Sewickley is fortunate to have two railroad stations remaining. The railroad tracks used to run on the Ohio River Boulevard. When the tracks were moved closer to the river in 1927 the first station was moved by train to the north end of Chadwick Street. Here it became the headquarters for the American Legion Post 450. The first station was built in 1887, it looked like an inn or large country house. At the time it was built, the architects didn't know what a train station should look like so they built it to fit into the local architecture. Travelers were impressed with this picturesque station with beautiful gardens.
The second railroad station is currently a dermatologist office. Between the time of construction of the two stations a pattern had developed that was adopted for this station. In the 19th century, this area was a major stop for passengers, water and fuel. Passengers could commute to Pittsburgh and other main destinations such as Boston, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. Trains changed the fabric of the Sewickley Society and the train enabled the city residents to move to the quiet suburbs of Sewickley far from the dirt and congestion of the city. The first railroad service to Sewickley started in 1851. The Ohio and Pennsylvania Railroad started service between Enon Valley (near Beaver) and Pittsburgh.
Boating became the pastime for college-educated middle class people. The Sewickley Canoe and Boat Club was started in 1907 by Gilbert Hays at the foot of Chestnut Street. It was a houseboat moored at the edge of Chestnut Street and it included a dance hall and reception area. The opening celebration included canoe and rowboat races.
Whites' Field was located from Ferry Street to Walnut Street. It had a baseball field and picnic area and it was the first park available to African-Americans. White's Field was located at the end of White Street above Walnut Beach. Walnut Beach was not open to the African-American community. Some time later the field shifted down the street to what is now known as the Community Center Athletic Field. The first African American YMCA was located on Walnut Street.
Walnut Beach was a very popular site that opened at the end of Ferry Street in 1915. There were beach houses, concession stands and many people came there for church picnics or company gatherings. This beach was the idea of Jimmy Gray, a civic minded tailor. It was not a sandy beach but a place where the river was shallow and with a stony bottom. There was a pavilion and a tent for bathing facilities plus tables and benches for picnics. There were cottages along the river where families stayed during the summer and the men commuted to on weekends.
That is a brief sketch of this area in the past so now on to the present day and beyond. Allegheny County has had a long history of promoting interest and development of its three rivers. The Ohio River Corridor Study was conceived in 1986 when Clint Childs and Jean George were on the Sewickley Borough Council. Sewickley was listed as one of the 19 participating municipalities to study and to develop recreational uses for the rivers edge.
The idea of the Riverfront Park began around 1996 when Susan Gaca was on the planning commission of the Sewickley Borough Council and heard that a storage facility was going to be constructed on this site which was an abandoned, concrete parking lot. She asked Peggy Standish if she would be interested in doing a project together. Peggy agreed, thinking they could knock the project off in a year or two. Well, here we are almost 10 years later. The park is about 2 1/2 acres in size and it is pie shaped. The elevated walkway is at the level of the railroad tracks so the Chadwick Street neighbors would still have their view. Most of the construction took place in the year 2000-2001. The park received two state grants and contributions from many generous people to make the park possible. One donor gave the gazebo and her initials are woven into the design. Around that same time, Station Square in Pittsburgh was sold to Forest City, a New Jersey development company and they wanted to get rid of all of the historical artifacts. You will now see many of these items along the gravel path at Riverfront Park. The stones are from old city schools and other demolished buildings in Pittsburgh. The H.K. Porter engine and P&LE caboose are from Mr. Fred Okie's former house on Backbone Road in Sewickley. He was President of two railroads, the Union Railroad and the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad. These two railroad cars sat on his front yard until he moved to a retirement home in 1978 and they were shipped to Station Square. The new Station Square owners, Forest City, brought the cars back to Sewickley and to this Park. The Tom Thumb engine was built in 1897 in Pittsburgh by the H. K. Porter Company. It was used for maintenance purposes in the Duquesne Works of the U.S. Steel Corporation. It is a small locomotive suitable for short hauls at low speeds.
Other focal points about the park include the sundial along the gravel path. The park found out through the internet that many European parks have interactive sundials. An interactive sundial means that a person's shadow shows the hour instead of a pointed object. The park had to get the correct latitude and longitude for the position of the sun's shadow at the exact spot at the park. We asked a Carnegie Mellon Math Professor to measure the sun's position and he supervised the construction of the sundial.
Another item in the park is the World War II Navy Anchor donated by the American Merchant Marines. It weighs about 8 tons and was transported from Texas. The Merchant Marines built the base, the flagpole, sanded and painted this tribute to fallen soldiers. It was dedicated in last year's Sesquicentennial celebration along with the rest of the Park. The park is very pleased and grateful that the Merchant Marines chose our park for this memorial.
In the last couple of years. Norfolk Southern Railroad has offered a lease of additional land to Sewickley Borough. This area is adjacent to the park and is about an acre in size. It was added to the park in 2007. It looks similar to the existing park with a gravel path and plantings. It also opens the Walnut Street underpass to provide access to the river.
Welcome to Riverfront Park and enjoy your visit!
