HISTORY

History of St. John’s the Baptist and Lawrenceville

In the days before industry invaded its boundaries or paved roads curled through its neighborhoods, when Pittsburgh was in its youth, there was a farm called “Good Liquor” outside of the city. Owned by Alexander Hill, part of the farm was located within the existing Lawrenceville border. Later on, in 1814, William B. Foster purchased a 133-acre tract of land outside of Pittsburgh along the Allegheny River. In that same year, he would sell 30 acres of that property to the Federal Government. While Allegheny Arsenal was being built to provide supplies to the warring Union Troops during the civil war, Foster was starting to establish a community called Lawrenceville. The picturesque area was named for Captain James Lawrence who gained fame in the war with Britain. He was captain of the Chesapeake and his famous saying “Don’t give up the ship!” was incorporated in the borough seal of Lawrenceville.