Steel City Stories · Ward Politics

2 stories tagged “Ward Politics”

History4 min read

The Three Rivers Had A Fourth Current: Cash

Pittsburgh’s maps show three rivers, but an older power structure moved on a fourth current: cash that rarely appeared in ledgers — through mills, ward clubs, and protected rooms.

2026-06-16

History4 min read

The Precinct Captain’s Little Black Book

Before voter databases and campaign apps, political intelligence lived in notebooks, kitchens, saloons, union halls, and the memory of a precinct captain. The captain knew who had moved.

2026-06-25

Explore More Topics

pittsburgh history Pittsburgh history corruption neighborhoods labor history local Black Pittsburgh food gambling urban renewal activities city hall enforcement events grand jury Hill District Mon Valley nightlife North Side numbers game organized crime 1907 Allegheny City annexation city council Civic Arena civil rights culture dining Lower Hill public health reform sports steel city stories Tony Grosso vice visitors 1877 1892 1909 strike 1911 reform 1918 influenza 1919 1936 flood 1948 smog 1968 805 accountability air pollution Anthony Michael Grosso at-large elections August 5 1930 bars bribery bus business Carnegie Steel Chateau coal mining coffee community construction corruption costs council court records crime reporting Darr Mine David L. Lawrence David Lawrence deindustrialization Democratic Party discover disinvestment displacement district elections Donora Double V Downtown Pittsburgh drugs East Liberty economy elections FBI Vault festivals flood control graft Great Railroad Strike Great Steel Strike hidden gems Homestead Strike Homewood Hunter v City of Pittsburgh indoor investigation investigations IWW labor lawrenceville machine politics machines Magee-Flinn Manchester markets Martin Luther King Jr McKees Rocks media mine disaster museums neighborhood history newspapers numbers bank numbers banker oakland Oakland pandemic pedestrian mall penguins Penn Circle Pennsylvania Lottery Pennsylvania Railroad performance Pinkertons pirates Pittsburgh Courier Pittsburgh gambling Pittsburgh mayor police politics power precinct captain preservation Pressed Steel Car private clubs Progressive Era Prohibition property records public contracts public policy Red Scare redevelopment Renaissance restaurant week restaurants roasteries Route 51 Roxie Long social clubs south side St Patricks Day flood startups steel steel collapse steelers strip district suburbs summer taverns transit trends video poker voting rights weekend whistleblowers winter World War II