History & local legend
The former Kaufmann's department store in downtown Pittsburgh has a ghost story tied to the city's eighteenth-century military history. The reported encounter was a sound: footsteps on the tenth floor, attributed to a Highland soldier from Major James Grant's command.
In 1758, Grant advanced toward French-held Fort Duquesne and occupied a wooded hill outside the fort. French and Native forces attacked, leaving hundreds of his men killed, wounded or captured. Pittsburgh later cut down Grant's Hill as the city reshaped its streets.
Sources
- The Shadowlands, Kaufman’s Department Store, tenth-floor footfalls and Major Grant’s Highlanders
- WESA, What happened to Grant’s Hill in Downtown Pittsburgh? history of the battle and street grading
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Kaufmann Legacy, the department store and meeting under its clock
- Kaufmann’s Department Store and Clock, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation marker
