Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

History

Before it was settled by Europeans, the county was mostly wilderness and uninhabited except for wandering Indians such as the Iroquois, who were the largest tribe in the area. The Allegheny River, Mountains, and County get their name from the Allegwi Indians who were also in the area.

Related Topics:
Iroquois - Allegwi

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The first Europeans to enter the area were the French in 1749. Captain Pierre Joseph de Celeron, sieur de Blainville claimed the Ohio Valley and all of Western Pennsylvania for Louis XV of France. The captain travelled along the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers inserting lead plates in the ground to mark the land for France.

Related Topics:
European - French - 1749 - Pierre Joseph de Celeron, sieur de Blainville - Louis XV of France

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Since most of the towns in that time were developed along waterways, both the French and the British desired control over the rivers in the area. So the British sent Major George Washington to try to compel the French to leave their posts, with no success. Having failed in his mission he returned, crossing the ice-filled Allegheny River where he almost drowned. In 1754 the English tried again to enter the area. This time, they sent 41 Virginians to build Fort Prince George. The French got news of the fort and sent an army to take over the fort. The French resumed building on the incomplete fort and fortified it. They renamed the fort to Fort Duquesne.

Related Topics:
George Washington - 1754 - Fort Prince George - Fort Duquesne

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The loss of the fort cost the English dearly because Fort Duquesne became one of the focal points of the French and Indian War. The first attempt to retake the fort, by General Edward Braddock, failed miserably. It was not until General John Forbes attacked in 1758, four years after they had lost the fort, that they recaptured and destroyed the fort. They built a new fort with a moat and named it Fort Pitt.

Related Topics:
Fort Duquesne - French and Indian War - Edward Braddock - John Forbes - 1758 - Fort Pitt

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Both Pennsylvania and Virginia claimed the region that is now Allegheny County. Pennsylvania administered most of the region as part Westmoreland County. Virginia considered everything south of the Ohio River and east of the Allegheny River to be part of its Yohogania County and governed it from Fort Dunmore. The overlapping boundaries, dual governments, and multiple deed claims soon proved unworkable. In 1780, the two states agreed to extend the Mason-Dixon line westward and the region became part of Pennsylvania. From 1781 until 1788, much of what had been claimed as part of Yohogania County, Virginia was administered as a part of the newly created Washington County, Pennsylvania.

Related Topics:
Virginia - Westmoreland County - Ohio River - Allegheny River - Yohogania County - Fort Dunmore - 1780 - Mason-Dixon line - 1781 - 1788 - Washington County, Pennsylvania

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Allegheny County was officially created on September 24, 1788 from parts of Washington and Westmoreland Counties. It was formed due to pressure from settlers living in the area around Pittsburgh, which became the county seat in 1791. The county originally extended all the way to the shores of Lake Erie and became the "mother county" for most of what is now northwestern Pennsylvania. By 1800, the county's current borders were set.

Related Topics:
September 24 - 1788 - Washington - Westmoreland - Pittsburgh - County seat - 1791 - Lake Erie - 1800

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In the 1790s, a whiskey excise tax was imposed by the United States Federal Government. This started the so-called Whiskey Rebellion when the farmers who depended on whiskey income refused to pay and drove off a local town's marshal. After many demonstrations by farmers, President George Washington arrived with troops to stop the rebellion.

Related Topics:
Whiskey - United States Federal Government - Whiskey Rebellion - George Washington

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The area developed rapidly throughout the 19th to become the center of steel production in the nation. Pittsburgh would later be labelled as the "Steel Capital of the World."

Related Topics:
19th - Pittsburgh

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