Sewickley in a Hurry

Sewickley Valley:

Traditional name for land extending from Glenfield to Beaver County line at Big Sewickley Creek.

Quaker Valley:

A designation that arose during the 1960s when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania mandated larger school districts. The name is a compromise that harks back to the Quaker roots of one of the pioneer families - the Ways - and the fact that there was at one time a railroad station called Quaker Valley. Quaker Valley station was located at the foot of Academy Avenue on the property of the Way Family.

The Name Sewickley:

Citizens of the town met to consider a name for their town in 1840, choosing the name Sewickleyville over Fifetown, Contention, Devilís Race Track and Dogtown. The town was incorporated as Sewickley in 1853.

Name Origin:

History records a tribe of Indians called Assiwikales. Popular version is that Seweekly is an Indian name for the sap of the maple trees that were abundant in the rich virgin forest - thus, Sweetwater.

Influences On History:

• The Great Beaver Road - Conestoga wagons, etc.
• The Ohio River - Steamboats and river captains
• The Railroad - Pennsylvania R. R.'s main line west, July 4, 1851
• Migration of iron and steel families from Pittsburgh
• Sewickley Bridge, 1911
• Ohio River Boulevard - Opened December 15, 1934
• Greater Pittsburgh Airport after World War II

Visitors & Residents

• George Washington, 1753
• Col. Bouquet, 1764
• Gen. Anthony Wayne, 1792
• Gen. Zachary Taylor, 1848
• Ethelbert Nevin (1862-1901) - Native Son
• Willa Cather - Visitor, 1900
• William Howard Taft - Visitor
• Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958) - Resident
• Estate Families - Jones, Laughlin, Byers, Oliver, Boggs, Buhl

Prepared by Sewickley Valley Historical Society, 2001