[PRCo] Re: Pittsburgh place names, esp. "Liberty"

[robert netzlof]

--- "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
wrote:
> 
> I've read, Bob, and I cannot attribute the
> statement, that the term
> liberty as used to define land areas in Allegheny
> County, were public
> grazing lands outside the city itself. So we have
> East Liberty, West
> Liberty, the Northern Liberties....

Consistent with that dictionary definition:

liberty:

5. The place within which certain immunities are
enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised.

That is, if the city purchased land, or perhaps just
purchased grazing rights, and allowed the populace of
the exercise the city's rights in those parcels, I
think the definition fits nicely.

That is, the city-dweller could pasture his cow while
immune from prosecution for trespass in the parcel(s)
under the jurisdiction of the city.

Makes me wonder, did Liberty Street (now Avenue) get
that name because it was the street that led to "the
liberty"?

Further off-topic, I became really curious about
"liberties" when I ran into "Northern Liberties Rwy"
in a 1923 PRR document which was speaking of the area
along the Allegheny River from the PRR main northward.
It seemed that all mentin of the railway was in
conjunction with the American Steel and Wire Company.

Later I found a listing in the 1916 Poor's which came
right out and said that the N. L. Ry was the
intra-plant railroad of the American Steel and Wire
Co.



=====
Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob


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