Local History
History of Cranberry Township
From Seneca and Delaware settlements along Brush Creek to one of western Pennsylvania's fastest-growing communities, Cranberry Township's story spans three centuries of transformation.
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25
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10,696
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Articles
How Revolutionary War debt payments and the Depreciation Lands drew the first settlers to Brush Creek
889 words
An ancient Seneca trail through Cranberry Township that George Washington traveled in 1753
825 words
The electric railway that briefly connected rural Cranberry to Pittsburgh, 1908-1931
769 words
Three highways and a corporate campus transformed a farming township into Pittsburgh's richest suburb
758 words
The last working farm in an increasingly suburban township, and the fight to preserve it
733 words
Before 1750
Venango Path in Use
Seneca, Lenape, and other Native peoples travel the Venango Path through present-day Cranberry Township, connecting the ...
1749
Celoron Expedition
Captain Celoron de Blainville leads a French expedition down the Allegheny River, crossing the northeast corner of Butle...
December 27, 1753
Washington Passes Through Cranberry
Twenty-one-year-old George Washington and Christopher Gist travel the Venango Path through present-day Cranberry Townshi...
1783
Depreciation Lands Created
Pennsylvania purchases approximately 720,000 acres from the Iroquois Nation to compensate Revolutionary War veterans wit...
1796
First Settlers Arrive
The Graham brothers, Benjamin Johnston, Alexander Ramsey, Samuel Duncan, and others become the first permanent European ...
1796
Franklin Road Opened
The Franklin Road, the first wagon road northward from Pittsburgh, is opened over the ancient Venango Path route.
March 12, 1800
Butler County Established
Butler County is formally created from Allegheny County, encompassing the settlements at Brush Creek.
1803
Duncan's Saw Mill Built
Samuel Duncan erects the first saw mill in the township on Brush Creek, along with a distillery noted for fine whisky.
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