Other places of interest in Ross Township are the Northway Mall, the McDonald's on McKnight Road where Jim Delligatti invented the Big Mac in 1967, the Evergreen Hamlet, a historic district founded in 1851 by William Shinn with houses built by Joseph W. Brandt had the road paved and renamed Perry Highway. It began as a simple dirt path called the Venango Path, became the Franklin Road, was utilized as a route in the “Battle of Lake Erie” in the War of 1812 by Commodore Oliver Perry, was renamed Perrysville Plank Road, and even offered wooden planks on the side of the road for traveling in inclement weather.
One of Ross Township’s main roads, now called Perry Highway, has seen much history and traffic. Communities and neighborhoods within Ross Township are Keown Station, Berkeley Hills, Kinvara, Perrysville, Laurel Gardens, Evergreen Heights, Highcliff, McKnight Business District, Northway, Babcock Business District, Evergreen Hamlet, and White Oak Heights.ĭespite being a sprawling suburban community and consisting mainly of residential buildings, Ross Township features a strong retail corridor on McKnight Road, business districts on Babcock Boulevard and US Route 19, and the Ross Park Mall along US Route 19. Ross Township was named after James Ross, a prominent Pittsburgh attorney who represented Western Pennsylvania at the 1790 Pennsylvania Constitution. Located just six miles north of Pittsburgh, Ross Township was formally established in 1809 when John McKnight and 30 Pine Township residents petitioned the Allegheny County courts to create the new township.