The original land for Ben Avon Heights belonged to the farms of Samuel Taylor and John Wilson. In 1906 Walter P. Fraser of Ben Avon bought 84 acres on the former Taylor farm and used forty of the acres to build the Ben Avon Country Club and golf course. Fraser opened up the rest of the property for residential development, calling the area Ben Avon Heights. The rural site attracted Pittsburghers who wanted summer homes.
In less than a decade development had progressed to the point that residents sought to incorporate, which was accomplished in 1913. The Ben Avon Country Club closed in 1917, after which the golf course property was divided into housing lots. In 1920 Shannopin Country Club opened with its clubhouse situated in the Borough and the golf course in Kilbuck Township. It remains the only commercial property in Ben Avon Heights.
In the early thirties John I. Thompson purchased a portion of the John Wilson Farm in Kilbuck Township adjacent to the Heights and built housing there. The borough annexed the "Thompson Plan" in 1936, setting the current boundaries. The borough now contains 143 homes, a community park, and the Shannopin club house in its almost two square-mile area.
BEN AVON HEIGHTS OVER TIME
Below are images that show the progression of Ben Avon Heights from its beginning.
