School Headlines      In the year 1892, a year's subscription to the McDonald Record-Outlook could be purchased for 50 cents, payable in advance. South Fayette residents applied for wagon licenses and daily trips were made by messenger to Pittsburgh. Oil derricks dotted the landscape and a sleigh line shipped milk from Venice to Bridgeville.       Schoolteachers were granted school terms to teach in area public schools. The percentage of students in attendance was often reported in local newspapers. An advertisement in the Record-Outlook for a principal for McDonald Public Schools, offered a salary of $60 per month and length of the term was nine months.

Sturgeon's purchase included the Hastings farm, the Joseph Kennedy farm, and farms originally owned by Samuel Sturgeon, Mrs. Agnes Kemps, and Joseph Sturgeon. The total 400 acres sold for $1,200. After Sturgeon's death in 1826, he left his property to sons Samuel and Robert.

Mike Fink - A Legend I'm a salt river roarer, and I love the wimming, and how I'm chock-full of fight ... I can outrun, out-dance, out-jump, outdive, out-drink, out-holler, and out-lick any thugs in the shape o'human that's ever put foot within two thousand miles othe big Mississippi." ... Mike Fink      The first shipment of flour from the Diamond Flour Mill owned by Joseph Campbell was sent from Old Fayette to New Orleans by riverboat around 1800, launched from the mouth of the run of Chartiers Creek, which ran high in those days. The shipment was made by Mike Fink. He had two keelboats called "The William and Matilda."       Records indicate that Fink was born on Fink's Run in Sturgeon and worked for Henry Noble's Mill in Noblestown. He was also credited with running flatboats of grain and whiskey down to Chartiers Creek and Pittsburgh. Fink became a folk hero and his adventures during the four month trip from Pittsburgh to New Orleans became legendary.       The following description of Fink is recounted from Pittsburgh, the Story of An American City, written by Stefan Lorant, "The boatmen, boisterous, bragging, cantankerous, and hard drinking, were the heroes of the rivers. After the War of 1812, there were about 3,000 of them on the western waters. Perhaps the best known of them was the Pittsburgh-born Mike Fink, a legendary figure whose escapades became part of American folklore."       "Fink enjoyed an enviable reputation in his profession, but his companionship was not sought by the better element of the community," from the History of Allegheny County.       Legend has it that Fink never lost a shooting contest with his rifle, "Bang-all." Davy Crockett is said to have challenged Fink to a shooting match once, but the two men proved evenly matched at driving nails, snuffing out candles, and shooting flies from a cow's horn. Finally, Fink shot half a comb from Mrs. Fink's head. Crockett refused the shot and admitted he was beaten.       Numerous stories tell how Fink met his death during his first expedition as a trapper in 1823. Fink reportedly shot a lifelong friend named Carpenter in a rifle contest. Carpenter, in shooting a can from Fink's head, grazed his scalp. Fink became so enraged that when his turn came, he shot his friend through the forehead. Later, one of the dead man's friends murdered Fink.       The adventures of the keelboat operator have been immortalized in numerous children's books and at Disney World of Orlando, Florida, where visitors can ride an authentic "Mike Fink" keelboat.

The land was eventually inherited by Robert's two children, Hugh and Jane. Jane married and sold her holdings to C. Hanson Love of Pittsburgh. Love conceived an idea for a plan of lots for these lands.

Sturgeon dates back to the latter part of the 1700's. Predominately farmland, the community was first called Arlington and the area where Robinson Run Cemetery is now located was known as Arlington Heights. A third name given the town was Willow Grove, with a post office by the same name. After a time, the name Willow Grove was dropped because a town with a similar name was located near Philadelphia. Most of the settlers immigrated from Belgium, France, and England (1870-1890) to work in the coal mines and to build railroads.

The area now known as Noblestown, located in both North and South Fayette Townships, was first purchased in 1709 by Colonel Vallandigham, a civil engineer. It was the oldest town in this part of the county and an important trading post before Pittsburgh became a sizeable town. The route from Noblestown "over the ridge and past the Bathany (sometimes called Braddock) Cemetery, along Millers Run" was used by pack trains transporting merchandise over the mountains.

The town was later named "Noblesburg" in 1773 in honor of Colonel Henry Noble, who is credited with building one of the first flour mills in Old Fayette Township. Colonel Noble's merchant mill was one of the earliest and was located at the foot of Mill Street with a sawmill adjoining. Noblestown also had one of the first established post offices in 1823.

Colonel Noble sold "119 perches of land" on September 13, 1796 to Francis Hamilton of Fayette Township who agreed "to build thereon a dwelling house either of stone or brick, frame or hewn logs, at least twenty feet by eighteen, and to cover the same with a shingled roof," within two years, or relinquish all claim to property. Cost of property was five pounds, ten shillings and other buyers, all Fayette residents, parceled off the remainder of the land.

Robinson Run formed the bound ary between North and South Fayette Townships. Oakdale was named for the majestic oak trees growing on the hillside in 1892. The town's 44 growth resulted in a great measure from the opening of the coal mines in the vicinity. The estimated population was 400 people." Oakdale Station was located on the Panhandle Railroad and laid out by C. H. Love, a portion lying in South Fayette Township.

The Oakdale Mutual Fire Insurance Company was incorporated in April of 1874. Officers were: President, William C. McFarland; Secretary, J. W. Nesbit; General Agent, C. J. Vance. Report for 1886 showed policies in force aggregating more than $800,000.

Bridgeville was one of the oldest towns west of the Alleghenies. The town received its name for a bridge built across a shallow ravine by a colonist. Daniel Bennett, in his numerous history books on Bridgeville said, "to call the town 'bridge' was deemed hardly enough, so 'ville' was added."

Three settlers are credited for making claims on the Bridgeville area. Thomas Redman, in 1786, claimed the area called Gould City

and in 1785, Thomas Ramsey purchased a portion north of Station Street, beginning at Millers Run. Benjamin Reno claimed 342 acres from Station Street to Chartiers Creek, but died before he obtained a patent. Bridgeville became a bor- ough on July 31st, 1901.

The town of McDonald was laid out in 1781, taking its name from Old Fort McDonald. Settled in 1775 by John McDonald, the western part of the present day town grew up around the old McDonald Farm.

Morgan was named after an early settler, John Morgan, who had the original land warrant in 1787. He called his purchase "Armagh". The land was later patented by Moses Coulter in 1811. No documentation could be found on the origin of the name Cuddy," which was assigned as the name of the post office. The community of Treveskyn was reportedly named after an Indian chief according to an early marker placed along Millers Run Road by the Western Pennsylvania Historical Society.

Battleridge Road, which was named for the numerous battles with Indians, traces its origins back to the French and Indian Wars. "Old Battleridge Road" followed a different path than the present highway, cutting in a southerly direction through the property currently owned by George Bentrem. The area was rich in natural springs, attracting an abundance of wildlife. Native Indians considered the new settlers a threat to their hunting grounds.

Mohawk Road was named for the numerous confrontations between settlers and the Mohawk Indians. One of the stories about the area tells of an Indian attack on three young girls in the flax field. The family of the children found one daughter dead in the field and the other two were kidnapped. Many years later, the third daughter, who had been traded from tribe to tribe, was found in a "long house" in Michigan.

First identified as "Gradatin," Gladden was named after Thomas Donaldson Gladden. Gladden offered free land to any religious denomination who wished to build a church. In 1894, the Gladden United Presbyterian Church was constructed on the donated land. Three years later, Gladden donated a bell to the church. The original structure was razed in 1973, and a new church erected. The bell is all that remains of the original building.

Boyce Road was named for the Richard Boyce family of Quakers who immigrated to South Fayette from Ireland. Chartiers Creek was named for Peter Chartier, a famous half-breed Shawnee. Chartier's father was a prominent Indian trader of French parentage.