About Ben Avon Heights, PA
Ben Avon Heights, PA is a community in Allegheny County that is actually part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. It is home to a small number of commuters and summer home dwellers that prefer to live in the peaceful surroundings of a suburb such as this. Many of the homes are located on large land plots that are not too close to neighbors and the community is carpeted with green grass, plenty of trees, and beautiful two story homes. The residential area is a relatively small community and it is reported that there is only about 148 homes here. Ben Avon Heights is actually a neighbor community to the small Borough of Ben Avon.
The land here was originally farmland.
The original owners were a couple of gentlemen by the names of John Wilson and Samuel Taylor. When you soak in the scenery of this community, you actually do get the feel of it once being farmland. Then, in 1906, another gentleman by the name of Walter Pringle Fraser bought 84 acres of the farmland for new development. He divided his purchase with 40 acres reserved to build a country club and the remaining acreage open for residential development projects. This was the birth of the place and name of Ben Avon Heights, PA and the Ben Avon Country Club.
The Ben Avon Country Club closed in 1917 and the land was subdivided for more residential development.
America was deeply entrenched in World War I during this time period and some gentlemen met to discuss the possibility of opening a new country club so as to have a little diversion from the global conflict. These gentlemen, R. H. Houston, J. L. McBride, and D.H. Roelofs, decided to use some of the land on Ben Avon Heights and some land from Jackman Farm to the east and build a new country club and golf course.
In September of 1920, the Shannopin Country Club opened for business.
The old Jackman farmhouse was renovated into sort of a makeshift clubhouse until the new clubhouse was completed in 1922. Along with the clubhouse, a couple of tennis courts were built. Today, the golf course acreage is much larger but originally they built a nine-hole golf course.
The Shannopin Clubhouse continued to grow throughout its history.
Features like a cocktail lounge, swimming pool, ballroom, large dining area, grill area, bath house, and snack bar have all been added and today it stands as a first class golfer’s getaway. They have also completed several improvements to the golf course to include an underground water drainage system the keeps the green dry and ready for play almost anytime throughout the year.
Just to the southwest of Ben Avon Heights, PA lies the Borough of Ben Avon.
This is a community that started out being advertised as one of them most popular places to live within Allegheny County. It was incorporated as a borough in 1891. In the early 20th century, it served as a commuter rail head for the wealthy merchants to travel into Pittsburgh, do business, and return to their mansions in the evening.
Much has changed today since highways and the automobile replaced rail commuting.
Boroughs like these are not quite the bustling madhouses they used to be in the finest hour of the American railroad. But, you can still enjoy the Shannopin Country Club and the peaceful serenity this area has to offer. Stop by on your next visit through Allegheny County.