Restaurant’s history

Another restaurant closing! I am sure many people have fond memories of visiting Mount Washington, enjoying the wonderful view and going over to the Shiloh Grill to enjoy a nice meal.

I have always been fascinated by the history of this restaurant. Many years before it was the Shiloh, around 1900, it was the home of Peter Soffel, who was the warden at the Allegheny County prison.

Peter, his wife, Kate, and their four children lived there. Kate helped at the prison by reading the Bible to prisoners. Two of the inmates were the Biddle brothers, Jack and Ed, who were condemned to die. As the story is told, over the months of Bible reading, Kate fell in love with the handsome Ed Biddle. She was responsible for the most infamous jailbreak in Pittsburgh history.

Apparently, Kate smuggled hacksaws and a pistol into the prison and the Biddle brothers overcame three guards and walked out of the prison door onto the corner of Ross Street and Forbes Avenue and fled with Kate in a stolen one-horse sleigh. They were pursued by police and detectives and all three were shot and captured a few days later. Ed and Jack died of their wounds, but Kate survived and spent two years in prison for her part in the escape. She then supported herself as a dressmaker and died in 1909. In 1984, the movie “Mrs. Soffel” was filmed in Pittsburgh with Mel Gibson and Diane Keaton.

I wonder what will be next for the Shiloh!

EILEEN CONNELLY

Churchill