About North Versailles Township
North Versailles is a first-class township in Allegheny County. A primarily residential community approximately 12 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The Township has a total area of 8.3 square miles. According to the 2020 Census, there are 10,074 people and 4,782 households in North Versailles.
North Versailles is in close proximity to downtown Pittsburgh, the parkways, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (9 miles). Just minutes to Downtown Pittsburgh, the Municipality of Monroeville, the Waterfront Shopping area, Kennywood and Sandcastle, North Versailles offers easy access to many shopping centers and entertainment activities.
North Versailles is bordered by Monroeville to the North, North Huntingdon and Westmoreland County to the East, White Oak to the South, and Forest Hills and East Pittsburgh to the West.
North Versailles is part of the East Allegheny School District, along with East McKeesport, Wall and Wilmerding.
History of North Versailles Township
North Versailles Township’s roots trace back to the 1680s, when the land was part of a vast territory granted to William Penn by King Charles II of England. Although Penn wished to name the land “Sylvania,” the King added “Penn” to honor Penn’s father, Admiral Sir William Penn.
In the early 1700s, the area was primarily inhabited by Native American tribes. Despite attempts to establish peace through treaties, conflicts continued until 1768, when the territory was officially purchased from the Native Americans. A land office was opened the following year, prompting a wave of white settlers to the region.
One of the first settlers, William Wallace, acquired a land title and built a stone home that still stands today on Mosside Boulevard. By 1780, Native American conflicts had subsided, and the area was steadily developing.
Originally part of Cumberland County, the region that would become North Versailles changed jurisdictions several times—eventually becoming part of Westmoreland County in 1773. Then, on September 24, 1788, Allegheny County was formed. During the first County Court meeting, the land was divided into seven original townships: Pitt, Plum, St. Clair, Moon, Mifflin, Elizabeth, and Versailles. The name “Versailles” was chosen in recognition of France’s support during the American Revolution.
Versailles Township once covered a large area east of the Monongahela River, south of Turtle Creek, and north of the Youghiogheny River. As the region’s population and settlements expanded, Versailles Township was divided on September 18, 1869, creating North and South Versailles Townships. The new boundaries placed North Versailles alongside Turtle Creek, the Monongahela River, South Versailles, and Westmoreland County.
Port Perry, one of the early villages in North Versailles, was originally known as Pieriestown, named after a landowner who laid out its first lots in 1790. Although it remained quiet for decades, Port Perry began to flourish with the construction of Monongahela Lock and Dam No. 2 in 1841 and the arrival of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad in 1857. By the 1860s, it had become a commercial hub.
However, the town’s growth was eventually halted by the rise of the steel industry. The construction of the Edgar Thomson Steel Works in nearby Braddock in 1875 led to Port Perry’s decline, as railroad expansions consumed much of the land. By 1944, the last home in Port Perry was demolished, but its legacy lives on through Port Perry Road and the nearby bridge on the Allegheny Passage Bike Trail.
As settlements grew throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several boroughs emerged from the original North Versailles Township. Wilmerding became a borough in 1890, followed by East McKeesport in 1895. Wall Borough was formed in the early 1900s, and by the 1930s, North Versailles Township’s current boundaries were established.