Circa 1900: The Monongahela House was, in its day, considered one of the finest hotels west of New York. Located at the intersection of Smithfield and Water streets (now Fort Pitt Boulevard), the original Monongahela house was built in 1840, only to burn in the great Pittsburgh fire of 1845. A large, more grand structure was built in its place two years later and became a favorite of travelers from around the world. Among its famous guests were Stephen Foster, Charles Dickens, the Prince of Wales (later to become King Edward the Seventh), P.T. Barnum, Teddy Roosevelt, Ulysses S. Grant and, on Feb.14, 1861, President-elect Abraham Lincoln. The hotel was razed in 1935 to make way for a bus depot. On the back of this undated print is a stamp crediting Trinity Court Studios at 313 Sixth Ave., Pittsburgh.
ZOOM into this picture and find the maid in the window.
