Bloody Run Historical Society

1770 - Betsy Tussey.
1790 – Betsy Tussey, Tussey Mountain, and Mt. Dallas. Here is an excerpt from an article of March 19, 1937 A Brief History of Everett as Traced from Early Accounts. Article written by Miss Margaret Baker. The mountain which skirts Everett to the west took its name from Elizabeth Tussey, a sturdy pioneer woman who with her family of children from Philadelphia, settled near what is known as Mt. Dallas now. It. It is said that she returned to Philadelphia on horseback to have the deed for her land validated. The elder William Hartley purchased this land in 1790. Some of this tract is still in the possession of the Hartleys. A number of the descendants of the elder Hartleys lie buried in the old farm graveyard, nearby the ashes of the Aliquippa tribe and the brave Betsey Tussey. According to local tradition, while Elizabeth Tussey owned the property and operated a tavern there, a traveler from Philadelphia stopped at the establishment. As he stood at the tavern door, he looked toward the rocky peak now known as Mt. Dallas and asked Elizabeth if she knew whether anyone had claimed the land.
Elizabeth replied that she had heard “some old fool from Philadelphia” had purchased the barren, rocky ridge.
What she did not know was that the traveler standing before her was the very man she was talking about—Alexander Dallas, who had purchased the land through a Philadelphia real estate agent for a considerable sum.
When Elizabeth discovered the traveler’s true identity, she reportedly promised to name the mountain in his honor. According to the story, the name Mt. Dallas has remained ever since.