Pittsburgh Neighborhoods: Banksville

 A Brief History of Banksville

history of Banksville

Banksville is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh in the western part of the city and shares a border with the south hills neighborhoods of Green Tree and Mt. Lebanon. The neighborhood was formerly called Union Township and joined the city in 1928. The first known person to live in Banksville was Isaac Sellers, who lived in the area in the year 1773. He, along with other early settlers in town, were often raided by Native Americans. Sellers was later joined by Irishmen James Kearns and William Chess. Banksville was originally known as “The Experiment,” and on the waters of Little Saw-Mill Run. It was subsequently sold to David and Agnes Carnahan in 1784. Before David died, the land was split between his three children. Banksville got its name from David’s son Alexander’s second wife Eliza Banks. Alexander laid out Banksville just after the Civil War ended, when the town was a farming community and a mining town whose original inhabitants were Scotch and Irish.

Fast Facts about Banksville

history of Banksville

The Little Saw Mill Run Railroad was operated between Banksville and the West End starting in the month of April in the year 1853. Real estate agents often call Banksville Greentree City because of its neighbor, the borough of Green Tree. Banksville’s main road, the aptly named Banksville Road, is often used as the main thoroughfare between the South Hills and downtown Pittsburgh through the Fort Pitt Tunnels.

The history of Banksville is a large part of the continuing story of the great city of Pittsburgh.

1 thought on “Pittsburgh Neighborhoods: Banksville”

  1. Isn’t this very close to Beechview in Pittsburgh, where I used to live. I remember going down to Banksville Road where the Eat n Park was… in the old days with car hops. Please do some photos and backgrounds of that amazing area of Beechview.

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