Four Mile Run (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Four Mile Run is a small neighborhood in the Greenfield
section of Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
"The Run" was named for a stream—about four miles above The Point
—that empties there into the Monongahela River
. The neighborhood is distinctive because of its severe geographic isolation from the rest of the city. Essentially it is the southern portion of Junction Hollow
that lies beneath the heavily-traveled Interstate 376
, or Parkway East, which is elevated 85 feet above "The Run" via the 1,060 foot Four Mile Run Bridge. Even for Pittsburghers, it is a place driven over and seldom seen.
In the early 20th century many Rusyn
immigrants from the Carpathian Mountains
settled in Four Mile Run. Most came to work in Pittsburgh's steel industry, and the neighborhood was adjacent to a large steel mill
of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
. Thus they called their community "Ruska Dolina", which translates as Rusyn Valley. In 1910 they established a church there, St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church
. The parish is famous today as the childhood place of worship for the artist Andy Warhol
and his family, who lived in nearby Oakland
.
Today the stream Four Mile Run is piped underneath the neighborhood to the river.
Greenfield (Pittsburgh)
Greenfield is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is represented on by Doug Shields.Greenfield is a member of Pittsburgh's 15th Ward, which includes the neighborhoods of Greenfield and Four Mile Run. Greenfield is adjacent to the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Hazelwood to...
section of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
"The Run" was named for a stream—about four miles above The Point
Point State Park
Point State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
—that empties there into the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
. The neighborhood is distinctive because of its severe geographic isolation from the rest of the city. Essentially it is the southern portion of Junction Hollow
Junction Hollow
Junction Hollow is a small wooded valley bordering the west flanks of Schenley Park and the campus of Carnegie Mellon University and the southern edge of the University of Pittsburgh's campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania....
that lies beneath the heavily-traveled Interstate 376
Interstate 376
Interstate 376 is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located entirely within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Monroeville, after having crossed the Turnpike...
, or Parkway East, which is elevated 85 feet above "The Run" via the 1,060 foot Four Mile Run Bridge. Even for Pittsburghers, it is a place driven over and seldom seen.
In the early 20th century many Rusyn
Rusyns
Carpatho-Rusyns are a primarily diasporic ethnic group who speak an Eastern Slavic language, or Ukrainian dialect, known as Rusyn. Carpatho-Rusyns descend from a minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the use of the ethnonym "Ukrainian" in the early twentieth century...
immigrants from the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
settled in Four Mile Run. Most came to work in Pittsburgh's steel industry, and the neighborhood was adjacent to a large steel mill
Steel mill
A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel.Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. It is produced in a two-stage process. First, iron ore is reduced or smelted with coke and limestone in a blast furnace, producing molten iron which is either cast into pig iron or...
of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
Jones and Laughlin Steel Company
The earliest foundations of Jones and Laughlin Steel Company were the American Iron Company, founded in 1851 by Bernard Lauth, and B. F. Jones founded in 1852a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River. Lauth's interest was bought in 1854 by James H. Laughlin...
. Thus they called their community "Ruska Dolina", which translates as Rusyn Valley. In 1910 they established a church there, St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church
St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church (Pittsburgh)
St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church is a historic Eastern Catholic church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the neighborhood of Four Mile Run, which is an isolated section of Greenfield at the bottom of Junction Hollow. Its address is 506 Saline Street.Today it...
. The parish is famous today as the childhood place of worship for the artist Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and his family, who lived in nearby Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
.
Today the stream Four Mile Run is piped underneath the neighborhood to the river.