Introduction to Vandergrift, Pennsylvania
Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, in Westmoreland county, is 25 miles NE of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The town is conveniently located inside the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
Vandergrift History
The town of Vandergrift was established when Apollo Iron and Steel Company began to provide housing for their employees in the 1890s. They did this because the company needed to hire new workers to replace the existing work force that had participated in a labor dispute. After the dispute, the company wanted to establish control over the lives of their workers. It was felt that providing proper urban housing to their workers would reduce the possibility of major disputes and also increase their productivity. The company asked Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot, a leading landscape designing firm of the period, to design a town which conformed to the ideas of contemporary reformists. The community was named after J.J. Vandergrift who was a stockholder of Apollo Iron and Steel Company.
Vandergrift and Nearby Attractions
- Frick Art & Historical Center
- Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
- Bushy Run Battlefield
- Clayton - Henry Clay Frick Estate
- Keystone State Park
Things To Do In Vandergrift
The 5-acre Frick Art & Historical Center houses historical buildings and numerous museums. The house where ecologist Rachel Carson lived as a child is accessible from the Rachel Carson Homestead, which also has a self guided nature trail. The site of the fight between the Indians and the colonial forces in 1763 is located at the Bushy Run Battlefield. Memorabilia related to the Westinghouse family, the history of the company, and appliances are exhibited at the George Westinghouse Museum in The Family Room. The 1,169-acre Keystone State Park offers camping, hiking, and swimming opportunities.
Vandergrift Transportation
Pittsburgh International Airport is close to Vandergrift.
Vandergrift Higher Education
Penn State New Kensington, Carnegie Mellon University, and Butler County Community College are located near the town.
