After watching this video I literally cheered out loud because THIS is what TH-cam is for. Passionate, intelligent creators with small channels creating interesting and entertaining art. Instant subscribe. Much love from the Reading area
100% agreed. I live in Brookline, not too far from the subject of this video, and learning this history makes me love this city even more. Wonderful presentation, keep it up!
I grew up in Hays, it was a great, great place to live. Families took care of one another and that little church (Holy Angels) and the school (no longer used) was a centerpiece of the town…that along with a number of businesses. My brother and I played in Hays Woods, although we didn’t know what it was called…we just went out and played on the monkey vines and huge rocks that served as our outside “home”. The memories we made together and with the other kids in those woods remain with me to this day. And oh how we looked forward to August when the Italian club hosted a carnival with fireworks on August 15, that little town grew to twice its size that week and especially that night. Thank you for showing what a little gem this town was and can still be.
Hays is where the bald eagles live. Leave it undeveloped. Just look at the North Hills, much of which used to be forested not that long ago, but it is now a big parking lot from the North Side all the way up to Cranberry. We need to preserve our natural areas.
Correction..HAYS WOODS is where the bald Eagles live. It is currently now, Pgh City property.. As a member of Friends of Hays woods, it is our mission to keep it wild
Much of the North Hills like the South Hills was farmland, the forest you speak of had been gone for well over a century. Don’t fabricate a past that already didn’t exist long before the suburban housing developers got here.
@@taylorphoenix8 To be fair they were referencing the monstrocity that is mcnight up to perry highway, which definitely did clear a lot of unused land. There weren't mountaintop removal services in the 1800s
I will say the north hills is full(too full of deer) and I have seen evidence of a black bear in my yard that must live within the woods behind my house. I think some of our areas while obviously very impacted by development has far more wildlife than other areas of the country.
As a person from the other half of the rust belt and new to Pittsburgh these few years, I would love to join in and see a lot more about the city. Pittsburgh is such a wonderful place honestly.
You should have been around in the late 80's and 90's when Pittsburgh was voted either the #1 or in the top 3 of the "Most Liveable Cities in America" list, in 1980 things were grim from the steel and coal industry collapsing throughout southwestern Pa, but early on the powers that be in Pittsburgh decided to reinvent the city and by the end of the 80's they'd done a fantastic job of it, the city had a vibrant feel to it instead of doom and gloom like Detroit and Cleveland and the other has been towns, the night life was great with hardly any incidents, suburbs like Monroeville flourished, it really was a great area. I'm from about 50 miles south, in 08 I moved up to northeastern Ohio where I lived for 11 years, during those 11 years I watched news reports come out of the immediate Pittsburgh region that just wouldn't have previous to that, the legendary Monroeville Mall where my mother would take us Christmas shopping when I was a kid in the 70's became a source of constant news stories of parking lot shootings and violence, I just couldn't believe what I was looking at when I'd see things like that on the news, the Oakland district of Pittsburgh home of Pitt University had constant stories of shootings in the streets on the news, by the time I moved back home in 2019 I couldn't believe how much things had gone downhill. As far as cities go it's still one of the better one's, much better than the Mad Max post apocalyptic area of Detroit, but not like it was from the late 80's and through the 90's, that really was a special time in Pittsburgh's history.
@@dukecraig2402 my grandma father was from Pittsburgh but left in the 1940s I remember him talking about the horrible air and having street lights on during the day time . But I feel the city is coming back . I lived in the metro Detroit area for a bit , the city is slowly coming back but the suburbs are still great
I grew up in the South Hills but had never entered the Hays forest until the pandemic. It's like its own world up there. I even got a little lost for awhile and got that feeling of adventure that people seek!😊
Interesting comment and true. Philly, Jersey and the New York boroughs are basically one region and sort of culturally the same. Out in Western PA it’s a different region and sort of the “Midwest” in some ways. PA is a big state and actually bigger than South Korea so that’s primarily why PA residents are not fully connected
I’ve been to Pittsburgh a couple of times, but don’t know the city well enough to be familiar with a lot of the specifics you refer to. One thing that is so interesting about the city is that one minute you’re in a section that has the urbanity of Boston, then the next you’re driving down an Appalachian mountain road. I would love to get there more often to explore.
@@Noles.Explores I grew up in Pittsburgh and the most confusing thing when I was a kid and we went somewhere else to visit was always that people didn't normally have pleasant hikes in the woods like 20min away from their home or less while still living in a city. :D
@@TrappedinSLC It always makes me hesitant to move away someday. Whenever people visit from other cities they remark to me about how green it is here. It has bad implications for the green-ness of other cities....
@@cleve741 It can definitely be an issue. Some places there's not as much green in the city but you still have decent options close by - or the local options are attractive even if you wouldn't describe them as green, like around Salt Lake City it's not really green the same way but it's still really pretty, you know? Places like LA where it feels like the only plant life is growing out of holes in the concrete because it was planted there for decoration really weird me out though.
Very cool information! I've lived in and around Pittsburgh my whole life of 62 years. I did plenty of exploring in my younger days, and yet here is a place I passed by a hundred times but never knew a thing about . . . wow! Thanks for sharing!
I grew up in Swisshelm Park which is on the Edge of Frick Park n the Monongahela River..there was a huge slag dump that was mostly wooded that lead to the River n the other side was Frick Park !! As kids we lived n played in those woods n you literally could walk for miles in Nature !! It made me appreciate Land n Nature n the Outdoors ...to where I know own 200 plus acres in Armstrong county!! I am blessed n thankful for those early years n memories in Pittsburghs Woods Rivers n Streams ! God Bless n Stay Safe !! 😎 Great Content !!
I remember bicycle riding in those slag dump trails. So fun. No idea if some of those trails that flank the river valley are still there the ones that go from nine mile hollow to swissvale
Hays Mansion is in munhall . My grandfather used to mow the grass with his tractor up there and we used to go watch him when we were kids. He also uses the mow the grass area of Kennywood. . The Mansion is up on the hill overlooking the Monongahela River.
Been to Pittsburg a couple of times. Most recently went to Frick Park, which is really cool. I've been all over the northeast and Frick Park is special. It's up there with Central Park as the best urban park I have visited. And yet Hayes Woods is double the size of Frick Park! Wow
Point State Park. The Allegheny River flows down from the north, while the Monongahela River flows from the south, meeting to form the Ohio River. George Washington camped there. It was the starting point for the Corps of Discovery Corps exploration by Lewis & Clark.
A good video on an important topic. So little wild land on the east coast is accessible because it is in private hands. Always being respectful of the land and the owners if you happen to meet them is so important to maintaining access to the land. Thank you
My 3rd great grandfather, Marcellus Curry, lived in Hays in the 1850s when it was Six Mile Ferry. His sister married a Woozley who were in Hays for decades and my grandfather worked at Mesta Machine from 1945-1983. Never been to Hays Woods lol😊
The neighborhood of hays always fascinated me. My school bus used to run through there I always found it odd that there was a freeway interchange thing in there and it seemed like there were remnants of a town that once was. And the huge factory there always drew my attention.
Awesome video. Growing up in baldwin I’ve been around hays my whole life we’ve always referred to it as “40’s” but had a blast exploring it as a kid. Funny enough what caught my attention was being able to see my house from your thumbnail 😂
Cool video. Thanks algorithm. I grew up in Johnstown and visited my grandparents in North Hills many times as a kid up until they passed away in the early 90's. South (and south of) Pittsburgh was always a kind of mysterious place to me as a kid so it's intriguing to hear some of it's history.
As a kid in Newtown PA in the 1970s my friends and I would wander along the neshaminy River and some farmland owned by boxer Mohamad Ali. No one would bother us and we had our own Huck Finn like adventures. I Sill think about us trying to build a raft (never finished) from dead logs to sail down to the Delaware River. Fun times.. I live in Kutztown now. GREAT STORY.. I will need to visit the Park next time we are in pittsburgh
I admire the fact that you did your video on Hay's Woods without mentioning the Hays Bald Eagles. Now, if I may, I suggest a video on the remarkable recovery of woods, forest, wild life in the Pittsburgh region. When we moved here in the 1980s it was still under the effects of Industrial Age Pollution. Today, and only a part of my lifetime, it has recovered to the point that the pre-Industrial past of the area is greatly restored, though much is left to do, Thanks for you video. Keep up the good work,
Thank you for the kind words! I would definitely like to do more research into that. Someone told me that Japanese knotweed was a big factor in reducing pollution in the soil, but now it’s become a problem in its own right
Weii done....great job. I have traveled greater Pittsburgh roadways for may years, usually mesmerized by the sense of ghostliness and urban blight along the way. Too interested in getting home again to ever explore those inviting wooded hills. Maybe now I will. Of course a dedicated bicycle path right to them is a no-brainer for any forward-thinking city. Hope it happens.
Good point my friend. Grew up in Pittsburgh but have been “out West” since getting out of the Army at Ft. Lewis. Much more access to waterfronts, natural features, and just the vastness of the BLM lands. Heading to The Dakotas in ten days. ☕️ East of the Mississippi much of the country is in private ownership. 🇺🇸
What a terrific video! I learned from it. I’ve biked many times through the edge of Hays Woods on the Gap Trail, and also driven many times through that interchange near the Glenwood Bridge, but never realized that there were such large woods nearby. Thanks!
While discussing the "back to the forest" , "keeping it a forest", I'm surprised you didn't bring up one of the most amazing things about Hays. The Bald Eagles that made it home. That is also a testament to the area. Anyway, I enjoyed your presentation nonetheless.
This is very interesting! I was always so curious about the woods behind my house. I moved to Pittsburgh 2.5 years ago and I looked at a map with where I was on the map and WOW, that's a whole forest behind my house! That's why we have a lot of nature even though we aren't that far from the city. My husband and I will definitely be checking out the trail at the top. Thank you so much for making this! I'm from the country, and this forest makes it feel more like where I came from.
Fantastic video, I'd love to see a video on the abandoned highway projects you mentioned. Pittsburgh would be very different today if those were finished.
Great video -- that's a fascinating (and weird) part of this town. I'm glad that it's stayed wild, and I'm looking forward to exploring it and that wonderful Mon Valley scenery. A small geographical quibble: Nine Mile Run empties *upstream* from Hays just above the Homestead bridge, so, regardless of the accuracy of the distances from the Point, the "mile runs" are in the right order. Nine Mile Run seems closer in because of that huge bend in the river around Hazelwood. OK, pedantry complete.
Coming from New Jersey and seeing Pittsburgh it’s so crazy because driving around the city you just feel like it’s so grand but the moment you cross the river it just gets so rural from the get-go and that’s so attractive in theory. Haywood is a good example of this because thinking in city skylines Haywood should be filled with developments or luxury homes, considering it’s proximity to the city, but it’s not, and I think that the history behind every single lot in the history behind every single house is so so fascinating in Pittsburgh, because it was able to remain. Unlike a lot of the rest of the United States.
Oh my goodness! Near Woods - as a concept - totally my defined my childhood. Those woods are being developed into dense housing at this moment. I won’t lie. I cried bitterly when I learned that future kids would not have the opportunity to mess around in the woods anymore.
Noles! As a fellow western pa history nerd, your channel rocks! The coal mines at what is now Hays Woods fed the coke ovens at J&L Steel’s coke works in Hazelwood. The coal that ultimately fed the blast furnaces came from literally right across the river! The limestone and iron ore came from a little farther east.
@Noles.Explores it's a nice video, but my immediate reaction was surprise that it didn't cover the undermining of the area. There is subsidence in those woods. I can't say whether that had any influence on the fact that it wasn't developed, but I've seen 15 ft depressions in the Earth opening up holes under trees. I should have a picture somewhere from about 8 or 9 years ago. It makes sense; Mt Washington was mined by mill owners downtown with small barges back when you could still wade the Mon. Pre Carnegie.
Grew up in Hays and played in those woods all the time. Lived right by the Army Ammunition Plant. It really was a beautiful place to live back in the day 💕
Thanks for this really informative, well-researched and well-referenced video! I'll definitely check out Dr. Patrick's book. I have fond memories of being able to explore a number of wooded places near my childhood home, most now cut down and built upon.
Wow I grew up in this area (Brownsville Rd) and have lived my adult life in the Northside and I never knew this. I always assumed it was Baldwin's or Brentwoods or Hazelwood... But not Pittsburgh. Thanks.
I saw a my first Box Turtle there! I got some awesome photos of it in the sunset! Maybe we saw the same turtle! I hope it's still wandering around up there!
Good info. Frick Park is my whole childhood. Upper and lower. Didn't know a kid like me a long time ago is why I was playing there. That's fucking cool
I grew up in Hays, spent a lot of time camping and hiking in those woods. Walking through the woods there makes it seem like you are so far away from civilization. Some of the best times of my childhood were spent in those woods,..
As a fan of city planning TH-cam channels, the city of Pittsburgh, small content providers, and as an avid hiker, backpacker, and cyclist, I LOVED your video and can't wait to exlore the rest of your channel. Espcially the editorial part and I plan to look into the book you cited, having grown up along the Monongahela with a patch of "near woods" just beyond my backyards.
Thoughtful and well organized. I live now in Florida where my rural suburb of North Port is fast becoming the strip mall suburban sprawl which has destroyed other nearby communities, such as Cape Coral, devoid of character or a sense of community. I know Hays from Holy Angels, a small company that made awnings, but mostly as a transit point or shortcut from my home in Castle Shannon to my office the other side of the Parkway East. Many a cold Winter's day from Hays across the Rankin Bridge to Braddock I would have a large Bald Eagle fly by. I used to golf and had my wedding reception at at Holly Hill before Herb Connor (my wife's former attorney) developed it into housing. Glass Run and Street's Run were always the shortcut to my sister-in-law's place in White Hall. I love to see it but do not miss the Winter!
Thank you for sharing! Always interested to hear other people’s experiences with various parts of the city and what it means to them. Glad you enjoyed the video!
So cool to see this as a Baldwin resident. Super cool to see my house on the aerial maps and see you drive on the same streets I drive on. Fantastic video!
Great video, Noles, describing the history of a patch of greenery that I have known all of my life. I grew up in North Baldwin in the 80s and 90s, so exploring and playing in Hays Woods was among my regular haunts. Back then we called this forest "Forty Acres." Albeit, the property is far larger than this size as you discussed. I have no idea the origin of this name. Nevertheless, it might prove interesting to investigate. Additionally, my grandfather grew up in Hays as a boy and his family home no longer exists as it was demolished when the freeway interchange was developed. He attended elementary school at Holy Angels Catholic School which no longer exists but the parish and church surely still does. This is also the parish in which my family belonged when I was growing up. Thank you for sharing local history for a small Pittsburgh neighborhood that possesses a personal connection for me.
Greetings from Butler Pennsylvania. I moved here 3 years ago from Tampa Bay Florida. After 40 years down there I'm back. I'm 62 and on disability and it got very expensive there. Thanks for the video. I'm always interested in the history up here in the rust belt. It's a shame what happened to this area. No jobs like in the past. Butler home of the Jeep. Peace ✌️.
The part about annexation makes me think of my own neighborhood. I live in Oakwood, which is near Westwood. Apparently it was part of Chartiers Township and then the whole township was annexed by the city in the 1920’s. It makes looking up the history of our home kinda difficult.
I live on Becks Run. I formerly lived on the Southside. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s a portion of Hays woods above Beck Run served as a gathering place for picnic and such. It was referred to at the time as forty acres. During this time, I believe it was owned by J&L Steel. Strangely the land is currently owned by the City of Pittsburgh, even though the majority of the land is located in Baldwin Boro.
I grew up with the forest in my backyard, and I have to say: it changed my life. I was recently in Europe for a while. It’s not like that there. Forests all over entire countries are eradicated and replaced with farmland. Trees only exist in small and controlled format. We as people need the wilds. They speak to us. They spoke to me as a child, trekking down the steep hill and sitting by the creek, taking in God’s world.
I'm from Indianapolis. My parents grew up on Cathell Rd and my grandparents lived there until their deaths around 2003.As I a child when we would visit my grandparents you could see the glow of lights down in the valley and was told it was Mesta Machine. I recall lots of motorcycles being ridden in the woods just at the top of the hill of Cathell Rd and into the valley. This mst have been early '70s. When I got to be a little older I was allowed to explore the woods and I remember crossing Glass Run Rd and exploring the woods on the north side of that street.I thought it was pretty but a lot of people were dumping trash back there too.I hope thats gone. I havent been there in almost 20 years Pittsburgh that is but this video reminded me of a slice of my childhood.Thanks mate.Cheers
Pittsburgh is a really interesting city. It has more bridges than Venice. More trees and greenery than other urban centers. It has its own dialect where 'Yinz' comes from. And had several historical importance ever since the French and Indian War all the way up to the cold war as a steel mill powerhouse. And now an example of a city re-inventing itself from an industrial city.
I used to live in Lincoln Place, which sits just south of Munhall. I'm im very familiar with this area here. I supposed I never appreciated just how wooded it was, then again, I live near Frick Park now, so I guess I'm just used to wooded areas and have been taking it for granted
Holy shit a whole video about the area around my favorite park!!! I wish it was better maintained but they're still figuring that out. I love how I'll go out on a beautiful day and see maybe like 10 people. The meadow is maybe the most beautiful place in the city and it's an incredible spot for birding. Thank you for this!!
I don’t know how this ended up in my recommended for you, but I’m so glad it did! I live in Pittsburgh myself (near Highland) and I vaguely knew about Hays Woods but never thought to question why there was so much forest there. It makes me happy you made this video to put it’s history together so cleanly! I haven’t gotten to give it a proper visit yet, but I think now is a better time than never. :)
Yeah you just earned a subscriber from me. I love how Pittsburgh seems to have so many hidden quirks in areas like this. Definitely love exploring some of the unique areas we have around here. That’s why I love it here you just don’t get this kind of stuff in most other places.
I lived in a neighborhood in Baldwin next to it for 18 years ! We loved having that forest there, fun to play in during the summer. Neighborhood is pretty much right where the “Baldwin owns all of this stretch” label is on top of 0:59
The real reason Hays Woods was never developed was there are cliffs on the side facing the river. Hays had a street car line up until the 50's. But only one road went up there from Glass Run Road. You used to be able to drive your car up to 40 acres. A man was murdered in the 70's. His body was missing for years. The case made the national news. The body was found up in 40 acres. There was an investigation, but I don't remember much about it. After that a pile of bricks were dumped in the road going up to 40 acres at Glass Run Road.
Love reading the posts from others who are from Hays or whose family lived there. My great grandparents moved there in the 1870s, the house still stands on Baldwin Road, last one on right before the overpass heading south. The family store is now part of the Holy Angels parking lot, along with the fine brick Victorian house that was a cleaners for a long time. The flippers as usual screwed the old house up, but I digress...... every summer we went and stayed with my grandparents in that house for a couple weeks and all the cousins and hangers on would come by and share food and stories - great memories. I'd like to hear about the Hays Bros and Rischer coal companies and their physical plants if anybody knows, working on an idea of an article about Hays as a boom town then a bust town. I think it was 1969 when the old Glenwood bridge was blown up after the new one opened. My friend Eddie Monfredi wrote an article about his family crossing the bridge on the girders under the wood deck so they didn't have to pay the toll along with 3 or 4 more about living in Hays during the era after the Italians moved in to work the mills, you can find them using a search engine if you like.
40 acres is what them woods are known as by the people who live here.had a lot of fun up in them woods.now the eagle 🦅 watchers are always up there because they have nests and the eagle cam.
Interesting video. I'm from Pittsburgh, been up Glass Run Rd, Streets Run Rd and Becks Run Rd countless times. You asked for feedback, so I'll say that I would have really appreciated more explanation of the geography, maybe with some map-based explanations. I've been hearing about Hays Woods in recent years, but it's never been really clear to me where it is, how it's evolved over the years, and so forth.
After watching this video I literally cheered out loud because THIS is what TH-cam is for. Passionate, intelligent creators with small channels creating interesting and entertaining art. Instant subscribe. Much love from the Reading area
Thank you! That means a lot. Reading is a city I’ve never been to, but I will one day
🥤
100% agreed. I live in Brookline, not too far from the subject of this video, and learning this history makes me love this city even more. Wonderful presentation, keep it up!
Facts this gave me chills thinking about how awesomely simple TH-cam videos used to be
I grew up in Hays, it was a great, great place to live. Families took care of one another and that little church (Holy Angels) and the school (no longer used) was a centerpiece of the town…that along with a number of businesses. My brother and I played in Hays Woods, although we didn’t know what it was called…we just went out and played on the monkey vines and huge rocks that served as our outside “home”. The memories we made together and with the other kids in those woods remain with me to this day. And oh how we looked forward to August when the Italian club hosted a carnival with fireworks on August 15, that little town grew to twice its size that week and especially that night. Thank you for showing what a little gem this town was and can still be.
Hays is where the bald eagles live. Leave it undeveloped. Just look at the North Hills, much of which used to be forested not that long ago, but it is now a big parking lot from the North Side all the way up to Cranberry. We need to preserve our natural areas.
I 100% agree! Thankfully it’s protected as a city park now
Correction..HAYS WOODS is where the bald Eagles live. It is currently now, Pgh City property.. As a member of Friends of Hays woods, it is our mission to keep it wild
Much of the North Hills like the South Hills was farmland, the forest you speak of had been gone for well over a century. Don’t fabricate a past that already didn’t exist long before the suburban housing developers got here.
@@taylorphoenix8 To be fair they were referencing the monstrocity that is mcnight up to perry highway, which definitely did clear a lot of unused land. There weren't mountaintop removal services in the 1800s
I will say the north hills is full(too full of deer) and I have seen evidence of a black bear in my yard that must live within the woods behind my house. I think some of our areas while obviously very impacted by development has far more wildlife than other areas of the country.
As a person from the other half of the rust belt and new to Pittsburgh these few years, I would love to join in and see a lot more about the city. Pittsburgh is such a wonderful place honestly.
You should have been around in the late 80's and 90's when Pittsburgh was voted either the #1 or in the top 3 of the "Most Liveable Cities in America" list, in 1980 things were grim from the steel and coal industry collapsing throughout southwestern Pa, but early on the powers that be in Pittsburgh decided to reinvent the city and by the end of the 80's they'd done a fantastic job of it, the city had a vibrant feel to it instead of doom and gloom like Detroit and Cleveland and the other has been towns, the night life was great with hardly any incidents, suburbs like Monroeville flourished, it really was a great area.
I'm from about 50 miles south, in 08 I moved up to northeastern Ohio where I lived for 11 years, during those 11 years I watched news reports come out of the immediate Pittsburgh region that just wouldn't have previous to that, the legendary Monroeville Mall where my mother would take us Christmas shopping when I was a kid in the 70's became a source of constant news stories of parking lot shootings and violence, I just couldn't believe what I was looking at when I'd see things like that on the news, the Oakland district of Pittsburgh home of Pitt University had constant stories of shootings in the streets on the news, by the time I moved back home in 2019 I couldn't believe how much things had gone downhill.
As far as cities go it's still one of the better one's, much better than the Mad Max post apocalyptic area of Detroit, but not like it was from the late 80's and through the 90's, that really was a special time in Pittsburgh's history.
@@dukecraig2402 my grandma father was from Pittsburgh but left in the 1940s I remember him talking about the horrible air and having street lights on during the day time . But I feel the city is coming back . I lived in the metro Detroit area for a bit , the city is slowly coming back but the suburbs are still great
I grew up in the South Hills but had never entered the Hays forest until the pandemic. It's like its own world up there. I even got a little lost for awhile and got that feeling of adventure that people seek!😊
It’s a great feeling, isn’t it!? Glad you enjoyed the woods
I moved to Pittsburgh from Ohio less than a month ago. I worked here before, but finally made the move. Good content, I hope I will learn more.
@@johnzubil2875 left Ohio two years ago
As a Philly-area resident, Pittsburgh and western PA in general is a mystery to me. I love videos like this, have my sub.
Thank you! I feel the same about Philly and eastern PA haha
Interesting comment and true. Philly, Jersey and the New York boroughs are basically one region and sort of culturally the same. Out in Western PA it’s a different region and sort of the “Midwest” in some ways. PA is a big state and actually bigger than South Korea so that’s primarily why PA residents are not fully connected
Go outside of New York City or Philly & there's like acres & acres of sprawl & suburbs. Go outside of Pittsburgh & it's like a forrest.
Try Eerie. No really. Middle of July. Hit the beaches. Try the food. O'Henry will approve.
@@csongorszendrey2180 Erie: guys we are just as much fun as Virginia beach and the outer banks we swear!
But really Erie is nice in the summer.
I’ve been to Pittsburgh a couple of times, but don’t know the city well enough to be familiar with a lot of the specifics you refer to.
One thing that is so interesting about the city is that one minute you’re in a section that has the urbanity of Boston, then the next you’re driving down an Appalachian mountain road. I would love to get there more often to explore.
Very true! That’s one of the things I love about Pittsburgh
@@Noles.Explores I grew up in Pittsburgh and the most confusing thing when I was a kid and we went somewhere else to visit was always that people didn't normally have pleasant hikes in the woods like 20min away from their home or less while still living in a city. :D
@@TrappedinSLC It always makes me hesitant to move away someday. Whenever people visit from other cities they remark to me about how green it is here. It has bad implications for the green-ness of other cities....
@@cleve741 It can definitely be an issue. Some places there's not as much green in the city but you still have decent options close by - or the local options are attractive even if you wouldn't describe them as green, like around Salt Lake City it's not really green the same way but it's still really pretty, you know? Places like LA where it feels like the only plant life is growing out of holes in the concrete because it was planted there for decoration really weird me out though.
It's a city of distinct "neighborhoods"; it's one of the things that makes it great.
Very cool information! I've lived in and around Pittsburgh my whole life of 62 years. I did plenty of exploring in my younger days, and yet here is a place I passed by a hundred times but never knew a thing about . . . wow! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked the video!
I grew up in Swisshelm Park which is on the Edge of Frick Park n the Monongahela River..there was a huge slag dump that was mostly wooded that lead to the River n the other side was Frick Park !! As kids we lived n played in those woods n you literally could walk for miles in Nature !! It made me appreciate Land n Nature n the Outdoors ...to where I know own 200 plus acres in Armstrong county!! I am blessed n thankful for those early years n memories in Pittsburghs Woods Rivers n Streams ! God Bless n Stay Safe !! 😎 Great Content !!
I remember bicycle riding in those slag dump trails. So fun. No idea if some of those trails that flank the river valley are still there the ones that go from nine mile hollow to swissvale
The city has been for years trying to develop the slag dumps. 😢
This video is very informative. Thank you for your hard work in making it.
I appreciate this. I'm hoping to protect forest near where I live. This is very inspiring.
Hays Mansion is in munhall . My grandfather used to mow the grass with his tractor up there and we used to go watch him when we were kids. He also uses the mow the grass area of Kennywood. . The Mansion is up on the hill overlooking the Monongahela River.
I drove to it for this video but it’s all boarded up sadly. It’s a beautiful house
@@Noles.Explores they were trying to restore it and open it back up. But sadly everything stopped back in 2020..
Thank you so much for all this detail and all the love you’re showing for Pittsburgh!
Been to Pittsburg a couple of times. Most recently went to Frick Park, which is really cool. I've been all over the northeast and Frick Park is special. It's up there with Central Park as the best urban park I have visited.
And yet Hayes Woods is double the size of Frick Park! Wow
It's Truly a Beautiful Place !!
I don’t live in Pittsburgh, but I did take the seven hour check out there just to experience the city and I honestly love it so much
fascinating video. thanks so much for making this and sharing your research :) i'll definitely be riding over and going for a hike there soon!
I've always been fascinated with the point created by the confluence of the rivers in downtown
Point State Park. The Allegheny River flows down from the north, while the Monongahela River flows from the south, meeting to form the Ohio River. George Washington camped there. It was the starting point for the Corps of Discovery Corps exploration by Lewis & Clark.
Good place to build a fort.
There's an underground river too I hear.
A good video on an important topic. So little wild land on the east coast is accessible because it is in private hands. Always being respectful of the land and the owners if you happen to meet them is so important to maintaining access to the land. Thank you
So true! Kindness goes a long way
My 3rd great grandfather, Marcellus Curry, lived in Hays in the 1850s when it was Six Mile Ferry. His sister married a Woozley who were in Hays for decades and my grandfather worked at Mesta Machine from 1945-1983. Never been to Hays Woods lol😊
The neighborhood of hays always fascinated me. My school bus used to run through there I always found it odd that there was a freeway interchange thing in there and it seemed like there were remnants of a town that once was. And the huge factory there always drew my attention.
Awesome video. Growing up in baldwin I’ve been around hays my whole life we’ve always referred to it as “40’s” but had a blast exploring it as a kid. Funny enough what caught my attention was being able to see my house from your thumbnail 😂
I moved here a couple of years ago from TN and i've never heard of Hays. Cool stuff. I love exploring the burgh
I work in Hazelwood Green so daily look over at this very plot of land. nicely done
Cool video. Thanks algorithm. I grew up in Johnstown and visited my grandparents in North Hills many times as a kid up until they passed away in the early 90's. South (and south of) Pittsburgh was always a kind of mysterious place to me as a kid so it's intriguing to hear some of it's history.
As a kid in Newtown PA in the 1970s my friends and I would wander along the neshaminy River and some farmland owned by boxer Mohamad Ali. No one would bother us and we had our own Huck Finn like adventures. I Sill think about us trying to build a raft (never finished) from dead logs to sail down to the Delaware River. Fun times.. I live in Kutztown now. GREAT STORY.. I will need to visit the Park next time we are in pittsburgh
Those sound like great memories!
I admire the fact that you did your video on Hay's Woods without mentioning the Hays Bald Eagles. Now, if I may, I suggest a video on the remarkable recovery of woods, forest, wild life in the Pittsburgh region. When we moved here in the 1980s it was still under the effects of Industrial Age Pollution. Today, and only a part of my lifetime, it has recovered to the point that the pre-Industrial past of the area is greatly restored, though much is left to do, Thanks for you video. Keep up the good work,
Thank you for the kind words! I would definitely like to do more research into that. Someone told me that Japanese knotweed was a big factor in reducing pollution in the soil, but now it’s become a problem in its own right
Weii done....great job. I have traveled greater Pittsburgh roadways for may years, usually mesmerized by the sense of ghostliness and urban blight along the way. Too interested in getting home again to ever explore those inviting wooded hills. Maybe now I will. Of course a dedicated bicycle path right to them is a no-brainer for any forward-thinking city. Hope it happens.
Watching this video makes me appreciate all the public land we have here in the western US.
I once took an Amtrak train from New Jersey to California. Seeing all that land out west with almost nothing was nerve-wracking to me!
Good point my friend.
Grew up in Pittsburgh but have been “out West” since getting out of the Army at Ft. Lewis.
Much more access to waterfronts, natural features, and just the vastness of the BLM lands. Heading to The Dakotas in ten days. ☕️
East of the Mississippi much of the country is in private ownership. 🇺🇸
What a terrific video! I learned from it. I’ve biked many times through the edge of Hays Woods on the Gap Trail, and also driven many times through that interchange near the Glenwood Bridge, but never realized that there were such large woods nearby. Thanks!
That was a cool lil video about a part of the city I knew little about, Thanks!
Thanks for making this!
While discussing the "back to the forest" , "keeping it a forest", I'm surprised you didn't bring up one of the most amazing things about Hays. The Bald Eagles that made it home. That is also a testament to the area. Anyway, I enjoyed your presentation nonetheless.
Forest Park in Portland Or. Is a 5200 acre park in the city limits of Portland.
This is very interesting! I was always so curious about the woods behind my house. I moved to Pittsburgh 2.5 years ago and I looked at a map with where I was on the map and WOW, that's a whole forest behind my house! That's why we have a lot of nature even though we aren't that far from the city. My husband and I will definitely be checking out the trail at the top. Thank you so much for making this! I'm from the country, and this forest makes it feel more like where I came from.
Fantastic video, I'd love to see a video on the abandoned highway projects you mentioned. Pittsburgh would be very different today if those were finished.
My grandfather built a house on that hill in Hays and that is where I spent my early years 😊
Very cool! Is the house still standing?
Thanks - really enjoyed this. Never knew much about Hays Woods because, as a Pittsburgher, I tend to not cross rivers! Appreciate the education.
I need to go there soon!
Great video -- that's a fascinating (and weird) part of this town. I'm glad that it's stayed wild, and I'm looking forward to exploring it and that wonderful Mon Valley scenery. A small geographical quibble: Nine Mile Run empties *upstream* from Hays just above the Homestead bridge, so, regardless of the accuracy of the distances from the Point, the "mile runs" are in the right order. Nine Mile Run seems closer in because of that huge bend in the river around Hazelwood.
OK, pedantry complete.
Oh wow, I can’t believe I missed that. Thank you for calling it out!
Coming from New Jersey and seeing Pittsburgh it’s so crazy because driving around the city you just feel like it’s so grand but the moment you cross the river it just gets so rural from the get-go and that’s so attractive in theory. Haywood is a good example of this because thinking in city skylines Haywood should be filled with developments or luxury homes, considering it’s proximity to the city, but it’s not, and I think that the history behind every single lot in the history behind every single house is so so fascinating in Pittsburgh, because it was able to remain. Unlike a lot of the rest of the United States.
Thank you for this informative video! I've put Near Woods on my wishlist. I'm fascinated with this now!
Oh my goodness! Near Woods - as a concept - totally my defined my childhood. Those woods are being developed into dense housing at this moment. I won’t lie. I cried bitterly when I learned that future kids would not have the opportunity to mess around in the woods anymore.
Noles! As a fellow western pa history nerd, your channel rocks! The coal mines at what is now Hays Woods fed the coke ovens at J&L Steel’s coke works in Hazelwood. The coal that ultimately fed the blast furnaces came from literally right across the river! The limestone and iron ore came from a little farther east.
That’s really interesting! I had read that J&L was who Betters bought it from but I didn’t know they had mined it
@Noles.Explores it's a nice video, but my immediate reaction was surprise that it didn't cover the undermining of the area. There is subsidence in those woods. I can't say whether that had any influence on the fact that it wasn't developed, but I've seen 15 ft depressions in the Earth opening up holes under trees. I should have a picture somewhere from about 8 or 9 years ago.
It makes sense; Mt Washington was mined by mill owners downtown with small barges back when you could still wade the Mon. Pre Carnegie.
Grew up in Hays and played in those woods all the time. Lived right by the Army Ammunition Plant. It really was a beautiful place to live back in the day 💕
Thanks for this really informative, well-researched and well-referenced video! I'll definitely check out Dr. Patrick's book. I have fond memories of being able to explore a number of wooded places near my childhood home, most now cut down and built upon.
Wow I grew up in this area (Brownsville Rd) and have lived my adult life in the Northside and I never knew this. I always assumed it was Baldwin's or Brentwoods or Hazelwood... But not Pittsburgh. Thanks.
I don't currently live in Pittsburgh, but lived there for a number of years. I really enjoyed this!
Spotted the largest Box Turtle in my life in these woods, and I'm an avid mushroom hunter.
I saw a my first Box Turtle there! I got some awesome photos of it in the sunset! Maybe we saw the same turtle! I hope it's still wandering around up there!
Do you think the woods are contaminated with chemicals or heavy metals. Mushroom hunting might be iffy if your eating them a lot.
@PredecessorProfessor why would they be?
Good info. Frick Park is my whole childhood. Upper and lower. Didn't know a kid like me a long time ago is why I was playing there. That's fucking cool
Love it. Pittsburgh has so many little oddities, like all the death stairs
I grew up in Hays, spent a lot of time camping and hiking in those woods. Walking through the woods there makes it seem like you are so far away from civilization. Some of the best times of my childhood were spent in those woods,..
Those must be great memories to have. It’s a very unique place
As a fan of city planning TH-cam channels, the city of Pittsburgh, small content providers, and as an avid hiker, backpacker, and cyclist, I LOVED your video and can't wait to exlore the rest of your channel. Espcially the editorial part and I plan to look into the book you cited, having grown up along the Monongahela with a patch of "near woods" just beyond my backyards.
Been going to Holy Angels for family events and weddings for about two decades. Love Hays, and hope it stays wild forever.
Kudos to you for leaving the video intact...I think it lends to its watchability. Great job.
As a recent move in and a history nerd, I enjoyed the video. Keep them coming. Thumbs up!
Thanks! I’ve got one in the works as we speak
Great way to explore the history of Pittsburgh. Keep it up.
Thank you!
That Glenwood bridge replaced a little bridge that was paved-covered with wood planks in the 50s. Was like a scary Kennywood ride!!
Thoughtful and well organized. I live now in Florida where my rural suburb of North Port is fast becoming the strip mall suburban sprawl which has destroyed other nearby communities, such as Cape Coral, devoid of character or a sense of community. I know Hays from Holy Angels, a small company that made awnings, but mostly as a transit point or shortcut from my home in Castle Shannon to my office the other side of the Parkway East. Many a cold Winter's day from Hays across the Rankin Bridge to Braddock I would have a large Bald Eagle fly by. I used to golf and had my wedding reception at at Holly Hill before Herb Connor (my wife's former attorney) developed it into housing. Glass Run and Street's Run were always the shortcut to my sister-in-law's place in White Hall. I love to see it but do not miss the Winter!
Thank you for sharing! Always interested to hear other people’s experiences with various parts of the city and what it means to them. Glad you enjoyed the video!
So cool to see this as a Baldwin resident. Super cool to see my house on the aerial maps and see you drive on the same streets I drive on. Fantastic video!
Great video, Noles, describing the history of a patch of greenery that I have known all of my life. I grew up in North Baldwin in the 80s and 90s, so exploring and playing in Hays Woods was among my regular haunts. Back then we called this forest "Forty Acres." Albeit, the property is far larger than this size as you discussed. I have no idea the origin of this name. Nevertheless, it might prove interesting to investigate.
Additionally, my grandfather grew up in Hays as a boy and his family home no longer exists as it was demolished when the freeway interchange was developed. He attended elementary school at Holy Angels Catholic School which no longer exists but the parish and church surely still does. This is also the parish in which my family belonged when I was growing up.
Thank you for sharing local history for a small Pittsburgh neighborhood that possesses a personal connection for me.
Greetings from Butler Pennsylvania. I moved here 3 years ago from Tampa Bay Florida. After 40 years down there I'm back. I'm 62 and on disability and it got very expensive there. Thanks for the video. I'm always interested in the history up here in the rust belt. It's a shame what happened to this area. No jobs like in the past. Butler home of the Jeep. Peace ✌️.
Thanks for watching!
Great video! As a lifetime Pittsburgher, it is truly appreciated.
The part about annexation makes me think of my own neighborhood. I live in Oakwood, which is near Westwood. Apparently it was part of Chartiers Township and then the whole township was annexed by the city in the 1920’s.
It makes looking up the history of our home kinda difficult.
I live on Becks Run. I formerly lived on the Southside. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s a portion of Hays woods above Beck Run served as a gathering place for picnic and such. It was referred to at the time as forty acres. During this time, I believe it was owned by J&L Steel. Strangely the land is currently owned by the City of Pittsburgh, even though the majority of the land is located in Baldwin Boro.
Sounds like a lovely picnic spot
I grew up in Carrick and explored this area in the 70’s and 80’s. I also knew it as forty acres. Lots of good memories.
First video I've seen from you. Very nice! Curious where this channel is going.
Amazing video! I would love to see another video on the abandon highway plans!
Stay tuned!
5:16 “noted property-tax lover” is the exact kind of description that makes me want to look that guy up, tho I already know what I’ll find.
I grew up with the forest in my backyard, and I have to say: it changed my life. I was recently in Europe for a while. It’s not like that there. Forests all over entire countries are eradicated and replaced with farmland. Trees only exist in small and controlled format. We as people need the wilds. They speak to us. They spoke to me as a child, trekking down the steep hill and sitting by the creek, taking in God’s world.
I'm from Indianapolis. My parents grew up on Cathell Rd and my grandparents lived there until their deaths around 2003.As I a child when we would visit my grandparents you could see the glow of lights down in the valley and was told it was Mesta Machine. I recall lots of motorcycles being ridden in the woods just at the top of the hill of Cathell Rd and into the valley. This mst have been early '70s. When I got to be a little older I was allowed to explore the woods and I remember crossing Glass Run Rd and exploring the woods on the north side of that street.I thought it was pretty but a lot of people were dumping trash back there too.I hope thats gone. I havent been there in almost 20 years Pittsburgh that is but this video reminded me of a slice of my childhood.Thanks mate.Cheers
Sounds like great memories to have! Thanks for watching
There hasn't been much dumping back there lately. Since it became an official park there's a lot more activity in there.
Great perspective, thank you.
Super cool, thanks dude
Nailed it, indeed!
thoroughly enjoyed this, especially the mention of “Near Woods”. Got to check that out.
I travel through here every day. So cool. Great video
awesome video! looking forward to more in the future :) I'll have to go exploring hays woods sometime soon!
Thank you! It’s a great place to spend some time :)
I just explored these awesome woods this past summer while Geocaching. Great video, I'm an IUP alum too!
Thank you! Go Crimson Hawks!
Pittsburgh is a really interesting city. It has more bridges than Venice. More trees and greenery than other urban centers. It has its own dialect where 'Yinz' comes from. And had several historical importance ever since the French and Indian War all the way up to the cold war as a steel mill powerhouse. And now an example of a city re-inventing itself from an industrial city.
Great video! Thank you for the wonderful content!!
I used to live in Lincoln Place, which sits just south of Munhall. I'm im very familiar with this area here. I supposed I never appreciated just how wooded it was, then again, I live near Frick Park now, so I guess I'm just used to wooded areas and have been taking it for granted
Awesome video! Fellow Pittsburgher here just subscribed.
Thanks for the subscription!
Solid presentation, thanks.
Thank you!
Holy shit a whole video about the area around my favorite park!!! I wish it was better maintained but they're still figuring that out. I love how I'll go out on a beautiful day and see maybe like 10 people. The meadow is maybe the most beautiful place in the city and it's an incredible spot for birding. Thank you for this!!
Glad you liked the video! I agree, the area is so beautiful!
I don’t know how this ended up in my recommended for you, but I’m so glad it did! I live in Pittsburgh myself (near Highland) and I vaguely knew about Hays Woods but never thought to question why there was so much forest there. It makes me happy you made this video to put it’s history together so cleanly! I haven’t gotten to give it a proper visit yet, but I think now is a better time than never. :)
Great job sir! Great history, great narrative, great cursing 😮 🎉 Worked with a lot of guys from IUP, clearly a great school.
So much of a higher value as wooded than developed. Best neighbor is woods.
Yeah you just earned a subscriber from me. I love how Pittsburgh seems to have so many hidden quirks in areas like this. Definitely love exploring some of the unique areas we have around here. That’s why I love it here you just don’t get this kind of stuff in most other places.
I lived in a neighborhood in Baldwin next to it for 18 years ! We loved having that forest there, fun to play in during the summer. Neighborhood is pretty much right where the “Baldwin owns all of this stretch” label is on top of 0:59
Baldwin sucks
You’re no Dean Bog…. Yet 😁
Liked and subscribed. Keep up the good work! 💜💜
Dean Bog has set a high bar for Pittsburgh TH-camrs! Thank you for the comment :)
We used to do dual sport rides in the city and always hit 40 acres for our dirt fix.
Just found your channel but would absolutely love a video about the failed highway projects of Pittsburgh.
I agree with you! Leave Hays Woods just be as it is!
I saw that 3d print on Reddit! Thanks YT for the algorithm suggestion. PGH!
Shout aht Scoob’s dad in this video!🖤💛🤟✌️
Amazing work
The real reason Hays Woods was never developed was there are cliffs on the side facing the river.
Hays had a street car line up until the 50's.
But only one road went up there from Glass Run Road.
You used to be able to drive your car up to 40 acres.
A man was murdered in the 70's. His body was missing for years. The case made the national news. The body was found up in 40 acres. There was an investigation, but I don't remember much about it.
After that a pile of bricks were dumped in the road going up to 40 acres at Glass Run Road.
Love reading the posts from others who are from Hays or whose family lived there. My great grandparents moved there in the 1870s, the house still stands on Baldwin Road, last one on right before the overpass heading south. The family store is now part of the Holy Angels parking lot, along with the fine brick Victorian house that was a cleaners for a long time. The flippers as usual screwed the old house up, but I digress...... every summer we went and stayed with my grandparents in that house for a couple weeks and all the cousins and hangers on would come by and share food and stories - great memories. I'd like to hear about the Hays Bros and Rischer coal companies and their physical plants if anybody knows, working on an idea of an article about Hays as a boom town then a bust town. I think it was 1969 when the old Glenwood bridge was blown up after the new one opened. My friend Eddie Monfredi wrote an article about his family crossing the bridge on the girders under the wood deck so they didn't have to pay the toll along with 3 or 4 more about living in Hays during the era after the Italians moved in to work the mills, you can find them using a search engine if you like.
40 acres is what them woods are known as by the people who live here.had a lot of fun up in them woods.now the eagle 🦅 watchers are always up there because they have nests and the eagle cam.
Many times when I talk to people from, say, the UK, they always admire that the US has so much green space.
Interesting video. From watching the road I would never guess it was in major US city
Right? Pittsburgh has a lot of hidden little places. Glad you liked the video!
Interesting video. I'm from Pittsburgh, been up Glass Run Rd, Streets Run Rd and Becks Run Rd countless times.
You asked for feedback, so I'll say that I would have really appreciated more explanation of the geography, maybe with some map-based explanations. I've been hearing about Hays Woods in recent years, but it's never been really clear to me where it is, how it's evolved over the years, and so forth.