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SHALER TOWNSHIP

These notes are taken mostly from:•www.shaler.org•A History of Shaler Township by Malcolm C. Smith, 1953

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Shaler is “…an area of high, rolling country intersected by three stream valleys running generally north and south….Two of the valleys containing Big Pine Creek and Little Pine Creek join to form a level area today occupied by Etna Borough. The other valley (Girty’s Run) opens onto a flat expanse on which stands Millvale Borough” (Smith).

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1. EARLY HISTORY mid-1700s - Some sparse trading with Native

Americans 1847 – Shaler Township was officially founded. It was

called Shaler in honor of Judge Charles Shaler. 1847 population = 2,002 1860 population = 2,472 1870 population = 1,474 (why the drop?) 1950 population = 16,399 2000 population = 27,757

1st mill in the township (and probably 1st north of the Allegheny River) was built by James Sample, and rebuilt in 1797.

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Andrew Wible (born 1766) bought 228 acres of land and began farming on what is today Wible Run Road.

1. EARLY HISTORY (CONT.)

WILLIAM WILSON WIBLE FAMILY -- 1895

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By 1800, John Shaw, Sr. purchased 600 acres of land (present day Glenshaw)

Glenshaw is named after John Shaw. He settled on Pine Creek in 1802 Built a log cabin on corner

of Glenshaw Road and Old Butler Plank Road (burned down I think)

2. GLENSHAW

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Lower Glenshaw

Baseball field

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GLENSHAW PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AROUND 1900

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Glenshaw is named after John Shaw. He settled on Pine Creek in 1802 Built a log cabin on corner of Glenshaw

Road and Old Butler Plank Road Also built a saw-mill between Butler Plank

Road and the present railroad

2. GLENSHAW

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Shaw’s Saw Mill?

GLENSHAW RAILROAD STATION

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Glenshaw is named after John Shaw. He settled on Pine Creek in 1802 Built a log cabin on corner of Glenshaw

Road and Old Butler Plank Road Also built a saw-mill between Butler Plank

Road and the present railroad A lot of the mills built in Glenshaw around

this time used Big Pine Creek as a power source

FYI: Butler Pike = present Mt. Royal Blvd.

2. GLENSHAW

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RANDOM FACT

Dr. Sturges(Sturgis?) was the first doctor in Glenshaw. He was located near the Old Glenshaw Post Office.

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“At that time there was no road in the valley between Shawtown or Glenshaw and the present Etna Borough, making it necessary to haul flour and meal up the Glenshaw Road to Butler Pike. The road was steep and in wet, muddy weather, four horses were required to haul two barrels of flour from the mill to Butler Pike” (now called Mt. Royal Blvd) (Smith 9).

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In 1840, John Shaw (son) opened 1st coal mine on what is now Spencer Lane

Thomas Wilson Shaw (other son) further established coal mining in the region. He was crucial in construction of the railroads and Butler Plank Road.

In 1888, a coal mine was opened in Fall Run section Coal mines, ice houses, and a brewery flourished

here until the turn of the century (ice business ended by 1905 b/c of modern refrigeration methods)

2. GLENSHAW

GLENSHAW PUBLIC SCHOOL

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GLENSHAW GLASS COMPANY

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BY THE WAY, WHY DO THEY CALL IT BUTLER PLANK ROAD?

Because it was originally made from wooden planks! Planks were originally 3 inches thick and 8 feet long. “A pedestrian traveling the road in rainy weather frequently experienced a stream of water shooting up his trousers leg when he stepped on a plank”

A stage coach ride on the road from Allegheny to Butler took 14 hours example of a wooden plank

road

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The last white man killed by Indians in this vicinity lived in the log house which once stood in the Fall Run section. One day in 1805, while his door was standing open, the settler saw Indians passing. He reached for his rifle on the peg over the door but was shot down by one of the Indians.

Shalercrest grew up in the 1940’s as a “defense housing” project

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3. OLD HOUSES ALONG MT. ROYAL BLVD. 1836 -- Herron House, brick structure

opposite Mausoleum 1843 - DeHaven home 1821 -- John McElhaney (a justice of the

peace) purchases farm and log house. His descendants reveal there were wildcats, wild turkeys, and other game at the time.

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3. MT. ROYAL BOULEVARD (CONT.) “From Glenshaw Avenue to the end of

Mt. Royal Boulevard there was not much, but some nice buckeye trees between Kleber’s dairy and the Vilsack farm. At Elfinwild there was the Hugh Barn that was used by Mt. Royal Cemetery as a storage area and the small office that was used to run the cemetery. Across the street was Herman Cohen’s store.”

-Images of America: Glenshaw

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4. TOWNSHIP BASICS Shaler Township is the largest

municipality in Shaler Area School District (10.5 of 14.4 sq. mi.)

“Accounts for 70% of the school district’s population and ~75% of the market value of the property.

Experienced rapid growth since 1940 (why?). Growth has slowed in recent years (why?)

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BORDERS: Hampton to

north O’Hara &

Indiana Townships to east

Etna to south Millvale and

Ross Twp to West

4. TOWNSHIP BASICS

BRAUN SCHOOL (FORMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL)

BAUERSTOWN SCHOOL

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RANDOM FACTS Bauerstown was a hamlet named for

the first settler, Jacob Bauer.

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5. SHALER CHURCHES Glenshaw Presbyterian Church (1885). Moved

to Glenn Avenue (1928). Glenshaw Valley Presbyterian Church took

over the old building in 1928? Bethel Lutheran Church (Scott Ave – 1939) Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church St. Luke’s Lutheran Church (Evergreen Ave) Elfinwild United Presbyterian Church (Mt.

Royal 1912, present building 1927) St. Bonaventure’s

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SHALER TOWNSHIP

Shaler Township

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SHALER TOWNSHIP

City-data.com

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City-data.com

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SHALER WATER

The Shaler Township Water Department provides public water service to Shaler Township, Etna Borough and sixty percent of residents in neighboring Hampton Township. A very small percentage of Millvale Borough, Ross Township, Indiana Township and O'Hara Township are also served by Shaler Township water department. Total population served is approximately 42,000.  

Residents of the Township are served by a water treatment plant that is owned and operated by the Township. The water plant produces over 6 million gallons of water per day. Shaler water is ground water that comes from 14 wells located along the banks of the Allegheny River. This ground water is often referred to as the Pittsburgh aquifer or Pittsburgh's fourth river. Although this water source produces very high quality water, the water is processed with additional chemicals as required to meet federal, state and health department standards at the water treatment plant located along East Ohio Street.  The water plant is a familiar site for residents traveling along Route 28 with its illuminated water falls and mirrored glass facade.

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The Henderson Residence where the first Mass of St. Bonaventure Parish, Glenshaw was celebrated in 1957