Depreciation lands
Depreciation lands refers to 720,000 acres of land in western Pennsylvania that were set aside by the state legislature in 1783 to help compensate soldiers who fought in the War for American Independence. The value of the dollar had depreciated so dramatically after the war, soldiers' pensions were rendered almost valueless, so the land grant was seen as a way to offset those woes. The Depreciation lands included the North Hills of Pittsburgh to a line about 4.5 miles north of the present town of Butler, which thus encompassed parts of Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, and Armstrong Counties.