Jacob Beltzhoover
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jacob Beltzhoover was a pioneer of St. Clair Township in
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia Co ...
. He and his family received a land grant from the Penn family. He was one of six sons of Melchior Beltzhoover, a tavern keeper from Hagerstown, Maryland who immigrated from Metterzimmern, Germany in 1752.


Ferry and bridge on the Monongahela

He owned a ferry that ran from the end of Wood Street across the Monongahela. The ferry was operated by William Graham, who kept a tavern at the northwest corner of Wood and Water Street. The ferry was in operation until 1818, when it was replaced by the Monongahela Bridge, in which he was a shareholder. One of Beltzhoover's coal wagons was on the bridge when it collapsed in 1832. The collapsed north end of the bridge was re-built, and the bridge re-opened on 29 October 1832. The bridge was destroyed in The Great Fire of Pittsburgh on 10 April 1845.


Mine

In 1825, he opened a mine on the northern side of Mt. Washington, across the river from the town of Pittsburgh. This penetrated the hill to the southern side in 1861, and was later enlarged to become the
Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel The Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Tunnel, also known as the Mount Washington Coal Tunnel, was a narrow-gauge railway tunnel under Mt. Washington. History It was originally begun as a coal mine in 1825 by Jacob Beltzhoover. The mine was exten ...
.


Slavery

He was a slaveholder, with child slaves registered in the county courthouse.


Death and interment

Beltzhoover died in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 7, 1835. His grave is located at the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh (section 16, lot 135).


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beltzhoover, Jacob People of colonial Pennsylvania History of Pittsburgh People from Hagerstown, Maryland 1770 births 1835 deaths Burials at Allegheny Cemetery