Image: Pittsburg Indiana marker

Description: The south (left image) and north (right image) sides of the historical marker in the small town of Pittsburg in Carroll County, Indiana. The marker is located near the intersection of Tippecanoe Street and Howard Street. It reads: Pittsburg The side cut from the West end of the great canal dam admitted canal boats and the cheap water power was used to capacity. It bisected a row of Blocks between the street and the river. The mill are warehouse sites and the riverbank street and wharfs have all been washed out. "The Brick Store" was Garrett A. "Doc" Depew's. Other merchants were Bolles & Colton, Spears & Bros. Timothy Donovan, Davis and Mudge. Later - Vandervolgen and Smith. From 1847 until 1856 Pittsburg probably did more in business than Delphi, separated by a ferry and plank-road. There was a Post Office from 1838 until 1915. Many flat boats were built in this area. Steamboats sometimes unloaded here when the water was high enough. When the dam was dynamited in 1881 by farmers living upstream the canal and the water-power were destroyed. Pittsburg Platted by Merkle, Kendall & Co. in 1838 for side-cut canal traffic and cheap water-power from the summit level dam, Pittsburg had grain warehouses, flouring mills, oil and saw mills, wool carding and fulling, foundry and machine shops, taverns, cooper, cabinet, chair, blacksmith and shoe shops. General stores were busy until the Wabash RR came to Delphi in 1856. Blowing-up the dam in 1881 ended it.
Title: Pittsburg Indiana marker
Credit: Own work
Author: Huw Williams (Huwmanbeing)
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No