Wabash Park ice skating, 1917
On the wintry afternoon of Jan. 20, 1917, pittsburghers of all ages enjoyed ice skating at Wabash Park in Pittsburgh’s West End. Regularly a grassy swath, it was apparently flooded and frozen for the season. The park is still there, as are a number of the park-facing homes along Wabash Street. An icy Sawmill Run flows by, creating the park’s other border.
At the far end of the park is the West End Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Opened in 1899 and still in operation today, it was the third location built by Andrew Carnegie for the Pittsburgh city library system, following the main and Lawrenceville branches. This detailed historic photograph also features a trolley car, a horse-drawn wagon and a woman sweeping her porch. Can you find them?
Pittsburgh Quarterly’s creative director from 2008 through 2017, Jennifer came to Pittsburgh from another steel town — Bethlehem, Pa. She attended Carnegie Mellon University for graphic design, fell in love with the city, graduated and stayed. She also performs across the country, singing and traveling with the Pittsburgh-based Boilermaker Jazz Band. Jennifer lives in Deutschtown on the North Side with her husband and daughter.
