|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Find Homes for Rent |
 | |
 |
  |
Great Deals and Coupons ****
of history ****
Community ****
Choose a new
Choose a new State
Washington D.C.
 Air, hotel,car
 | Welcome to Key to the City's page for
VandergriftWestmoreland County,Pennsylvania"An American Original"The Pennsylvania state capital is Harrisburg. What would you like to know about Vandergrift
History & History-related items Vandergrift historical events.
Vandergrift Government Vandergrift Business Directory.
Vandergrift Community news
Vandergrift Libraries.
15690 Return to Index
The population of Vandergrift is approximately 5,904 (1990).
The amount of land area in Vandergrift is 3.241 sq. kilometers.
Return to Index
History & History Related Items Vandergrift history: Founded in 1895, Vandergrift was the first successful planned industrial town designed to be sold to its workers. George McMurtry, president of the Apollo Iron & Steel Co., Apollo, PA., needed to expand his successful galvanized steel operations. Beset with labor problems and unable to acquire additional land, he selected a 650-acre farm site a few miles downstream on the Kiskimenetas River, some forty miles from Pittsburgh. He than approached the designer of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, Frederick Law Olmsted, to design a town that would be "something better than the best." The result was Vandergrift, (named for Capt. J.J. Vandergrift, a director of the steel company) Vandergrift is a town with gently curving streets that follow the natural slope of the hills. Everything was made ready in advance: The steel mill was built. The streets were graded, utilities were installed (including water, natural gas, electric lines, and sewer lines). Streets and sidewalks were paved, trees were planted, and street lights were erected. Finally, free lots and half the cost of construction were offered to the churches. Then, when everything was in readiness, the building lots were offered for sale to the workers so that they could build their own homes. In 1895, this was a unique idea in America--that a company would build a town entirely in advance and then turn over its control to the workers. The town's success came swiftly. Soon the mill became the world's largest rolling mill, hundreds of private homes were built, the population swelled to 11,000, and a delegation from the British Parliament came to study its success. In 1904, when a model of the town was displayed at the St. Louis World's Fair, the town's design won two gold medals. In 1915, Vandergrift merged with Vandergrift Heights, and in 1957, West Vandergrift was annexed. In 1988, the steel mill was purchased by Allegheny Ludlum Corporation, specialty steel makers, and is a "state of the art" mill today. Nearly a century after its founding, the town remains eighty to ninety percent intact, its Queen Ann & Victorian homes are architectural treasures ideal for restoration, its awareness of its unique heritage growing, and its outlook for the second century optimistic. The town is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (This information came from the Vandergrift Public Library) For information on both the founder, George G. McMurtry and the town designer, Frederick Law Omsted, please go to the Vandergrift Historical Events page
Contribute information free or for a small service charge for this community or any other community in the USA Be sure to include the name of the community and its state when contacting Key to the City as you are NOT directly contacting this community. Learn how to advertise on Key to the City Choose a new community in the state of Pennsylvania
To go to a new state, choose the States page Thanks for visiting Key to the City. Come back again! We'll leave the light on for you! The information on Key to the City is from multiple sources including government, commerce, libraries, individuals and organizations. There is no guarantee of the accuracy or timeliness of the information presented on these pages, therefore, please use at your own risk.
| |