Pittsburg, TX
N 32° 59.686 W 094° 58.033
15S E 316205 N 3652425
The small East Texas town of Pittsburg earned a mention in the WPA Guide to Texas
Waymark Code: WM1069Z
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/06/2019
Views: 4
The waymark coordinates are for the Pittsburg City Hall in downtown Pittsburg, not far from the (now) famous Pittsburg Hot Links restaurant.
From the WPA Guide to Texas:
"[page 401] TOUR 4 4O1
PITTSBURG, 78 m. (392 alt., 2,640 pop.), spreads out in neighborly fashion, the newer homes and buildings blending with those of more ancient vintage. Few people hurry in Pittsburg. Its most outstanding feature is the odd elbow effect of the main street. According to local tradition, when the town's one street was being laid out, a huge, beautiful tree blocked the way, and rather than cut it down the citizens chose to walk and drive around it.
Southward, the route passes through a heavily timbered area where gum lumber is sold.
The VAN PITTS HOME (open), 80 m. f was constructed (L) several years prior to the Civil War by a slave for whom the owner paid $3,000 in gold. A two-story portico and wide hallway are indicative of its antebellum construction.
This region was once inhabited by Cherokees and Caddoes, and from the vicinity the Department of Anthropology and Archeology of the University of Texas has removed quantities of artifacts and skeletal remains, which are preserved in the Anthropology Museum, Waggener Hall (see Austin)."
It appears that the Van Pitts home, so prominently featured in the WPA Guide, is no longer standing. We could find no other mention of it on the internet, and we did not see it when we were in town visiting the historic homes.
The odd elbow of Main Street is still there, but the tree is long gone. In 2019 the area is a tiny pocket park with a gazebo.
Book: Texas
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 401
Year Originally Published: 1940
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