars operated in South Side until 1923. In 1915, the horse-drawn trolleys and the electric trolley met at the corner of Eighteenth and Sarah Streets. The electric cars turned into what were called street cars. They were the most common means of travel around Pittsburgh and South Side, until the first incline was opened. In 1877, The Duquesne Incline opened and ran from West Carson Street to Mount Washington. In 1870, the Monongahela Incline was built and it connected West Carson Street with Grandview Avenue. The Duquesne and Monongahela inclines are still in operation today. Some inclines that are not in operation today are: The Castle Shannon Incline No.1, The Knoxville Incline, The Mount Oliver Incline, and The St. Clair Incline. An incline for coal cars, serving the Keeling Coal Company ran from St. Patrick St. to 21st St. on the South Side, where South Side Park stands today.

South Side Today

Southside today is a neighborhood of approximately 10,000 people. It is home to one of the largest Victorian streets in the United States. East Carson Street in its entirety is designated as a historic district. The Southside Flats and Slopes are where most of the residents reside. In recent years, Southside has become home to a large student population because of its proximity to the Monongahela River and three large universities.6

[edit] References 1 History of Pittsburgh’s South Side, 2005. 2 South Side Facts 3 Stuart P. Boehmig, Pittsburgh’s South Side (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2006), 15-24. 4 Boehmig, 85-94. 5 Boehmig, 41-52. 6 South Side (Pittsburgh), 2006. [edit] Bibliography

There are approximately 40 glass bottle companies, listed below; as Pittsburgh glass companies, other companies may have produced plate glass. According to s.side area info there were 76 glass companies in the s.side in 1876. I have yet to examine and count them from the maps at Pittsburgh project.

Pittsburgh glass information from

1872 maps show no J&L mill site, although historically it was first established in 1854 , see the Pittsburgh project maps of S.Side 1872 and earlier History.