History of White Oak: An Allegheny County Park

Opened in 1974, White Oak Park is the eighth park in the Allegheny County Parks System¹. The park is in White Oak, PA which is located only 15 miles southeast from the City of Pittsburgh². The 810-acre park is filled with unique plant life that is unlike anywhere else in the state². Originally the plans were for the park to be connected to matching land with neighboring, Westmoreland County, but that deal did not follow through². 

White Oak has a rich military history that goes back almost 250 years. It all starts with the French and Indian War, in 1755, when the British planned an attack on several French forts. One of these was Fort Duquesne in Pittsburgh³. Led by Major General Braddock, around 2,400 mostly British soldiers, along with a small group of Native Americans, made their way into Pennsylvania from Virginia⁴. George Washington also was present as a volunteer aid to Major General Braddock⁴. The battle, known as the Battle of Monongahela, was a major failure, with 900 casualties and 60 of the 86 officers being killed within the first few hours, along with Major General Braddock³. The path they took is now known as Braddock Road and a portion of it passes through the White Oak area⁵.

In 1975, another park was dedicated for Braddock’s last encampment in White Oak⁶. The park, White Oak Heritage Hills Park, is located only half-mile from the encampment⁶. Along Braddock Road, the historic marker depicting such events found its permanent residence in the Heritage Hills Park after its creation in 1914. The marker had existed since 1914, but had never found a final resting place, until the creation of the Heritage Hills Park⁶. 

Not long after the Braddock campaign came through the area, in 1786, a group of settlers were attacked by a group of Native Americans. To protect themselves the residents built a blockhouse⁷. This 218.25-acre site gained the name Fort Reburn, named after one of the builders, Adam Reburn⁷. After some time, in 1834, a man named John Jones Muse bought the property⁷.

John J. Muse, born in 1796, was the descendent of Colonel Lawrence Muse, a friend of George Washington⁸. John himself fought in the War of 1812. He later served as the Allegheny County Treasurer and then later served several years on the Pennsylvania legislature⁸. After Muse passed away in 1910, his property remained with his children and later its ownership was transferred to Allegheny County.⁹

The land that originally made-up White Oak Park at opening was acquired through the Mellon family in 1958¹⁰. The family acquired all 3,600 acres, that would become 6 of the regional parks, from the original owners and then sold it to the County¹⁰. The Mellon family foundations are still active in the parks through donations to the Allegheny County Parks Foundation.

A few years after the park opened, there was talks and plans for the Muse’s home to be remodeled to become a group home for troubled youth¹¹. This plan received heavy backlash from the community as they had fears about bringing troubled kids into their community¹². This fear didn’t stay for long as a fire broke out in June of 1978, burning the home to its frame¹². While the home was rebuilt, it was never used as the proposed group home.

The restored Muse home sat empty for over a decade before another opportunity for its use arose. In 1988, Kathy Phelan Wells and the Mon-Yough Community Mental Health & Mental Retardation Services Inc. created Angora Gardens¹³. It was a collaboration with the purpose to teach mentally ill adults on how to raise Angora rabbits and to grow herbs¹³. While it stayed as a learning center for many years, it switched to become a wellness center until its closing in July of 2023¹⁴. The center offered free classes on different topics and available to be rented out for events¹⁵. It now is under the operations of Allegheny County Parks who will decide the future uses of the space¹⁴.

The Angora Gardens was a wonderful addition to not just the charm of the park but also the community. However, it isn’t the only positive addition that is in the park. Southwest of the gardens along Lincoln Way is the White Oak Animal Safe Haven, a no-kill shelter that opened in 2003¹⁶. The land on which the shelter sits is leased out by the park and the shelter was established solely on the fundraising that began in 2000 by Ina Marton¹⁶. At the time, Marton was a member of the White Oak council. She grew weary of outside animal contractors coming into the area to pick up stray animals, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. The shelter still relies on fundraising and donations for many of the animals that are currently waiting for their new homes¹⁷.

Whether you are a seasoned ecologist or a casual plant enthusiast, this park is the place to be. While the park gets its name from the abundance of White Oak trees, there also is variety of other rare plants you can’t find anywhere else in the state². While exploring, visitors can see Red Mulberries, Paw Paws, Glade Ferns, and Ramps¹⁸. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to spot a Blue Crayfish in the waters surrounding these plants¹⁸.

If you are looking for things to do outside of observing the unique plants, the park offers several activities for visitors. There are playgrounds, off-leash dog parks, bocce courts, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, and an athletic field². If you are interested in going for a hike, the park has opportunities for that too, like the scenic White Trail, which is around 2.5 miles long, and will take you around almost the entirety of the perimeter of the main park¹⁹. If you are looking for a place to get married, the park also has a wedding garden available to rent²⁰ along with other shelters, all named after different tree species that offer a wonderful place for parties².

While White Oak is small in comparison to the other county parks in Allegheny County, there is no shortage of history that can be traced back to it. While you are walking through the beautiful scenery at the park you will be walking through hundreds of years of history.

1.     The Pittsburgh Press. 1974. Review of Opening near for Park in White Oak, March 28, 1974. https://www.newspapers.com/image/141937463.

2.     ‌“Parks | White Oak | about | Allegheny County.” n.d. Www.alleghenycounty.us. https://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/white-oak/about-white-oak-park.aspx.

3.     Van Sickle, Eugene. n.d. Review of Edward Braddock. George Washington Mount Vernon. The George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/edward-braddock/.

4.     “The Braddock Campaign (U.S. National Park Service).” n.d. Www.nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/articles/braddock-campaign.htm.

5.     “Braddock’s Military Road 1755 Historical Marker.” n.d. Www.hmdb.org. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=33544.

6.     Knezevich, Nicholas. 1975. Review of White Oak Dedicates Historical Park. The Pittsburgh Press, June 15, 1975. https://www.newspapers.com/image/147671323/?terms=white%20oak%20park&match=1.

7.     “Fort Reburn Historical Marker.” n.d. Www.hmdb.org. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=109615.

8.     Everett Press. 1936. Review of Republican Candidate for Auditor General, May 15, 1936. https://www.newspapers.com/image/356728151.

9.     Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1910. Review of John J. Muse Obituary, March 4, 1910. https://www.newspapers.com/image/85879069.

10. The Pittsburgh Press. 1968. Review of County Plans to Enlarge North Park, November 17, 1968. https://www.newspapers.com/image/148039105/?terms=Settlers%20Cabin%20park%20land&match=1.

11. Freeman, Carolyn. 1978. Review of White Oak Fights County Youth Home. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 9, 1978. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89572177/?terms=White%20Oak%20Park&match=1.

12. Retchko, Bob. 1978. Review of Fire at Proposed Home Fans White Oak Fears, Resentment. The Pittsburgh Press, July 20, 1978. https://www.newspapers.com/image/146981800/?terms=White%20Oak%20Park&match=1.

13. Von Horn, Patricia. 1988. Review of Wool Employment. The Pittsburgh Press, July 24, 1988. https://www.newspapers.com/image/144070233/?terms=white%20oak%20park&match=1.

14. “Angora Gardens.” n.d. Angora Gardens. https://www.angoragardens.org/

15. “About Us.” n.d. Angora Gardens. Accessed June 13, 2023. https://www.angoragardens.org/about-us.html.

16. Fuoco, Linda. 2003. Review of Safe Haven. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 1, 2003. https://www.newspapers.com/image/89755325/?terms=White%20oak%20animal%20safe%20haven&match=1.

17. Haven, White Oak Animal Safe. n.d. “White Oak Animal Safe Haven.” White Oak Animal Safe Haven. https://whiteoakanimalsafehaven.com/about.

18. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 2021. Review of ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS ECOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT and ACTION PLAN WHITE OAK PARK. Allegheny County Parks Foundation. https://acparksfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/White-Oak-Park-Ecological-Assessment_Action-Plan.pdf.

19. “Exploring the Park Trails | Allegheny County.” n.d. Www.alleghenycounty.us. https://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/activities/trails.aspx.

20. “Parks | White Oak | Wedding Garden | Allegheny County.” n.d. Www.alleghenycounty.us. Accessed July 14, 2023. https://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/white-oak/wedding-garden.aspx.