squirrel hill historical society
The Sporting Life in Old Squirrel Hill By Helen Wilson Vice-President, Squirrel Hill Historical Society
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n the past, was Squirrel Hill known as a place for sporting activities? Yes, but not in ways you might expect.
Shooting was big in the 1700s. The early settlers prided themselves on their marksmanship. They had to, since hunting provided game for their tables. In his 1953 book, Right Here in Squirrel Hill, Hodge Macilvain Eagleson writes that early settler John Turner was a crack shot and well known for it. Even in the mid-1800s, after he—and his era—had passed and Squirrel Hill was a peaceful place of farms and estates, both the memory of Turner and the ability to shoot straight were still valued. Eagleson writes, “as time went on there came to be a gun and cork club called the Turner Rifles, which met at the pretext of a shoot, but once out of their wives’ watchful eyes, held whoopee as they pleased.” A few generations later, when Squirrel Hill was developing into an upscale residential neighborhood in the waning years of the nineteenth century, other sports were in vogue. Riding the new electric trolleys wasn’t considered a sport (although some might argue the point), but they enabled Pittsburghers to get to Squirrel Hill when sporting events were held there. One of those sporting events was horseracing. In 1893, a racetrack opened at Schenley Oval. A grandstand and stables were later added. After the races were discontinued, the stables endured until 1971, offering horseback riding on park trails. The racetrack then became a running track for twolegged competitors. Before automobiles came along in the early 1900s, fine horses and fancy carriages were the motorcycles and sports cars of their day. Both the genteel sport of seeing and being seen in showy equipages and wilder impromptu races took place on Beechwood
The Pittsburgh Hunt Club was formed in 1898. This picture shows a hunt meet in 1930. Credit: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Boulevard, which opened in 1899. One of the most stylish places to strut your horses’ stuff was at the Country Club (later called the Pittsburgh Country Club), organized in 1893. It was located in what is now Frick Park. At first, horseback riding was the favored sport. The winding trails in the park were originally bridal paths. Foxhunts were held there too, lasting until Squirrel Hill’s residential growth moved them to less developed areas. Around the same time, golf was taking the nation by storm, and the Country Club built a 9-hole golf course. Today, the flattened areas that were once putting greens can still be seen in the fields beyond the blue slide playground. The elegant clubhouse was situated on the crest of the hill on the far side. The Pittsburgh Country Club lasted until the trustees of Henry Clay Frick bought the property to add to the acreage Frick bequeathed to the city for a park in 1919. The trustees briefly considered reopening the golf course for public use but decided against it on the grounds that more people could enjoy the park if it were left in its natural state. Meanwhile, on the other side of Squirrel Hill, another country club had been formed in 1896. Originally called the Shady Side Country Club, its name was changed to The Pittsburg (later Pittsburgh) Golf Club. The histories of the two Squirrel Hill country clubs are almost completely opposite. The Pittsburgh Country Club was built on private land that later became part of Frick Park, while the golf course of The Pittsburgh Golf Club was built on land that was already part of Schenley Park. The club ceded the course to the city in 1912, which opened it to the public and built a new clubhouse. Now renamed the Bob O’Connor Golf Course after the popular late mayor from Squirrel Hill, it is the only golf course in Pittsburgh. The private Pittsburgh Golf Club still exists down the street and offers tennis, squash, swimming and many social activities for members and their guests. Continued on page 26 The Sports & Fitness Issue PAGE25