Richland Township, a community of over 9,000 people, is located in Northern Allegheny County, 18 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our semi-rural community features an 80 acre park, a variety of places to shop, beautiful neighborhoods, top-notch schools, and direct access to major roadways -- State Routes 8 & 910 and PA Interstate 76.It was about 1800 when John Crawford built his log cabin here in what was then Pine Township. John owned 403 acres, 88 perches of ground. His homestead was the first human habitation for miles around. It was not elaborate, this first house. The logs were notched, hoisted to form walls and the cracks stuffed with mud, stones and sticks. John Crawford's bed was crude, a platform built on forked sticks rammed into the dirt floor and covered with oak leaves and cattails. A bearskin blanket provided warmth at night.Modern Bakerstown sits on what were 2 lots of the "Depreciation Lands" in Cunningham's District 4. Each lot was 206 acres. Main Street ran north and south between them. The lots, originally surveyed in 1783, had several owners, none of which were residents, before Thomas Baker, a Nova Scotian, bought them about 1810. He laid out the crossroads community, on Lot #10 of which, in 1820, William Waddle, a Scot, built a tavern at the crossroads of Packsaddle Trail (now Bakerstown Road) and the Vernango Trail (now route 8). The tavern was operated by William, by his son-in-law James Harbison and then by his son John S.

Bakerstown was becoming sophisticated by 1850 --it had street names! A post in Virgin Alley marked one corner of a five acre lot sold for $400.00 by John Waddle to John and Mary Ann Stirling in 1858. In addition to a tavern , John operated a distillery, and was among the community's most respected citizens. As we remarked earlier, the tavern keeper was always a man of high local prestige. John S. Waddle, born in 1838, operated Bakerstown's first slaughterhouse and butcher shop.James Harbison came to Bakerstown in 1824 and paid $25.00 for his 20-acre lot to James Heginbotham. It was located north of the Baker property. Harbison's first home was a log building, called the corn crib, which was later remodeled into Wright's livery stable. He built his place in 1831, three walls of logs with the front covered by a homespun blanket during the day. At night he slept under the blanket. This house was located between the Allen residence and the Civic Clubhouse. James Jones and his brother, Dr. Israel Jones, were important men when Harbison moved into the community. James Jones was postmaster, schoolteacher, tavern keeper, store proprietor, brick maker and school director.