Living History: The Ginkgo Trees in North Side

Last fall, Allegheny Commons was awash in bright yellow leaves. Standing in the middle of a park dating back to 1867 while a train whistled through the autumn splendor made me feel like I was in another world. I’d never seen anything quite like it, and I could have kicked myself for forgetting my camera. I swore I wouldn’t miss the chance to see these lovely Ginkgo trees again, and this past Monday I went back to Allegheny Commons, camera in hand.

Allegheny Commons is a park located in Deutschtown, a neighborhood in the North Side. I lived in Deutschtown (also known as East Allegheny) for two years in a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse-turned-apartment-complex. If I walked in one direction, I came across a 19^th century carriage house (more on that in another entry), and in the opposite direction I could walk through Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Commons, the city’s oldest park.

According to the website for Allegheny Commons, Ginkgo trees were ideal for surviving and thriving in Pittsburgh’s industrial, smoky environment, and subsequently the trees were quite popular during the late 1800s. Originating from East Asia, this 300 million year old plant managed to grow after the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. From the link:

“After the 1945 bombing that killed thousands and destroyed the built and natural environment, a seeming miracle occurred in the spring of 1946. The Hosenbou Temple lay in ruins meters beyond the epicenter of the bombing, yet a ginkgo tree managed to sprout from beneath the destruction. The ginkgo has long been a cherished symbol of East Asian culture; this story highlights its significance as a symbol of life and renewal.”

My mother, who grew up in Knoxville—a neighborhood just outside Carrick in the South Hills—often told me that the soot was so thick when she was a child that it blocked out the sun. Since that time, Pittsburgh’s environment, and its landscape, has changed dramatically. I can’t think of a better symbol to represent that change and resilience than the Ginkgo tree.

Photos and text by Faith Cotter