Fairview Park
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Why it's listed
A 53-acre outdoor recreation site in rural Salem Township, Westmoreland County, Fairview Park was bought in December 1945 by the Monongahela Valley Sunday School Association, a coalition of more than forty African American churches. The property had earlier operated as a farm and roadside stop on the William Penn Highway, with a pool, recreation building, and barn. Its founders created it because Kennywood and West View Park barred African Americans from swimming, dancing, and most days of use. Through the late 1940s and 1950s the park hosted picnics, games, and church outings, and members travelled to it by bus from Pittsburgh, Washington, and Monessen. Attendance fell as the larger regional parks desegregated. The site keeps its rural setting, a frame barn, and open fields, and it is regarded as a rare example of a Jim Crow-era African American recreation ground.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the park is significant under Criterion A for Ethnic Heritage (African American) as a tangible response to Jim Crow segregation, which excluded African Americans from white-owned amusement parks such as Kennywood and West View Park. It is presented as a rare surviving example of an outdoor recreational destination for African Americans, and its period of significance runs from 1945 to 1955.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10001069, listed December 28, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | S side of Old Route 22, approx 1.5 mi E of Delmont, Salem Township |
|---|---|
| County | Westmoreland County |
| Listed | December 28, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10001069 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1945-1955 |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used today for recreation and managed by the Fairview Park Association; the nomination states the park has lost integrity of materials, design, and workmanship. |
| Acreage | 53 |
| Coordinates | 40.40772, -79.54937 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10001069.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5430846
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.