Early PA Town Names – McKee’s Port vs. McKeesport

In our January Collectors Choice Online currency auction next week we feature a couple of lots from McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Lot 98096 offers a colorful pair of early Obsoletes from the Monongahela Valley Bank with the spelling of the town as Mckee’s Port, while lot 98431 offers an 1882 $10 Brown Back with the city shown as McKeesport.

The city was founded by David Mckee who settled in the area around 1755. In 1769, he established a river port at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and was given exclusive rights for ferriage by Queen Alliquippa, a Seneca ruler who was friends with George Washington. In the 18^th and early 19^th centuries spelling and punctuation were not standardized in deeds, maps, newspapers and currency such as these Obsoletes. It was called McKee’s Port which literally translates to the port belonging to McKee. Variants of the name include McKee’s Port, McKees Port, and the more familiar McKeesport.

During the 19^th century, as the town grew and became more industrialized, governments and mapmakers pushed for more simplified and standardized town names. Once the city was incorporated the official name became McKeesport as it appears on the National Banknote in lot 98431.

The historical significance of issued currency once used in commerce is quite interesting and provides a window into the past. There are likely countless other towns in the United States with similar stories of name changes such as this and banknotes that reflect them.

For more information on our upcoming Stack’s Bowers Galleries auctions or to find out when we will be at a show near you visit StacksBowers.com. To consign to an upcoming auction, call me at 800-458-4646 Ext. 393 or email me at [email protected].