The Highland Park section of Pittsburgh
Main Photo Index - 2006 Photos - Fall in PA - Highland Park
Free for non-commercial use. A link back would be nice. Let me know if you would like a bigger file.
Thousands of Pittsburghers enjoy the 380-acre Highland Park, where they can swim, jog around a stunning reservoir or visit the popular Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
The parkland was originally owned by Alexander Negley, who settled in the East Liberty Valley in the late 1700s. Negley's property was a 300-acre farm on the banks of the Allegheny River, but it was later expanded by his son, Jacob Negley. During the 19th century, Jacob and his descendants sold off portions of the land to farmers. A large, 140-year-old farmhouse, which has been used as a park office and summer campsite, still stands.
The park was originally designed for more practical purposes. In 1879, Pittsburgh city fathers chose the site for a reservoir to provide drinking water to the city. The reservoir became a destination for residents looking for open space and officially opened as a park in 1893 after exhaustive efforts by the Pittsburgh Director of Public Works, Edward Bigelow, to secure land. He rallied some 120 landowners and spent more than $900,000 in city funds to help create Highland Park, parcel by parcel.
