A history of 15068, from the 1769 Parnassus tract to 2026

Research compiled Sept. 23, 2026

From the Parnassus land tract and Fort Crawford to the first aluminum works, the 1950 census peak and the Fifth Avenue revival: 61 dated events, each linked to where it was reported.

1769–1890

1769

The name 'Parnassus' appears.

The name 'Parnassus' was used as early as 1769 for a 300-acre tract of land that later became the Parnassus section of New Kensington.

Source: Parnassus Pen

1777

Fort Crawford built.

Continental Army troops built Fort Crawford, a stockade near the mouth of Pucketa Creek, named for Col. William Crawford. Settlers used it as a refuge during attacks and as a storehouse for munitions and supplies.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

1793

Fort Crawford abandoned.

Fort Crawford was used more or less regularly for about sixteen years and stopped operating in 1793.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

1852

Burrell Township formed.

Burrell Township was carved out of Allegheny Township by court order and named for Judge Jeremiah Murry Burrell of the Westmoreland County Court.

Source: City of Lower Burrell

1852

Major Andrew Arnold settles the Arnold area.

The area around Arnold was first settled by Indian fighter Major Andrew Arnold, who gave the city its name. (Wikipedia also gives 1781 as a settlement date.)

Note: Sources differ: 1852 (settlement by Maj. Andrew Arnold) vs. 1781 (settled) in Wikipedia.

Source: City of Arnold

1867

Arnold Station opens.

Arnold Station, a railroad stop, was established on land given by the Arnold family.

Source: City of Arnold

1872

Parnassus becomes a borough.

The borough of Parnassus was incorporated. It stayed independent until New Kensington absorbed it decades later.

Source: Parnassus Pen

1879

Lower and Upper Burrell split.

Burrell Township was divided into two townships, Lower Burrell and Upper Burrell.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

1888

Pittsburgh Reduction Company starts in Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Reduction Company, later Alcoa, built its first plant on Smallman Street in Pittsburgh. By 1890 it made 5,000 pounds of aluminum a month.

Source: Library of Congress

1890

'Kensington' planned.

The Burrell Improvement Company picked the level riverfront land south of Lower Burrell for a new city and named it 'Kensington'. The name was later changed to 'New Kensington' to avoid postal confusion with the Philadelphia neighborhood.

Source: Wikipedia

1891–1945

1891

Great land sale: June 10, 1891.

The Burrell Improvement Company held a public lot sale on June 10, 1891, offering free train rides from Pittsburgh. About 500 lots sold for $135,000 in the first three days.

Source: newkensingtoncatholic.org

1891

Aluminum works come to New Kensington.

Charles M. Hall's Pittsburgh Reduction Company moved its plant 17 miles up the Allegheny River to New Kensington. It was the company's first major aluminum plant outside Pittsburgh.

Source: Library of Congress

1891

Chambers Glass Company opens in Arnold.

The Chambers Glass Company opened in Arnold and became one of the largest window-glass factories in the United States.

Source: Library of Congress

1891

Twelve companies by year's end.

By the end of 1891, New Kensington had 12 companies employing 4,000 people.

Source: rauhjewisharchives.org

1892

Borough incorporated.

New Kensington was incorporated as a borough on Nov. 26, 1892.

Source: Wikipedia

1892

First Jewish merchant.

Isaac Claster, a peddler who bought a lot at the 1891 sale, built a clothing store on Tenth Street.

Source: rauhjewisharchives.org

1896

Arnold becomes a borough.

Arnold was incorporated as a borough.

Source: Wikipedia

1901

Wear-Ever cookware founded.

Charles M. Hall and Alfred E. Hunt founded the Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company in New Kensington on Oct. 24, 1901. It sold the Wear-Ever brand, and its top line was called 'Kensington Ware'.

Source: mycompanies.fandom.com

1904

Valley Daily News begins.

The Valley Daily News, based in Tarentum, began publishing on June 27, 1904. It is a forerunner of the Valley News Dispatch.

Source: Library of Congress

1907

Beth Jacob Congregation incorporated.

By 1905 about 25 Jewish families had opened a small synagogue in the 1100 block of Third Avenue. They incorporated Beth Jacob Congregation in May 1907.

Source: rauhjewisharchives.org

1912

Trinity Hospital chartered.

Trinity Hospital, later Citizens General Hospital, was chartered on Dec. 12, 1912, at 427 Sixth Ave. in Parnassus.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

1913

Alcoa works expand into Arnold.

Alcoa's New Kensington Works expanded across the city line into Arnold.

Source: Wikipedia

1915

Alcoa donates hospital site.

Alcoa donated land at Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street in New Kensington for Citizens General Hospital.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

1921

Liberty Theatre opens.

The Liberty Theatre opened on May 2, 1921, at Fifth Avenue and Eighth Street.

Source: cinematreasures.org

1927

New Kensington Bridge opens.

The C. L. Schmitt Bridge (New Kensington Bridge) over the Allegheny River opened on June 29, 1927.

Source: structurae.net

1929

Alcoa Research Laboratory.

Alcoa built its research laboratory on Freeport Road in 1928-1930. Architect Henry Hornbostel designed it as a showcase of aluminum details.

Source: Library of Congress

1930

Population 16,762.

The census counted 16,762 residents in New Kensington.

Source: Wikipedia

1931

Parnassus absorbed.

New Kensington absorbed the neighboring borough of Parnassus.

Note: Britannica and TribLIVE say 1931; Wikipedia says 1939.

Source: Britannica

1934

New Kensington becomes a city.

New Kensington was incorporated as a third-class city.

Source: Britannica

1936

St. Patrick's Day Flood.

The March 1936 flood hit the whole Pittsburgh region. In Parnassus, residents were rescued from the second floors of their houses in rowboats.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

1939

Arnold becomes a city.

Arnold was incorporated as a third-class city.

Source: Wikipedia

1940

Population 24,055.

New Kensington's population rose to 24,055 in the 1940 census.

Source: Wikipedia

1942

Mount St. Peter Church built.

Mount St. Peter Church was built at 100 Freeport Road in Art Deco and International styles to a design by Enos Cooke. The Dattola Theatre also opened downtown in 1942.

Source: Wikipedia

1946–1999

1950

Population peak: 25,146.

New Kensington reached its peak census population of 25,146.

Source: Wikipedia

1952

Tarentum Bridge opens.

The Tarentum-Valley Heights Bridge opened on Feb. 26, 1952, at a cost of $4.5 million. It charged a ten-cent toll until 1961.

Source: Wikipedia

1953

Willie Thrower makes NFL history.

New Kensington native Willie Thrower became the first Black quarterback in the NFL's modern era on Oct. 18, 1953, playing for the Chicago Bears.

Source: Wikipedia

1958

Penn State New Kensington founded.

Penn State's New Kensington Center opened in the First Ward School Building downtown. It moved to the former Parnassus Junior High in 1963 and to its Upper Burrell campus in 1966.

Source: newkensington.psu.edu

1959

Lower Burrell becomes a city.

Lower Burrell was incorporated as a third-class city on Jan. 12, 1959.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

1965

New Kensington-Arnold School District formed.

The New Kensington-Arnold School District was formed on July 1, 1965. Also by 1965, Alcoa had opened its Alcoa Technical Center in Upper Burrell, having outgrown the Freeport Road lab.

Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

1966

Wear-Ever headquarters leaves.

The Aluminum Cooking Utensil Company, later Wear-Ever, moved its headquarters from New Kensington, its home since 1901, to Chillicothe, Ohio.

Source: mycompanies.fandom.com

1971

Alcoa New Kensington Works closes.

Alcoa closed its New Kensington Works, which had once employed nearly a quarter of the city. The Schreiber family bought the 66-acre site that year and marketed it as Schreiber Industrial Park.

Source: WESA

1971

Valley News Dispatch name.

On Nov. 1, 1971, the merged Daily Dispatch and Valley Daily News became the Valley News Dispatch.

Source: Library of Congress

1974

Tarentum Bridge renamed.

The state Senate renamed the Tarentum Bridge the George D. Stuart Bridge. Siemens also signed the first lease at Schreiber Industrial Park that year.

Source: Wikipedia

1998

Two National Register districts.

The New Kensington Downtown Historic District (143 contributing buildings) and the New Kensington Production Works Historic District (the Alcoa works, listed May 7, 1998) were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: Wikipedia

2000–today

2000

Citizens General Hospital closes.

Citizens General merged with Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison under West Penn Allegheny, and the New Kensington hospital closed. Its building was leased as an outpatient center.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

2006

Willie Thrower statue.

A statue of Willie Thrower was unveiled at Valley High School's Memorial Stadium.

Source: Wikipedia

2009

WCCC New Kensington center opens.

Westmoreland County Community College opened its New Kensington center at 1150 Fifth Ave. in January 2009.

Source: westmoreland.edu

2010

Tom Guzzo becomes mayor.

Tom Guzzo resigned his city council seat to become mayor of New Kensington. He was still mayor in 2026.

Source: Tribune-Review archive

2011

AK Research Park.

Steve Kubrick's Kubrick Enterprises bought the 17-acre former Alcoa research campus on Freeport Road and renamed it AK Research Park.

Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

2017

Knead Community Cafe opens.

Knead Community Cafe, the first pay-what-you-can cafe in Western Pennsylvania, held its grand opening on Feb. 25, 2017, at 1011 Barnes St.

Source: kneadcommunitycafe.org

2018

City redevelopment authority buys industrial park.

The Redevelopment Authority of the City of New Kensington bought the former Alcoa works (Schreiber Industrial Park).

Source: Tribune-Review archive

2020

Corridor of Innovation and Voodoo Brewing.

The city launched its Fifth Avenue 'Corridor of Innovation', backed by a Penn State seed grant. Voodoo Brewing opened in the former Ritz Theater at 956 Fifth Ave. on Aug. 21, 2020.

Source: psu.edu

2020

Population 12,170.

The 2020 census counted 12,170 New Kensington residents, 4,772 in Arnold and 11,758 in Lower Burrell.

Source: Wikipedia

2021

Fridays on Fifth and St. Patrick's parade begin.

The monthly Fridays on Fifth food-truck night started downtown in 2021. Lower Burrell's St. Patrick's Day parade was started during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

2022

Digital Foundry opens.

The Digital Foundry at New Kensington, a 15,044-square-foot smart-manufacturing lab on Fifth Avenue, held its grand opening on June 1, 2022.

Source: psu.edu

2023

Re:Build and the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

In May 2023, Re:Build Manufacturing announced an $81 million project at the New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park that it said would create 300 jobs. In October, a WCIDC-RIDC joint venture completed its purchase of the park.

Source: pa.gov

2023

New Kensington Bridge rehab.

The C. L. Schmitt Bridge closed on July 24, 2023, for a $24.59 million preservation project and reopened on Sept. 1, ahead of Labor Day.

Source: unionprogress.com

2025

Re:Build begins production.

Re:Build finished upgrades to a 175,000-square-foot facility in the park, which straddles the New Kensington-Arnold line, and began manufacturing in early 2025.

Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

2025

Penn State votes to close PSNK.

In May 2025, Penn State trustees voted 25-8 to close seven Commonwealth Campuses, including New Kensington, after the spring 2027 semester. The campuses would admit no new students after fall 2025.

Source: Spotlight PA

2026

Planning the campus's future.

The Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland ran a public visioning survey, 'PSU (Re)New Kensington Campus', on reusing the Upper Burrell campus. No buyer or decision had been announced.

Source: WPXI

2026

Vacant hospital standoff and data-center questions.

The city struggled to reach the California owner of the vacant former Citizens General Hospital. Separately, Mayor Guzzo told residents the city was not in talks with any data-center developers.

Source: TribLive community news

New Kensington population, by census

Census counts for 1900–1920 and 1970–1990 aren’t in our data yet. In 2020 Arnold had 4,772 residents and Lower Burrell 11,758.

Source: Wikipedia

Neighborhoods

Parnassus. The oldest part of town. The name dates to a 1769 land tract, and Fort Crawford (1777) stood at the mouth of Pucketa Creek here. It was an independent borough from 1872 until New Kensington absorbed it (1931 per Britannica; some sources say 1939). Trinity/Citizens General Hospital began here in 1912, and residents were rescued by rowboat in the 1936 flood.

Source: Parnassus Pen

Downtown / Fifth Avenue. The 1891 street grid of avenues running parallel to the river and numbered cross streets. It is a National Register historic district of 143 buildings (1891-1947) and now the five-block 'Corridor of Innovation', home to the Digital Foundry, Corner LaunchBox, WCCC, Voodoo Brewing and Fridays on Fifth.

Source: Wikipedia

Valley Heights. A New Kensington neighborhood. The Tarentum Bridge opened in 1952 as the 'Tarentum-Valley Heights Bridge'.

Source: Wikipedia

Mount Vernon. A quiet residential neighborhood in the southeast of New Kensington with about 497 residents. Most homes were built between 1940 and 1969.

Source: neighborhoodscout.com

Valley Camp. Listed as a New Kensington neighborhood.

Source: Parnassus Pen

Pine Manor. Listed as a New Kensington neighborhood, along with Parnassus, Mount Vernon, Valley Camp, Valley Heights and '40 Acres'.

Source: Wikipedia

40 Acres. Listed as a New Kensington neighborhood.

Source: Wikipedia

Arnold. A separate third-class city (borough 1896, city 1939) upriver from New Kensington, named for Major Andrew Arnold. It grew around the Chambers Glass Company (1891) and the 1913 Alcoa expansion. It shares the New Kensington-Arnold School District and the Advanced Manufacturing Park with New Kensington. 2020 population: 4,772.

Source: Wikipedia

Lower Burrell. A third-class city since Jan. 12, 1959, split from Burrell Township in 1879. It covers 11.52 square miles and had 11,758 residents in 2020. Informal neighborhoods: Bon Air, Braeburn, Braeburn Heights, Central City, Edgecliff, Gladeview, Indian Fields I & II and Kinloch. Its business district overlaps Bon Air, Central City and Gladeview.

Source: Wikipedia

Landmarks and historic districts

New Kensington Downtown Historic District. National Register district (1998) of 143 contributing buildings from about 1891-1947. Highlights include the Mellon Bank Building (1900), PNC Bank (1914), the Wear Ever Building (1914-15), the U.S. Post Office (1933), the Ritz (1921-22), the Datola (1942) and Columbus (1927) theaters, and a White Castle restaurant (c. 1921-28).

Central business district, New Kensington · Map it · Source: Wikipedia

New Kensington Production Works Historic District (Alcoa works). A 60-acre National Register district (May 7, 1998) with 35 industrial buildings from about 1899-1947. It includes Alcoa's original plant, which operated from 1891 to 1971, and is documented as HAER PA-337.

Along the Allegheny River, Seventh/Ninth Street to Sixteenth Street (New Kensington-Arnold) · Source: Wikipedia

New Kensington Advanced Manufacturing Park. The former Alcoa works and later Schreiber Industrial Park, straddling the New Kensington-Arnold line. It has been owned by a WCIDC-RIDC joint venture since 2023, and Re:Build Manufacturing operates there.

New Kensington / Arnold riverfront · Source: Westmoreland County

Alcoa Research Laboratory / AK Research Park. Henry Hornbostel's limestone laboratory (1928-30), decorated with aluminum doors and fittings and documented as HAER PA-295. It has been redeveloped as AK Research Park since 2011.

Freeport Road, New Kensington · Source: Library of Congress

Mount St. Peter Church. An Art Deco and International-style Catholic church (1942, architect Enos Cooke). Its ceiling is gold tile modeled on Santa Maria Maggiore, and its altar is modeled on St. Peter's Basilica. The parish hosts the yearly Festa Italiana.

100 Freeport Road, New Kensington · Source: Wikipedia

Memorial Park. A city park of at least 25 acres with veterans' monuments, including the original World War I memorial, an M5 anti-tank gun and an F-80 jet fighter.

Stevenson Boulevard, New Kensington · Map it · Source: legion.org

Willie Thrower statue and historical marker. A statue (2006) at Valley High School's Memorial Stadium and a state historical marker (2003) honoring the NFL's first modern-era Black quarterback.

Valley Junior/Senior High School, New Kensington · Source: Historical Marker Database

Digital Foundry at New Kensington. A 15,044-square-foot smart-manufacturing training and innovation center that opened in 2022. The orange building's sawtooth roof recalls the city's industrial heritage.

855 Fifth Ave., New Kensington · Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

Ritz Theater / Voodoo at the Ritz. A historic 1920s theater in the downtown historic district, reopened in 2020 as Voodoo Brewing's brewpub.

956 Fifth Ave., New Kensington · Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

Liberty Theater. A movie theater that opened May 2, 1921. It is documented by HABS/HAER in the Library of Congress.

801 Fifth Ave., New Kensington · Source: Library of Congress

Dattola Theatre (later Kensington Theatre). Opened in 1942 as the New Dattola Theatre, and briefly reopened as the Kensington Theatre showing classic double features.

Downtown New Kensington · Source: cinematreasures.org

Former Citizens General Hospital. A 5.5-acre hospital complex on land Alcoa donated in 1915. The hospital closed in 2000, and the building was vacant in 2026 amid a dispute with its out-of-state owner.

Fourth Avenue and Seventh Street, New Kensington · Source: WPXI

Chambers Window Glass Company site. Site of Arnold's 1891 window-glass works, one of the largest in the U.S. Innovations there included the Lubbers cylinder-drawing machine. It is documented by HAER.

North of Drey (Nineteenth) Street, west of Constitution Boulevard, Arnold · Source: Library of Congress

Knead Community Cafe. Western Pennsylvania's first pay-what-you-can community cafe, opened in 2017.

1011 Barnes St., New Kensington · Map it · Source: kneadcommunitycafe.org

Fort Crawford site. Site of a 1777 Revolutionary War stockade at the mouth of Pucketa Creek. Excavations have turned up arrowheads.

Mouth of Pucketa Creek, Parnassus · Source: Tribune-Review archive

George D. Stuart (Tarentum) Bridge. A 1,784-foot continuous-cantilever Pratt deck truss bridge carrying PA 366 across the Allegheny River. It opened in 1952.

PA 366, New Kensington-Tarentum · Source: Wikipedia

C. L. Schmitt (New Kensington) Bridge. A 1927 truss bridge linking New Kensington with East Deer and PA 28.

New Kensington-East Deer · Source: historicbridges.org

K-9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Park. A Lower Burrell park that hosts the city's Community Day.

Lower Burrell · Source: Valley News Dispatch (TribLive)

Notable people from 15068 ›

Sources: Parnassus Pen, Tribune-Review archive, City of Lower Burrell, City of Arnold, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Library of Congress, Wikipedia, newkensingtoncatholic.org, rauhjewisharchives.org, mycompanies.fandom.com, cinematreasures.org, structurae.net, Britannica, newkensington.psu.edu, Valley News Dispatch (TribLive), WESA, westmoreland.edu, kneadcommunitycafe.org, psu.edu, pa.gov, unionprogress.com, Spotlight PA, WPXI, TribLive community news, neighborhoodscout.com, Westmoreland County, legion.org, Historical Marker Database, historicbridges.org.