Arlington Playground, South Side Slopes: 1523 Fernleaf Street
In the summer of 1863, the American Civil War was underway. It was a frightening time, full of uncertainty. To protect the Pittsburgh region from a possible attack, residents constructed 37 “earthen defenses” on hilltops with strategic viewpoints. To call them forts would be generous. These constructions were often a trench and a wall of packed dirt strengthened with logs. It might not seem like much, but it was something, and the act of people coming together for a common cause was necessary and important work.
One of those sites was known as Fort Laughlin, aka Fort McKinley or Fort Ormsby, and was constructed by the employees of Jones and Laughlin Iron Works, the precursor to J&L Steel. I imagine what was on the men’s minds as they worked, what they talked about with their families and friends at home.
Fortunately, the defenses were never needed. Over time, the walls crumbled or were flattened for development, and South Side Slopes and Arlington teamed with people. With every passing decade, there would be more people with no memory of the summer of 1863, and by the 1920s, creating playgrounds for children was considered necessary and important work.
And so, a block of undeveloped land long-owned by E.M. Yard was transformed into a playground and baseball field, which still stands today. To my untrained eye, it appears that the arc from third base to home plate was the location of Fort Laughlin. I don’t think we’ll ever know if that placement was intentional or simply convenient.
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