Known to the local Indians as Killiman, the area was first explored by Peter Chartiers, whose parents were white and Shawnee. Chartiers Creek was named after him. The first white man to actually settle in the area was John Bell in 1768.

In 1777, following an outbreak of smallpox, the Continental Congress authorized General Edward Hand to build a hospital near Chartiers Creek. Hand’s Hospital (see marker on Steuben Street) became the first federal hospital in the United States and was the sole medical institution west of the Allegheny Mountains for sixty-nine years.

After 1857, the area was known as Brodhead, after Colonel Daniel Brodhead who commanded Fort Pitt from 1779-1781. He built the first road into Crafton via Elliot. Steuben Street, also referred to as the Steubenville Pike or Route 60, is a continuance of the old road.

Crafton is named after James S. Craft, a frontier attorney. Shortly after the peace treaty had been signed ending the Revolutionary War, Craft completed his education in the law and was awarded, by the State of Pennsylvania, a grant of a wide tract of wilderness land near "the forks of the Ohio." This is now called Oakland. His land holding covered approximately one square mile of forest extending from what is now Fifth Avenue to the Monongahela River.

With his earnings as an attorney and with funds derived from the sale of the Oakland property, Craft began to purchase tracts of land in the Chartiers Valley. All purchases were made between 1860 and 1870, and the average price was approximately $75 per acre. However, it was his son, Charles Craft, who, following his father’s death, anticipated the expansion of the Pittsburgh region and subsequently divided the land into lots and streets and submitted the plans to the Allegheny County Courthouse under the name of Crafton.

Soon houses, churches, stores, and schools were built. The town was incorporated into a borough in 1892. Charles Craft became the first burgess.

This walking tour of Crafton begins at Crafton Elementary School, on Crafton Boulevard.

CRAFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
At one time, Crafton had three elementary schools, one for each ward. The school that you are standing in front of was originally Crafton’ s high school. It was built in 1915 and remodeled in 1976. The last class to graduate from this school was the class of 1970. After that, teenagers from Crafton attended Carlynton High School. This was the result of the merger of the Carnegie, Rosslyn Farms and Crafton School Districts.

With your back to the school, turn left and walk to Bradford Avenue, turning left onto Bradford

BRADFORD AVENUE
The streets in Crafton are named for many of the important people who were original land owners: Creighton, Dinsmore, McMunn, Chess, Sterrett, and others. Bradford Avenue was named for Nancy Dinsmore Bradford.

Walk forward and turn left onto Creighton Avenue.

CREIGHTON AVENUE
The Dinsmore family had eight children. The Dinsmore men, however, never married, so there were no children to carry on the family name. One of the Dinsmore girls married a Creighton, and that’s how this street got its name. This street was sometimes called "Banker’s Row" because of the prominent citizens who lived here. There are many architectural styles represented in the homes here, notably Queen Anne and Tudor. One of the former residents and society member, Carol Herrle, was successful in having Creighton designated an architecturally significant street (see the plaques on both ends of the street). The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation granted this recognition because the houses are more than 50 years old, have architecture of historic significance, and architectural integrity close to their original design. This kind of recognition is important to a community.

Proceed down Creighton, turn right on Noble Avenue, pass Bell Avenue on the right.

BELL AVENUE
Bell Avenue was named after John Bell, the first white man to settle in this area in 1768. At one time, the earliest settlers built a log cabin which was located near here. It no longer exists.

Walk down Noble Avenue to the intersection with East Crafton Avenue.

CAMPBELL BUILDING
A long time ago there was a pond here which was formed by runoff from a mine. The pond was used for ice skating. In the 1880s, a roller skating rink was built here. At another time, this was the site of a livery stable. This building, the Campbell Building, was moved to this corner from Station Street around 1910. The Crafton Historical Society uses this historic landmark for their organization’s logo. Betsy Martin researched the building and prepared an application for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing was granted and a bronze plaque bearing the designation was put up in 1991. The architecture of the building is Colonial Revival, a popular style used in many of the buildings in Crafton. At various times, this building has been used as a real estate office, a millinery shop, a lunch counter, a furnace display room, a magistrate’s office, a crafts shop, a weight loss clinic and a film production office.

Diagonally across the street is another old building, in a style called "flatiron" because of its shape. This building used to be the First National Bank of Crafton. Across from the bank was a Franklin 5 & 10 store. There were also many other shops, for this was once a bustling business district. After the 5 & 10 closed in the late 50’s, the Canteen was housed here. This was a dance place for teens, chaperoned by parents. The library, originally located in the basement of the Borough Building, was established by the Crafton Ladies Civic Club. It was moved to a building on Station Street, then to the site of the old Canteen, and finally to its new home adjoining the Borough Building in the Crafton Community Center. The yellow brick building used to be the location of the Crafton Roller Rink. You could rent skates and glide along under a sparkling mirrored ball.

With your back to the Campbell Building, turn left and walk down East Crafton Avenue.

EAST CRAFTON AVENUE
Wolbert’s Garage is on the previous site of Yanda’s Drug Store. Yanda’s had a real soda fountain and old telephone booths, and even sold penny candy until it closed in the 70s. The site of the Circle Inn was once the location of Staab’s and Schepner’s Funeral Home. The site of the high rise was once the Westminster Presbyterian Church. Many community activities were held here as the church had a gymnasium, stage and rooms for other events. The former location of Witt’s Market is on the left. The Witt family owned and operated this store for many years. The big gray house was once the office of Dr. Foster, a prominent local physician. Next door is the former office of the Justice of the Peace. In this area, a movie theater and tavern used to be located.

Turn left onto Station Street.

STATION STREET
This is where the trains passed through Crafton. The first passenger train ran through Crafton on October 9, 1865. Because of the convenience of living near a railroad stop, Crafton grew quickly and became a thriving community. Forty to fifty trains passed through the town every day. There was a train every 10-15 minutes to downtown Pittsburgh. In 1896, Crafton became even more accessible to downtown when the trolley tracks were laid. All this changed with the Pennsylvania Railroad’s discontinuing its commuter service. When the Fort Pitt Bridge was built without the provisions for trolley lines, the trolley service ended. Now Crafton is served by the Port Authority.

Station Street is the old location of the library. Along this row of shops was a shoe repair shop, Weaver’s, a candy and soda shop.

Continue on Station Street.

CRAFTON FURNITURE RESTORATION
This is the site of the former Crafton Lumber. The original yard was owned by the Creighton and Dinsmore families. They made and sold building bricks.

Walk to the intersection with Noble Avenue and turn right.

NOBLE AVENUE
Across the street is the site of the former O’Connell Building, sometimes called the Auditorium Building, that was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1998. The first mail to Crafton was delivered by train and deposited in a row of boxes on Station Street. Later, the Auditorium Building housed the Post Office. This building had shops on the first floor, a meeting room, a bowling alley, and a gymnasium where dances were held. This was also part of Crafton’s shopping district. This area developed because it was on the streetcar line. There are trolley tracks under the asphalt pavement.

Walk up Noble Avenue.

CREIGHTON HOUSE
The Creighton home on the right was built in 1871 by Eli Crum. Now it is the home of Betsy Martin, the author of The Story of Crafton. Stone from the tunnel, the former site which you will see shortly, was used in the construction. The architectural style is very mixed.

Walk to the intersection of Noble Avenue and Crafton Boulevard.

BLACK’S BRIDGE
Black’s Bridge was constructed over a railroad tunnel. This tunnel gave its name to one of Crafton’s old schools, the Tunnel School. This school no longer exists. Across the street at Ewing and Hawthorne, there was once a huge ball field. Today Black’s Bridge crosses over the new Port Authority Busway that carries buses from Carnegie to Pittsburgh.

GLASER’S ICE CREAM PARLOR
Glaser’s was originally a bakery that delivered to Crafton’s homes during the 1920s. Later, Glaser’s became one of the few places in Allegheny County that made their own ice cream. Bisque, which was vanilla ice cream with bits of lady fingers, was one of the local favorites. Glaser’s was a natural "hang out" for students when the high school was across the street. Although a well known Crafton business, the store is actually located in the city of Pittsburgh.

OAKWOOD PARK
Oakwood Park was located in the valley behind Glaser’s. It existed from 1896 to 1907. It was built at a streetcar turnaround. The streetcar company wanted people to ride to the end of the line on weekends, so they built amusement parks there to attract riders. This park had a pavilion, a small Ferris wheel, small rides, and a lake for boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter. People would ride a street car to the park and spend the day. Oakwood Park flooded and was never rebuilt. The city leveled it in 1933.

Crafton Elementary School is again on your left. We hope that your short tour was enjoyable. People today enjoy the brick streets, beautiful turn of the century homes, large trees and peaceful neighborhoods that are part of our community. Living in an historic borough provides a daily look at the past, while moving forward to the future.

Wooden miniatures of Crafton Elementary School and the Campbell Building are available for sale. Check the CHS Store for details.