Pittsburgh Neighborhoods: History of Knoxville

A Brief History of Knoxville





history of Knoxville



Knoxville coffee mug
Your Knoxville coffee mug… get it right here!

Knoxville is a neighborhood in the southern part of Pittsburgh. The borough was incorporated on September 7, 1877. It was brought in as part of Lower St. Clair Township, next to Beltzhoover and Allentown. A man named Jeremiah Knox lived there in the early part of the 19th century. It was present-day Knoxville that he created a fruit farm famous for its strawberries. Knoxville was seen as desirable because it was tucked away from the smoke from the factories and mills that dotted the Pittsburgh landscape in the 1800s and early 1900s. In 1872, Knox decided to subdivide his farm for residential development. When the Mount Oliver incline opened in the 1870s, Knoxville became accessible from the South Side. Next up came the Pittsburgh, Knoxville and St. Clair Electric Railroad in the year 1888. Managers of the South Side mills loved living in Knoxville for its easy access to the South Side and less polluted location. The community was annexed by the city in the year 1927, years after many other neighborhoods in the ‘burgh.



Facts about Knoxville

history of Knoxville




Surrounding Knoxville neighborhoods include Allentown to the north, Carrick to the south, Mount Oliver to the east and Bon Air and Beltzhoover to the west. The population of Knoxville is approximately 5,000 with the median age being about 30 years old. The average household size is 2.6 people.

The Knoxville incline, built in 1890 and demolished in 1960, was one of only 2 curved inclines in the city, and rare for an incline anywhere in the world.

The history of Knoxville is yet another piece of the fascinating and ever-evolving history of Pittsburgh!



3 thoughts on “Pittsburgh Neighborhoods: History of Knoxville”

  1. I think this the incline that was used to carry horse drawn vehicles from Carson street up Mount Washington to Knoxville. Since Arlington Ave. was the primary way to get up to Knoxville it would not be passable for horse drawn vehicles in bad weather. Later on it was used to haul small vehicles. I remember my dad using the incline to bypass Arlington Ave. when the weather was bad.

    1. I grew up on Mt Washington, but my father co-owned Amsler’s Pharmacy on Warrington Ave. My elementary school was Allen but I attended Knoxville Jr. High.in the early sixties. Great education. Also clearly remember the incline .

  2. anyone remember a restraunt in the 1960 s called josephines. i want to know what part of knoxville tis was ar

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