Here Are The Oldest Photos Ever Taken In Pittsburgh And They're Incredible
By Beth Price-Williams|Published August 22, 2017
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Beth Price-Williams
Author
A professional writer for more than two decades, Beth has lived in nearly a dozen states – from Missouri and Virginia to Connecticut and Vermont – and Toronto, Canada. In addition to traveling extensively in the U.S. and the U.K., she has a BA in Journalism from Point Park University (PA), a MA in Holocaust & Genocide Studies from Stockton University (NJ), and a Master of Professional Writing from Chatham University (PA). A writer and editor for Only In Your State since 2016, Beth grew up in and currently lives outside of Pittsburgh and when she’s not writing or hanging out with her bunnies, budgies, and chinchilla, she and her daughter are out chasing waterfalls.
Just about everywhere you go in Pittsburgh, you’ll hear whispers of the city’s past. But, have you ever really thought what life was like when horses pulled buggies through the streets of the Burgh? Before color photos and color TVs? Long before our smartphones, Google, and the internet? Sit back and enjoy a rare glimpse into the past through some of the oldest photos of Pittsburgh.
1. Phipps Conservatory, shortly after construction was completed, is shown in this photograph from 1893.
2. The Fort Pitt Block House, built in 1764, played an important role in the French & Indian War before it was converted into a single family home as seen in this 1893 photograph.
3. Several steamboats, including the Frank Gilmore and the Adam Jacobs, cruise down the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh in this photo from around 1892.
4. The Times Building stills stands at 336 Fourth Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. Built in 1892, the photo below was captured sometime during the 1890's.
10. Fog covers the Pittsburgh skyline, in the background, of this 1903 photograph of Smithfield Street, as captured from Smithfield and Carson Streets.
11. How many times have you passed the Bridge of Sighs, which bridged the Allegheny County Courthouse with the jail, in Pittsburgh? Photo captured in 1902.