June 27, 2015
Speaker: Jim Wudarczyk, Researcher for the Lawrenceville Historical Society
from Wikipedia: …. Lawrenceville was founded in 1814 by William Foster, father of composer Stephen Foster, who was born there in 1826. It is named for Captain James Lawrence, hero of the War of 1812, famous for his dying words, “Don’t Give Up The Ship!” Lawrenceville was selected as home to the Allegheny Arsenal, due to “The area’s accessibility to river transportation and its proximity to what was then the nation’s only iron producing district”. Lawrenceville was annexed to the city of Pittsburgh in 1868. One of the original buildings, a log home built in the 1820s, survived until July 2011 at 184 38th Street.
… Today, Lawrenceville is undergoing a revitalization, and has been noted by The New York Times as a “go-to destination”. Transplanted young hipsters and those who have lived in Lawrenceville for their entire lives dwell side by side, as the neighborhood’s affordable housing has become a major draw for those looking to renovate an older home at a reasonable cost. The neighborhood is one of the premier art, live music, and dining hubs of Western Pennsylvania.
About the Speaker: Jim Wudarczyk, retired after 40 years in the forest products industry. He is a Civil War buff, author, and Lawrenceville tour guide who knows his local history. Like the fact that some well-known paintings of Pittsburgh’s Stephen Foster were done by early 20th century magazine illustrator Howard Chandler Christy.
Squirrel Hill Historical Society 