- Washington's Landing
Infobox Pittsburgh neighborhood
name = Washington's Landing
aka = Herrs Island
caption =
locator_
caption =
locator_
population2000 =
latd = 40.4667
longd = 79.975
area_sqmi =Washington's Landing, previously known as Herrs Island is an island in the
Allegheny River inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania . It is sometimes considered part of theTroy Hill neighborhood. [http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cp/assets/census/2000_census_pgh_jan06.pdf]Herrs Island
The island was originally named Herrs Island, after an early owner, Benjamin Herr. Herr used the island for farming. Later, the island was used extensively for industrial purposes, including stockyards, saw mills, soap works, and the
Pennsylvania Railroad . [ [http://www.ce.cmu.edu/Brownfields/NSF/sites/Washland/home.htm Washington's Landing Brownfield Site] ] .Washington's Landing
George Washington reputedly slept on the island after his raft capsized in theAllegheny River while on a diplomatic mission to the French atFort Le Boeuf nearLake Erie during theFrench and Indian War . [ [http://www.fortedwards.org/gwpage.htm George Washington on the Frontier] ] This story led to the renaming of the island on October 24, 1987.Rehabilitiation
As a result of the industrial activity, Herrs Island was a
brownfield site. By the 1970s most industrial activity on the island had left. During the 1980s and 1990s a major redevelopment effort was undertaken.The island is now a showcase project of urban redevelopment for the City of Pittsburgh [ [http://www.ura.org/showcaseProjects_washLanding.html Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh] ] . It now a mixed use community, home to townhomes and business parks, as well as a marina, the [http://www.threeriversrowing.org/ Three Rivers Rowing Association] , and the [http://www.paconserve.org/ Western Pennsylvania Conservancy] .
References
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