The Penn Hebron Garden Club building, also known as the Morrow barn building, is a 178 year-old structure and historic landmark located at 237 Jefferson Rd. in the heart of Penn Hills.* The barn was constructed in 1834 of hand-hewn virgin oak, on the Morrow Family Farm, which covered some 340 acres known as the Flying Shuttle. In 1921, a group of women organized the Allegheny County Unit of the National Farm and Garden Association. Not only did these 14 women set about beautifying their community by planting flowers and shrubs around public buildings, they sold their produce, eggs and handicrafts and held benefits in order to fulfill their dream of having a clubhouse. In 1928, the women bought the old barn, which was nearly 100 years old then, and set to converting it into their permanent meeting space. Around that time, the membership changed the name of its organization to The Penn Hebron Garden Club. The wagon wheels, oxen yokes and old lanterns found in the barn were converted into the light fixtures you can see upstairs today. The animal stalls and barn floor became the kitchen and dining area. The loft was converted into the present upstairs ballroom. (Ella) Morrow served as the club’s first president. Her photograph can still be seen to the left of the stage. The stage was subsequently added to the ballroom, so that entertainment could be incorporated into the club’s fundraising efforts. For decades, the members of the Penn Hebron Garden Club staged original plays, held music concerts and flower shows, along with community benefits. In keeping with the Club’s mission, several churches were allowed to build their congregations at the clubhouse before they were able to construct their own home buildings. Bartholomew’s and Zion Lutheran are two such examples. The Morrow Barn is home to many historic documents and photos which evince both the club’s rich history while mirroring that of Penn Hills itself. In these records, we can learn that the financing for the purchase of the barn began with only 12 pennies. The mortgage was fully paid in 1936 and was commemorated with a festive note burning celebration. Most prominently, on June 8, 1975 the club celebrated the acquisition of the plaque that designates the clubhouse as a historical landmark as recognized by the Pittsburgh Historical Landmarks Society.
*Thanks and full credit to the members of the Penn Hebron Garden Club for selected historical text. In particular, Mrs. Morrow, a history written by Ruby Faulkner Woods (1975) was used as source material.
