From its founding in 1814 by William Barclay Foster, Lawrenceville has been the center of historic events. During the Civil War, the riverside community became home to the Allegheny Arsenal, where 78 people perished in an explosion in 1862, making it the worst civilian disaster of the war. Lawrenceville evolved into a lively, walkable neighborhood that barely slept because of the high volume of shift workers at places such as Iron City Brewery, St. Francis Hospital, and the steel mills. Businesses, churches, all-night diners, and other gathering places were easily accessible to residents, and families became closely associated with the landmarks where they worked, worshipped, and socialized. Having celebrated its 200th birthday in 2014, Lawrenceville remains a bustling community with a vitality equal to that of the immigrant days, and it continues to be a place of camaraderie where individuals are dedicated to their neighborhood.
In the early 1900s, orphanages in the United States housed more than 100,000 children, thousands of those living in Pittsburgh. Buildings that became group homes were constructed through churches and fraternal organizations. The facilities, complete with boarding accommodations, dining halls, schools, playgrounds, and infirmaries, offered accommodations for 100 to 300 orphans at any given time. For the orphans living in such homes, everything was communal and privacy was nonexistent. Young boys and girls slept in overcrowded dormitories, waited in long lines to use the lavatories, and lost their individuality to the uniform appearance of being an orphan. Some children still had a living parent, but due to dire circumstances of the times, their fate was in the hands of those who operated the orphanage.
In the early 1900s, orphanages in the United States housed more than 100,000 children, thousands of those living in Pittsburgh. Buildings that became group homes were constructed through churches and fraternal organizations. The facilities, complete with boarding accommodations, dining halls, schools, playgrounds, and infirmaries, offered accommodations for 100 to 300 orphans at any given time. For the orphans living in such homes, everything was communal and privacy was nonexistent. Young boys and girls slept in overcrowded dormitories, waited in long lines to use the lavatories, and lost their individuality to the uniform appearance of being an orphan. Some children still had a living parent, but due to dire circumstances of the times, their fate was in the hands of those who operated the orphanage.
From its founding in 1814 by William Barclay Foster, Lawrenceville has been the center of historic events. During the Civil War, the riverside community became home to the Allegheny Arsenal, where 78 people perished in an explosion in 1862, making it the worst civilian disaster of the war. Lawrenceville evolved into a lively, walkable neighborhood that barely slept because of the high volume of shift workers at places such as Iron City Brewery, St. Francis Hospital, and the steel mills. Businesses, churches, all-night diners, and other gathering places were easily accessible to residents, and families became closely associated with the landmarks where they worked, worshipped, and socialized. Having celebrated its 200th birthday in 2014, Lawrenceville remains a bustling community with a vitality equal to that of the immigrant days, and it continues to be a place of camaraderie where individuals are dedicated to their neighborhood.
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