Albert Frederick Schwerd (1842-1926) was born in 1842 and studied building arts at the Braunschweig Industrial School in Germany. After completing his education, Schwerd immigrated to America in 1864 and established his own carpentry shop and planing mill in the Woods Run area of Pittsburgh, Pa. Schwerd was among the first to establish a manufacturing company in this area. In the years following its establishment, his business grew rapidly. As a result of this growth, the A. F. Schwerd Manufacturing Company was producing only wooden columns by 1900. The company further specialized in the construction of Greek, Roman, and Tuscan columns. Generally speaking, these columns were constructed with logs harvested from the Woods Run area and other Pennsylvania forests. Albert F. Schwerd continued to work at his manufacturing company until 1924, just two years before his death. In the years preceding his death, his son Albert H. Schwerd also presided over the manufacturing company. By the 1930s, Schwerd columns adorned the edifices of buildings such as White Sulphur Springs Hotel in West Virginia and Harvard University Langdell Hall. In 1932, Albert H. Schwerd and his wife, Katherine, were killed in a car accident. The result of his death was the selling of A. F. Schwerd Manufacturing Co. to Charles E. McHenry. McHenry oversaw the operation of this company for the next 45 years. Sadly, the buildings that comprised the A.F. Schwerd Manufacturing Co. were destroyed in a 2003 fire. Albert F. Schwerd married Elizabeth Geyer (1847-?) and established his family in a sprawling home on McClure Avenue on the North Side neighborhood. Together they had six children: Clara Schwerd Burgoyne, Laura Schwerd Campbell Stanton, Albert H. Schwerd, Lenora Schwerd Getty, Elizabeth Schwerd Myers, and Irene Schwerd Fisher. With Albert F. Schwerd operating a successful manufacturing company, the Schwerd family was afforded the means to travel regularly. Schwerd family members enjoyed regular trips to locations such as Atlantic City, N.J., Louisville, Ky., Ligionier, Pa., and Toronto, Canada. The Schwerd family is considered to be one of the oldest families of the Wood Run neighborhood.
From the description of Schwerd family papers and photographs 1874-1964 [manuscript] (Historical Society of W Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 774717320
