Hays (Pittsburgh)
Encyclopedia
Hays is a neighborhood in the 31st Ward of southeastern Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. It is represented on Pittsburgh City Council by the representative of District 5 (currently Doug Shields
). It occupies ZIP code
s 15227, 15207, and 15236. It is named after James H. Hays
, who opened a coal-mining operation called Hays and Haberman Mines in 1828.
Hays was first settled in 1789 when still part of Baldwin Township
by John Smalls, who named the area Six Mile Ferry Village. The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
was a narrow gauge
railroad that ran from the coal mine along Streets Run to the coal tipple at Six Mile Ferry.
The neighborhood was formerly the site of an ammunition plant, built by the U.S. Navy in 1942. The plant was transferred to the Army in 1966, and during its heyday between World War II and the Vietnam War employed more than a thousand people. In 1970 the plant was put on standby status until disposition in 1988. In 1993 the site was donated to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
. The closing of the plant has led to an enormous loss of population: In 1940 the population was 2238 - in 1990 the population was only 537.
Hays encompasses the area known as Hays Woods, a 635+ acre woodland, the largest undeveloped tract of land in the city of Pittsburgh (larger even than Frick Park
). Hays Woods is the best example of the City's natural environment and has six streams, including a waterfall. The future of a 613 acres (2.5 km²) parcel of land including Hays Woods is uncertain, as developer Charles Betters' application to strip mine the area was declined. Still, the developer's plan for a thoroughbred racetrack and housing development called Pittsburgh Palisades Park may come to fruition.
.
Watershed
http://www.streetsrunwatershed.com/ is a beautiful, yet flood prone area of the city. The Department of Environmental Protection first investigated the erosion occurring in Streets Run in 1956. There has been major flooding there in 1968 and 1980, and more recently in 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2000. Currently, there is a Flood Protection Project in the works to remedy this situation which includes a concrete rectangular channel, wider banks, stormwater retention dams, and enforcement of existing regulations, such as the eroding CSX railroad line.
, Baldwin Borough, Lincoln Place*
, New Homestead
, Saint Clair*, West Homestead, West Mifflin
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...
. It is represented on Pittsburgh City Council by the representative of District 5 (currently Doug Shields
Doug Shields
Douglas A. Shields represents the 5th Council District in the City of Pittsburgh. He has served on Pittsburgh City Council since January 2004, also serving as Pittsburgh City Council President from 2008 to 2010...
). It occupies ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
s 15227, 15207, and 15236. It is named after James H. Hays
James H. Hays (coal operator)
James Harden Hays was a pioneer of bituminous coal mining in Western Pennsylvania. His first mine was opened in 1828, at the mouth of Street's Run, where it empties into the Monongahela River. He died on March 30, 1876, at his home near Beck's Run....
, who opened a coal-mining operation called Hays and Haberman Mines in 1828.
Hays was first settled in 1789 when still part of Baldwin Township
Baldwin Township, Pennsylvania
Baldwin Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,992 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land...
by John Smalls, who named the area Six Mile Ferry Village. The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad
The H.B. Hays and Brothers Coal Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad operated to carry coal from the Hays family mines along Becks Run and Streets Run in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Both branches included an incline, and both are visible in the engravings below, one just south of Six Mile...
was a narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railroad that ran from the coal mine along Streets Run to the coal tipple at Six Mile Ferry.
The neighborhood was formerly the site of an ammunition plant, built by the U.S. Navy in 1942. The plant was transferred to the Army in 1966, and during its heyday between World War II and the Vietnam War employed more than a thousand people. In 1970 the plant was put on standby status until disposition in 1988. In 1993 the site was donated to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh
The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh is the City of Pittsburgh’s economic development agency, committed to creating jobs, expanding the City’s tax base and improving the vitality of businesses and neighborhoods...
. The closing of the plant has led to an enormous loss of population: In 1940 the population was 2238 - in 1990 the population was only 537.
Hays encompasses the area known as Hays Woods, a 635+ acre woodland, the largest undeveloped tract of land in the city of Pittsburgh (larger even than Frick Park
Frick Park
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, covering .The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion . He also arranged for a $2 million trust fund for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on...
). Hays Woods is the best example of the City's natural environment and has six streams, including a waterfall. The future of a 613 acres (2.5 km²) parcel of land including Hays Woods is uncertain, as developer Charles Betters' application to strip mine the area was declined. Still, the developer's plan for a thoroughbred racetrack and housing development called Pittsburgh Palisades Park may come to fruition.
History
In 1901, the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Hays was formed from the northern 201 acre (0.81341886 km²) of Baldwin TownshipBaldwin Township, Pennsylvania
Baldwin Township is a township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,992 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , all of it land...
.
Streets Run
The Streets RunStreets Run
Streets Run is a tributary of the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This urban stream drains portions of the communities of Pittsburgh, Baldwin, Brentwood, West Mifflin and Whitehall, an area of about ten square miles.-Colonial history:...
Watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
http://www.streetsrunwatershed.com/ is a beautiful, yet flood prone area of the city. The Department of Environmental Protection first investigated the erosion occurring in Streets Run in 1956. There has been major flooding there in 1968 and 1980, and more recently in 1994, 1995, 1999 and 2000. Currently, there is a Flood Protection Project in the works to remedy this situation which includes a concrete rectangular channel, wider banks, stormwater retention dams, and enforcement of existing regulations, such as the eroding CSX railroad line.
Surrounding communities (*City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods)
Arlington*Arlington (Pittsburgh)
Arlington is a south neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The zip code used by residents is 15210, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 3 . The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire houses 22 engine in Arlington. The city has discussed the possibility of...
, Baldwin Borough, Lincoln Place*
Lincoln Place (Pittsburgh)
Lincoln Place is a neighborhood in the 31st ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, located in the southeast corner of the city. It spans two ZIP codes, 15207 and 15120, and is represented on the by Douglas Shields....
, New Homestead
New Homestead
New Homestead is a neighborhood in the 31st Ward of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA's southeast city area. It has a ZIP Code of 15207 and 15120, and it is represented on by Douglas Shields.-Surrounding communities:Hays, Lincoln Place, Munhall, West Homestead...
, Saint Clair*, West Homestead, West Mifflin