Squaw Run Road in Fox Chapel will become Hemlock Hollow Road

Tawnya Panizzi, The Tribune-Review, Greensburg
·2 min read

Mar. 16—In a nod to the borough's early years, Fox Chapel council voted on Monday night to rename Squaw Run Road to Hemlock Hollow Road, bringing an end to a nine-month conflict on how to remove the slur "Squaw" from place names.

The change to one of the borough's most heavily traveled roads will be effective by May 1. Council noted that Hollow was the original name of the windy wooded road.

In addition, Squaw Run Road East was renamed Riding Meadow Road.

Council voted late last fall to eliminate the word Squaw from two borough roads and a trail, following a national trend to remove the slur from place names.

"Thank you for all the hard work," said resident and Native American Michele Leonard, who spearheaded the name change effort last summer. "It's been quite a journey that meant a lot to people near and far."

Councilwoman Mandy Steele reached out to experts across the country to learn how best to replace the name, including those from The National Congress of American Indians, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Association on American Indian Affairs and the Seneca Nation, a tribe that has roots in the area.

"It is now beautifully named Hemlock Hollow Road, named after the critically endangered native Eastern Hemlock tree that is threatened by an invasive insect that is being fueled by climate change," Steele said. "What a great opportunity to honor our beautiful hemlocks and bring climate change into our community's discussions while respecting the Native American guidance to use a nature name."

At the same time, council approved the renaming of 12 private lane names that sit along Squaw Run and Squaw Run East.

Most notably, the road that leads to Shady Side Academy Middle School will be renamed Benedum Lane and the road that leads to the homes on the Heinz Estate will be called Hilltop Lane.

Residents of the private lanes were solicited for input on their new street names.

Property owners who are impacted by the changes will be compensated $250 by the borough for their inconvenience and there will be a help desk set up at Cooper-Siegel Community Library for those who need assistance with the paperwork.

Tawnya Panizzi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tawnya at 412-782-2121 x1512, tpanizzi@triblive.com or via Twitter .