OUNTY OF LLEGHENY C A

RICH FITZGERALD COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Proclamation WHEREAS, the Squirrel Hill Historical Society has been successful in its efforts to have a historical marker sited on Beechview Boulevard in the Squirrel Hill, Greenfield neighborhood; recognizing the farmstead of Simon Girty and his efforts in support of Native Americans on the western frontier, the marker is only one of 18 awarded this year in the Commonwealth – it is the only one in Allegheny County; and

WHEREAS, the dedication of the historical marker will occur as part of the Ninth Annual Turner Cemetery History Walk, sponsored by Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church and the Friends of Turner Cemetery, being held on Saturday, September 30; the cemetery is a historic half-acre graveyard dating to 1785 that contains the remains of early settlers of Squirrel Hill and military veterans from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars; in addition to guided tours, historical displays and talks, reenactors from the 8th Regiment will also be encamped in the cemetery; and

WHEREAS, as part of the day’s festivities, a dedication ceremony of the marker for Simon Girty will be held; Girty owned 140 acres in what is now Squirrel Hill and Greenfield, including where Turner Cemetery is located; his complicated life illustrates the issues and challenges faced by the Americans, British and Native Americans during the conflicts of the time; the marker will later be installed outside the cemetery on Beechwood Boulevard; and

WHEREAS, universally hated by frontier residents, Simon Girty was a former Indian captive who was adopted by the Indians during the French & Indian War; while he was distrusted and his motivations suspect, Girty was nonetheless seen as a person who used his influence with the Indians to save prisoners’ lives; while Girty continued in service with the British in their ongoing war for control of the Ohio Country, he never fully reconciled his British, American and Seneca identities and died in relative obscurity at his home near , in 1818.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby congratulate the Squirrel Hill Historical Society on the occasion of receiving and dedicating this historical marker to Simon Girty, and commend them for their commitment to gathering, preserving the historical memories of the East End neighborhood.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the County of Allegheny to be affixed this 30th day of September, 2017.

Rich Fitzgerald RICH FITZGERALD