“50 acres, 9-room brick house, large barn, farm buildings; land lays well; underlaid with coal; some timer; 4 acres in orchard; near Harmony car line, 22 miles from city. Price $5,000.”
Ads like that were abundant throughout the 1910’s and 20’s. The North Hills changed forever when the Harmony Line was built, making it possible for families to settle away from the city but have easy daily access to Pittsburgh for work.
The Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, also known as the Harmony Line, connected all of the above communities with the city of Pittsburgh along with a split that traveled to Butler and another that split that traveled to Beaver Falls.
The Harmony Line was developed and financed by Henry Buhl and Russell H. Boggs, the owners of Boggs and Buhl, a department store on Federal Street. Both Buhl and Boggs were born in Evans City and educated in Zelienople which helped keep their interest in the cities and counties north of Pittsburgh.
Built by Boggs and Buhl but operated by the Pittsburgh Railways Co., the Harmony Line boasted 40 foot cars that could exceed 75 mph. The Butler Line’s cars were emerald green pantograph’s (trolley’s with an arm extending upward to reach the electric line). The Harmony Line drove maroon and gold trolley pole cars.
Not pictures of Harmony Line trolleys.
Brown upholstered seats comfortably sat 45 people on their way to the city. The trip took between 30 to 60 minutes. According to “Cranberry Township: A History of Our Community,” people could rent party cars that took people to concerts or plays and provided snacks and drinks as well as movies for the ride.
The Harmony Line began its day at 6 am with several cars traveling throughout the day. Freight car and passenger cars ran and led to the settlement of new bedroom communities in the North Hills.
Farming communities had easier access to ship their goods and local businesses were able to buy items in bulk for cheap shipping costs. A thousand pounds of shipped goods cost less than a dollar in 1914. Joseph F. Booker of Wexford operated a laundry service (among many other things) and would use the Harmony Line to ship the laundry out. Seventy-five pounds of laundry cost seventy-five cents to ship.
279 acres of land was purchased in 1906 in Marshall Township. By 1910 the North Pittsburgh Realty Co., was developing a housing community called Bradford Woods. By 1915, the growth of Bradford Woods had surpassed everyone’s expectations and they broke away from Marshall to form their own borough.
Just like Bradford Woods, Wexford appealed to many people who were interested in moving out of the city to claim their own multi-acre farmsteads. One example is J.D. Brown, a Pittsburgh lawyer who purchased a farm, Oak Knolls, later known as Latodami, in Wexford. Hundreds of sales were advertised in all of the Pittsburgh papers with promises of the quiet life just a train ride away from the city.
Pine residents used Wexford Station which was located on Brennar Road, near Wexford-Bayne Road (910). The station included a passenger lobby and a freight station as well as parking for transportation from the station. The station was built between 1906 and 1908 (too many conflicting reports to determine) and was one of the 134 stations on the Harmony Line.
Located near the station was Wexford Park. In 1912, it was called Brookers Grove. “The grounds are directly alongside of the Wexford station and can be reached in a minute’s walk after leaving the car.” (Meaning train car.) In 1913 it was called Wexford Park and it was a popular venue for residents of Wexford but also city-dwellers. Apparently the park had shelters of some kind, a large dance hall, and would host a variety of events.
The Neely family advertised their annual family reunion that took place at the park. The D.L. Lawrence Club had their first annual meeting in the park and held a variety of athletic events such as the 50 meet dash, running the bases, potato sack and wheelbarrow races. The Rotary Club of Pittsburgh hosted their annual picnic in September 1921 and played baseball. This illustrates how large the park was.
Members of the Pittsburgh Lodge No. 11, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks had quite the party in Wexford Park on July 19, 1917 (100 years ago, a week ago!). Thousands were reported to have attended as they roasted an ox and served many other foods and beverages. Apparently they began in the morning and the “amusements and the festivities kept up until late in the night.”
The line wasn’t without tragedy. Robert McKinney was killed while crossing the tracks. According to the newspaper he crossed knowing a train was coming but he must have mistaken which train it was. He probably believed it was stopping at the station when it fact was not. Bystander’s say he froze on the tracks when he realized his mistake.
On May 30, 1912, the Harmony Line struck a passenger car, injuring 38 people.
A schoolteacher from Bellevue was struck by a train as her driver drove on the tracks. The driver was killed, the schoolteacher survived.
Despite the accidents, the line was instrumental in the development of the North Hills. But after Boggs and Buhl sold the lines, David I. McCahill purchased the controlling interest. He was the owner of the Harmony Short Line Motor Transportation Co. which ran buses from Butler and the North Hills communities to Pittsburgh.
Forced to compete with the mass production and affordability of the Model-T, as well as the bus company cutting prices, the Harmony Line wasn’t as popular as it had once been. However, having read many articles about the end of the line (pun intended) the Harmony Line probably could have kept running. The line was never repaired or improved. When something broke it remained broken. When something could have been improved to make the ride more comfortable, nothing was changed. In fact, the insurance company McCahill used, cancelled the policy because of the condition of the line and that is when the Harmony Line was closed – 1931.
As for the Wexford Station, almost immediately after the closure, William P. Booker, purchased the station. He loaded it on to a wood frame and pulled it with draft horses from its original location on Brennan Road to 120 Wexford Bayne Road where it became a general store.
Through the years of its life it was many things. A post office until 1961. An antique shop. A deli shop. The Wexford Post Office Deli closed its doors in 2014 despite an effort to create an historic district in Wexford. The station can be seen at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.
For current and historic images of the Wexford Station check out https://pa-trolley.org/wexford-trolley-station-dedication-october-1-2/. The featured picture of the old Post Office Deli is from the Pennsylvania Trolley website.
An informative article I referenced was from the Post-Gazette, February 6, 1994, page 111. The article contains some extra details I didn’t use and a few pictures.
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