Bayne Library is located in the historic heart of Bellevue, Pennsylvania. It was the former home of Amanda (Bayne) Balph and her husband James Madison Balph. He designed their home as he was a prominent Architect in the region.;xNLx;Bellevue is richer today because of the love and generosity of two sisters. Amanda and Jane, who planned a memorial to their father Andrew Bayne by leaving the Balph Home to become a library for the community which will be shared with generations to come.
A coal mine was opened in 1760 opposite Fort Pitt on the Monongahela River. The coal was extracted from outcrops along the hillside and transported by canoe to the nearby military garrison at Fort Pitt. Click 'Find out more' to view the details of this historical marker.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first engagements of the Revolutionary War between British troops and the Minutemen, who had been warned of the attack by Paul Revere. The conflict continued for over eight years, on September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris formally ended the Revolutionary War. The treaty recognized Great Britain’s former thirteen colonies as free and independent states, acknowledging the existence of the United States as a sovereign country.
On July 2, 1776 congressmen voted for independence and they spent the following two days debating and revising Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the text. On July 4, 1776 they declared independence by officially adopting the Declaration of Independence. On August 2,1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia by members of the Continental Congress who were present that day, and later signed by other members of Congress. A total of 56 delegates ultimately signed the document. The carefully lettered and signed parchment is housed in the National Archives and is maintained under the most exacting of archival conditions.
Andrew Bayne was born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania on September 30, 1794 during the tumultuous time of the insurrection which spanned from July of 1791 through November of 1794. After the Whiskey Rebellion had turned violent the house of the collector of excise tax on whiskey, Benjamin Wells, was burned down during the summer of 1794 by an angry crowd in Fayette County. Click 'Find out more' to view the historical marker.
Mary Matthews was born on September 7, 1800 in Butler County, Pennsylvania which was created on March 12, 1800 from a portion of land that once was considered part of Allegheny County.
The Pittsburgh built stern-wheeler, known as the 'New Orleans' steamboat took its maiden voyage down the Ohio River and the Mississippi River landing in New Orleans. Locals lined the banks of the Monongahela to witness the steamboat's departure while shouting, waving handkerchiefs, and tossing hats into the air. The journey took twelve weeks and traversed over a thousand miles. It was the first steamboat successfully operated on the inland rivers. The 116 feet long vessel was built on the bank of the Monongahela River, and it was piloted by Andrew Jack, for whom Jack's Run is named. Nicholas Roosevelt was the Captain. This successful voyage inspired the proliferation of many steamboats on the Ohio River, Mississippi River, and their tributaries. Drawing people and increasing commerce in cities along the river, steamboat traffic contributed greatly to the national economy. Andrew Jack was the proprietor of a hotel, gristmill, and a tavern on land that would one day be known as Bellevue.
March 18, 1816 Act of Incorporation.
Thomas McKee Bayne was born on June 14, 1836 to Andrew and Mary Bayne. He was their first child. Click 'find out more' to view a colorized historical Portrait of Thomas McKee Bayne on the site Colourisations by Dominic Thomas.
Andrew Bayne was among those gathered to propose amendments to the Constitution of Pennsylvania. The convention began in May of 1837 at the capitol building in Harrisburg, but moved to Philadelphia's Musical Fund Hall at Eighth and Locust for its concluding sessions in November of 1837 and February of 1838. Multiple volumes of the 'Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 1838' contains the proceedings and debates of the convention. Click 'find out more' to view The Documents of the Convention of 1837 and The Proceedings and Debates of the Convention on the Duquesne University School of Law PA Constitution site.
Andrew Bayne conducted the first execution inside the Allegheny County Jail, as Pennsylvania had enacted an Act to Abolish Public Executions in 1834.
Jane Bayne was born in 1838 (month and day unknown) to Andrew and Mary Bayne. She was their second child.
Amanda Bayne was born on September 17, 1840 to Andrew and Mary Bayne. She was their third child.
The Bayne Family moved to a farm on land that is now known as Bellevue.
Much of the popularity of the Italianate style can be attributed to Andrew Jackson Downing. His own Italianate style home designs were among those featured in two pattern books he published that were eagerly consulted and enjoyed by both designers and the public. Calvert Vaux was another influential advocate of the style.
The Great Fire of Pittsburgh occurred on April 10, 1845, destroying a third of the city and causing between $6 million and $12 million in damage
Map showing land that will eventually become Bellevue Borough. Clock 'Find out more' to see full map with capability to zoom in.
Hostetter & Smith.
The census from June 7, 1860 recording the inhabitants of Ross Township in the County of Allegheny shows in one household the five members of the Bayne Family, a farm laborer, and also Thomas McKee age 68 and Netts A McKee age 7. What circumstances brought them to stay with the Baynes? Thomas McKee was married to Mary (Matthews) Bayne's sister Nancy who died on September 14, 1859. Nettie was an illegitimate child, the result of an affair between Thomas McKee and Jeanette Andrews who was a servant in the McKee home. After Jeanette Andrews died in sickness of child birth, Thomas McKee raised, maintained, and educated Nettie, and took her into society and in every way recognized by him as his daughter. According to PA State Reports Containing Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, a 1876 case was in regards to land that was in question of being passed on to Nettie, Thomas McKee had previously procured the passage of the following Act of Assembly, which was approved February 27th 1858, "That Nettie Adelia McKee, of Manchester, Allegheny county, daughter of Thomas McKee and Jeanette Andrews, shall have and enjoy all the rights and privileges of a child born in lawful wedlock, and shall be able and capable in law to inherit and transmit any estate whatsoever, as fully and effectually as if she had been born in lawful wedlock." See images to view the census, portraits of Thomas McKee and Netie McKee and an article in the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette from November 7, 1874 , and an article from the Leavenworth Weekly Times dated April 9, 1874. Nettie married James Graham and she named one of their three children with the first and middle name of her father Thomas McKee.
The Civil War began when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 12, 1861. President Abraham Lincoln called volunteers to join the Union Army and suppress the Southern rebellion. The conflict lasted four years in which the Union saw terrible defeats at Bull Run and Fredericksburg and important victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse ending the war on April 9, 1865. Click 'Find out more' to view the telegram that broke the news of the Civil War.
This Advertisement ran in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Thomas Bayne entered the Union Army in July 1862 as Colonel of the One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which he commanded during its nine-month long term of service, taking parts in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Timeline of One Hundred and Thirty-Sixth Regiment: September 29, 1862 in Frederick Maryland. Two weeks later in Sharpsburg. Then encamped Warrenton, Brooks's Station, White Oak Church, and then near Falmouth. Engaged in the Battle of Fredericksburg, and returned to camp near Falmouth until April 28, 1863. Moved towards Chancellorsville field and they were under fire of rebel artillery on April 30th, 1863. Returned to Harrisburg on May 29, 1863 and the regiment was mustered out. View images to see an image of a flag of the 136 Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers and an article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette on Sept 16, 1892 of a Letter from Col. Bayne's Regiment dated September 12, 1862.
James Madison Balph is credited with designing the pagoda featured in the Dining Hall of the Pittsburgh Sanitary Fair. This grand philanthropic event raised funds for the relief of sick and wounded soldiers of the Civil War. Located in the Allegheny Diamond of Allegheny City, buildings included Floral Hall, Exhibition Hall, Mechanics Hall, Ladies Bazaar, Dining Hall, and the Refectory. It was a remarkable success, the Sanitary Fair in Pittsburgh raised more per average population than any other city that held a Sanitary Fair. Click 'Find out more' to view a pamphlet featuring Pitttsburgh's Sanitary Fair Poem.
The name Bellevue was suggested by French scholar, linguist, and landowner J. J. East. Belle Vue ~ Beautiful View ~ Bellevue. Bellevue had achieved precisely the minimum population of 300 to be designated as a borough. Thomas M. Bayne presented the petition on June 8, 1867. The petition was signed by Andrew Bayne and thirty-two other property owners. On September 7, 1867 the town of Bellevue was incorporated into a Borough.
H. J. Heinz, at the age of 25, planted a three-quarter of an acre patch of horseradish in Millevale, and thus began the world-renowned H. J. Heinz Company. By 1886 Heinz had built an international firm pioneering innovative advertising, quality control, and benevolent employee policies, and transformed modern diets with the wide array of products. Click 'Find out more' to see a book on H.J. Heinz available through the library catalog.
Union Dale Cemetery - Division Two - Section B - Lot 19
The 1870 Pittsburgh Directory lists the architectural partners Balph & Peebles located in Allegheny. James Madison Balph was a partner with Andrew Peebles and the firm dissolved sometime between 1872 and 1875.
The Bellevue Borough Population in 1870 was 384 per the Census Data.
"There are people now living in Pittsburgh who have traveled diligently for a whole week to reach Philadelphia. The same persons can now go from our city to the eastern metropolis between sunrise and sunset of a summer's day, without fatigue, and without occasion for stopping to eat more than one meal." Daily Morning Post, Pittsburgh, on the opening of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1854. By the 1870s, four major trunk lines crossed Pennsylvania, linking it into a growing national transportation network at the heart of America's industrial revolution.
The 642-foot Monongahela Incline, first in the city, was opened at the top of "Coal Hill" currently known as Mount Washington. The incline was immediately successful and precipitated the rapid development of Mount Washington had previously been sparsely populated. The Monongahela Inclined Plane Company constructed an additional freight incline adjacent to the passenger incline to carry building and construction materials up the mountain. The freight incline opened on March 31, 1884
He was nominated in June of 1871 with praise written in the Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette. He served one term from 1870-1874.
In October Amanda Bayne married James Madison Balph.
The train left Butler at 7am on route to Pittsburgh. Upon arrival at Union Depot at 1pm a splendid repast was served as the crowd celebrated. Just before 3pm the excursionists were all aboard for the return including several additional Pittsburghers. Along the route the train was met by people who gathered to greet the train at various stations along the new line. A cannon was fired in honor of the event at the Saxonburg Station. It arrived safely in Butler at 6:30pm. Butler had been filled with people the night before the excursion, and a great throng greeted the incoming train. Another substantial repast was served. Afterward, speeches were made including one by Thomas Bayne. In the evening the old stage coach was given a symbolic funeral as it had been superseded by the iron horse. It was draped in black, and hauled by horses decorated with crape, up the hill to the cemetery. Once the funeral service was complete the jovial throng returned to the village, marching through the streets blowing tin whistles and penny trumpets.
Andrew Bayne deeded three acres of his property to each of his daughters. (Amanda and Jane)
Ellen M. Smith's Father was George Washington Smith, a wealthy Bitters Manufacturer of Hostetter & Smith.
In this opinion piece from the Indianapolis Journal written after Thomas McKee Bayne's death, a fellow traveler reminisces of his encounter with Thomas aboard a train in Switzerland in the Summer of 1873. If the account is true, we learn that Thomas McKee Bayne was traveling with his wife and her family, they has departed from New York to travel to Europe via a ship and they were traveling via train to Geneva for a few months. Thomas could speak in both French and German languages, and he was fond of playing billiards and tobacco. He made reference to looking forward to sighting the Fire Island Light. The Fire Island Lighthouse was an important landmark for transatlantic ships coming into New York Harbor. The lighthouse still stands today. View the Article and lighthouse in the images or click 'Find out more' to read the article in the upper right portion of the The Indianapolis Journal dated June 20, 1894.
Amanda (Bayne) Balph's husband James Madison Balph was a prominent architect of Allegheny County, so he designed and built their home in the Italianate style of the Victorian Era. The address was 44 Rodgers Avenue while the home was the Balph Residence. Click 'Find out more' to learn all about the Architecture of Bayne Library.
The Bellevue Map overall shows the the Bayne family land ownership in Bellevue. In the enlarged portion,the footprint of the Balph Home is shown at the corner of Bayne St. and Rogers Avenue on the property labeled A.M.A. Balph.
Click "Find out more' to view entire map.
First term in Congress - March 4, 1877 through March 3, 1879.
Second term in Congress - March 4, 1879 through March 3, 1881.
The Bellevue Borough Population in 1880 was 915 per the Census Data.
Jane and Arthur Teece lived in a house just over the hill from Amanda and James Madison Balph's house.
The couple was listed among attendees of the hop at Willard's Hotel in an article published on February 26, 1881in the National Republican.
Third term in Congress - March 4, 1881 through March 3, 1883.
Andrew Bayne died on August 4, 1881 at the age of 87. A day prior to his death the Pittsburgh Daily Post published that he was lying at the point of death. He was interred at Union Dale Cemetery - Division Two - Section B - Lot 19.
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