Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 56

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036

USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Altoona > Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 56

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JUNIATA BOROUGH.

No other town in Blair county, not even Al- toona, has had such a phenomenal growth as has had the borough of Juniata, now the fourth

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largest place in the county, and destined event- ually to become a part of Altoona. It is lo- cated about one-half mile northeast of the city, on the north side of the main line of the Penn- sylvania railroad. It is the location of the Juniata shops of the Pennsylvania, among the largest. locomotive works in the world, which furnish employment to most of the people and give the place its importance.

There had been a small village occupying part of the present site of Juniata for ten or more years prior to the erection of the locomo- tive works, originally known as Red Bridge, because an overhead bridge, painted red, spanned the railroad tracks at this point. Later on the village was called Belleview. On the erection of the locomotive shops, however, in 1889 buildings sprung up like magic on all sides, and little Belleview had such a boom that she outgrew herself and her name. Juniata was adopted as the most appropriate name and a borough charter was obtained August 7, 1893. The population increased rapidly and at the end of the first ten years from the time the shops were built there were 1,709 people in the town. Since then the town has never ceased growing and it is expected that the census of 1910 will show a population of at least 6,000.

The city passenger cars run here from Al- toona every few minutes and every half hour a car goes to Bellwood and Tyrone. While thus closely connected with Altoona, the people of the borough have from the very beginning manifested an independence of the larger municipality that has been manifested in their business relations, churches, lodges and schools, for from the very beginning they began to establish these things for themselves, and to display a public spirit that was little short of marvelous.

Very soon after the town began to grow, a fire company, known as Rogers company No. I, was organized and a commodious fire station was built. This structure, which is two stories high, has served as a town hall. Within a few years another company, known as Rogers com- pany No. 2, was formed, and with the annexa- tion of a portion of what is known as East

Altoona to the borough a fire company which had been organized there came into the care and keeping of the borough. Attention was also directed to securing a supply of water and a system has been gradually built until today the town has a plant worth half a million dollars. In 1908 a reservoir was constructed at a cost of $40,000, which provides ample storage against danger of drought, but the stream from which the borough gets its supply of water has never been known to fail and the water is famed for its purity. The pressure is so strong that it is not necessary for the fire companies to use engines, they being able to throw streams to the highest buildings with- out pumping. Considerable attention has also been given to street paving and several of the leading thoroughfares have thus been im- proved. In the spring of 1910 a loan of $30,000 was floated for this purpose and a contract for a mile or more of paving was awarded to Harry Stall & Sons. Juniata park, a section of the borough which has been ex- ploited by a private company, contains some beautiful residences and the streets have all been paved or macadamized.

The marvelously rapid growth of the town from the time the shops were built made it necessary for the Logan township authorities to provide school facilities for the children and two small frame buildings were erected in 1889. By 1892 these buildings were entirely inade- quate and a two story brick building, contain- ing six rooms was built. Since that time two additional and much larger buildings have been provided, making accommodations for twenty-five schools, including a flourishing high school, where courses, equal in many re- spects to those of larger cities are provided.

Juniata's growth has been of the substantial sort. Most of its residents are skilled me- chanics employed in the great locomotive works, or trainmen, and almost all of them own their own homes. As a result the town has always enjoyed the reputation of being a peaceful, law-abiding community. It is pre- eminently known as a place of church-going people. As soon as the town was formed they

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began the erection of churches. At first they built modest frame structures, but as the town grew and the membership increased, these were replaced by large and beautiful stone or brick edifices, and now there are nine houses of wor- ship within the borough limits, as follows : Two Methodist Episcopal, two Lutheran, Presby- terian, Reformed, Roman Catholic, United Evangelical and Church of the Brethren. There is also a Protestant Episcopal mission and a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad Young Men's Christian association. The last named institution has served the purpose of a club for the young men of the town and has exerted an excellent influence in the com- munity. Juniata also has a lodge known as the Belleview, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a lodge of the Order of the Mac- cabees and several other orders.

In the early days of Juniata a post office was established, and called Kipple, in honor of Andrew Kipple, for many years foreman of the Altoona car shops. This led to confu- sion and at the earliest solicitation of the citi- zens, the department changed the name of the post office to that of the town. Early in 1909 the post office at Juniata was abolished and a sub-station of the Altoona post office was established in its stead, this giving the people of the town the advantage of delivery of mail

by carriers, and giving them all the other postal advantages possessed by the people of the city.

Since the creation of the borough the boun- daries have been extended several times, the most notable addition being the annexation of a portion of what is known as East Altoona in 1908. In the same year the borough was divided into four wards. The assessed valua- tion of the borough is $1,400,000, and con- sidering the many public improvements that have been made, the town is in excellent finan- cial condition. The chief executive officer is the burgess, a position at present held by A. C. Sorrick. J. W. Norris is the high constable and John Markley and David D. Coleman are the justices of the peace. G. H. Rogers and John R. Fraser, two pioneer residents of the community, served as justices of the peace for a number of years. But Juniata has never had very much use for the activities of these officers.

Juniata's business establishments have kept pace with the growth of the town. It is well supplied with stores of various kinds and has five hotels. The First National bank was es- tablished in 1907 with a capital of $25,000 and has since acceptably served the people. The town also has an ice plant with a capacity of thirty tons per day, and a silk mill is at the present time in course of erection.

CHAPTER XXVII.

HISTORY OF HOLLIDAYSBURG.

Founding of Hollidaysburg-Character of the Early Settlers-The Hollidays-Early Indus- tries-Some Important Dates-Adam Holliday's Experiences-He Loses His Land but is Reimbursed by the Government -- Some Early Advertisers-Incorporation of the Town- Destructive Floods-Fire Department-Water Supply-Churches-Decline of the Early Industries-Their Successors-The Railroad Yards-Coal Mining-The Young Ladies' Seminary-A Leaf from the History of the County Capital-Gaysport.

FOUNDING OF HOLLIDAYSBURG.

Pioneers who were known as Indian trad- ers penetrated the country in the vicinity of Frankstown and Hollidaysburg as early as 1740. After transacting their business in trade with the Indians, they left imme- diately. No attempt was made to form a settlement. In their visits, however, they spied out the country, finding it to be a goodly land, and an inviting field for tillers of the soil. The inducement was so strong that in the years following a number of men with their families came, determined to make the place their home. They were Scotch-Irish and were a bold and dashing people, and took possession of land with lit- tle or no regard as to right or title. When they were approached by the representa- tives of William Penn they replied that they were "solicited as colonists and had come accordingly." Their rights, however, were disputed, and bitter contention and litiga- tion followed.

About 1750 William and Adam Holliday came to America from the north of Ireland. They at first took up their abode in Lan- caster county. While here they joined the military forces to repel the Indian raids. They were with John Armstrong when he

marched against the Indian town of Kittan- ning during the French and Indian war of 1755 to 63. This gave them a knowledge of the country and as things were not moving smoothly with them in Lancaster, on ac- count of their German neighbors, and the persistent efforts of Penn's agents to keep emigrants from settling upon their land, they were induced to seek a location farther west. "The Concocheague region sug- gested itself to them as a suitable place, be- cause it was so far removed from Philadel- phia that the proprietors could not well dis- possess them, and the line between the two provinces never having been established, it was altogether uncertain whether the set- tlement was in Pennsylvania or Maryland; besides it possessed the advantage of being populated sufficiently to repel hostile incur- sions of the Indians."

They accordingly removed to the Cono- cocheague and purchasing land, proceeded to clear it, remaining here till 1768. They then disposed of their land with the inten- tion of locating farther west, with a strong inclination to go as far as Kittanning on the Allegheny river. They were brave and hardy, well suited by nature for frontiers- men. As they passed up the Juniata valley from place to place, they found no unappro-

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HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY

priated land that invited their attention till they came to the place where Hollidaysburg now stands. Here they halted and held a consultation. Adam was inclined to locate here, but William desired to push on to Kittanning. Adam argued that the Indians' rights west of the Allegheny was not yet purchased and if they secured claims from them they would be compelled to purchase the second time or lose their claims when the Indians' rights would be extinguished by the proprietory. They finally decided to locate here, and to this circumstance Holli- daysburg owes its name.

Mr. C. B. Clark in his semi-centennial history states the salient points of their sub- sequent history so concisely and, we think, accurately, that we quote the following from him :

"Whoever is alive a hundred years after this will see a considerable sized town here, and this will be near about the middle of it."

"Thus Adam Holliday is said to have spoken to his brother William, as he drove a stake into the ground on the hill above the Juniata river, in 1768, where Hollidaysburg now stands.

"He was right; in 1868 the borough of Hollidaysburg occupied the land which he chose for a farm in that early day and nearly 4,000 people claimed it as their home. It did not require 100 years to work the change; in fifty years a small village had sprung up, and Adam Holliday's chil- dren were enjoying the advantages of a civ- ilized community, and the results of their father's labor-Adam was dead. In seventy-five years from the date of this re- mark, Hollidaysburg was the largest and most important town between Harrisburg and Pittsburg, having both a railroad and a canal. At that time only a few cities in the United States could boast of a railroad. The Allegheny Portage being one of the very early ones of this country. One hun- dred years after the settlement of the place, Hollidaysburg was a flourishing borough containing, with its suburbs, and fraysport,

4,000 inhabitants. Having two large iron furnaces, two rolling mills and large ma- chine shops and foundries, and being the county seat of one of the most important counties of the state. Thus was the proph- ecy of Adam Holliday fulfiled.

The Holliday brothers, when they started from their early home in the Conocoche- ague valley, did not intend to locate here, and clearing the ground for the seat of jus- tice of a great county was farthest from their thoughts. They had intended to go to the Allegheny valley near Kittanning, but could not get through Blair county, the beauty of the situation appealed to them too strongly to be resisted and they resolved to settle here.

Thousands of other people since that time have experienced the same difficulty in passing through Blair county, if they stopped long enough to take in all the ad- vantages it offered, they were sure to re- main and thus it is that now more than 80,- 000 people have their homes here and the number is being rapidly augmented. What another half century may bring to the em- pire of Blair man knoweth not, but in the innermost thoughts of her friends are vis- ions of future wealth, prosperity and great- ness, so vast that they hesitate to give ex- pression to their imaginations, lest they be laughed at as visionary and impossible.

"Adam Holliday purchased 1,000 acres of land on the eastern side of the river including all of the site of Hollidaysburg, and William obtained a like amount on the western side where Gaysport now stands. They bought from the Proprietaries-descendants of Wil- liam Penn, and the price paid was five pounds sterling per hundred acres, equal to $220.20 for each thousand acre tracts. Each built a log house on his tract, as both were men of families and cleared and resided on their land for many years. William is supposed to have kept his until his death but Adam was dis- posessed of his on account of some imperfec- tion in his title. He was paid for it however, by the government some time after the Revolu-

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tion, receiving $17,000 or $18,000, which made him a very rich man for this region and that time.

"As to the location of the first houses erected, authorities differ and the exact truth cannot now be determined. Mr. U. J. Jones, writing a "History of the Juniata Valley" in 1855 says Adam Holliday's house stood about where the American House now stands, while H. H. Snyder, Esq., writing some twenty-five years later locates it on the southwest corner of Alle- gheny and Montgomery streets. Adam Holli- day died at or near Hollidaysburg in 1801 leaving but two children, a son John and a daughter Jane. The latter married William Reynolds, of Bedford county, proprietor of Bedford Springs hotel. John Holliday lived the greater part of his life here and here he died in 1843. He had a family of ten chil- dren, viz .: Adam, born November 9, 1804, who went to Oil City, Pa .; Mary, born April 25, 1806, married Andrew Bratton and moved to Lewistown, Pa .; Sarah, born December II, 1807, married Soloman Filler and moved to Bedford, Pa .; Lazarus L., born November 5, 1809, died in Missouri, July 17, 1846; John, Jr., born December 8, 1811, was a soldier in the Mexican war and died on ship board while en- route from Vera Cruz to Galveston, August 2, 1842; Alexander L., born May 7, 1814, re- sided in Hollidaysburg all his life. Jane, born August 27, 1816, married J. L. Slentz and moved to Pittsburg, where she died in 1869; Caroline, born July 12, 1818, married D. Mc- Leary and resided at Hollidaysburg all her life . time. William R., born September 16, 1820, moved to Massachusetts; Fleming, the young- est, born May 25, 1823, and moved to the west. The names of children and grand-children of William Holliday and what became of them we have been unable to learn, in the short time at our disposal.

"The exact date at which Hollidaysburg was laid out, is in some doubt, but it was prior to the beginning of the present century, prob- ably about 1790; though H. H. Snyder in his historical research came to the conclusion that it was at least ten years earlier because a Janet

Holliday owned a lot, and a Janet Holliday was killed by the Indians in 1781. It is prob- able, however, that it was Jane Holliday, daughter of Adam, and not Janet daughter of William, who met so early and sad a death. Whatever may have been the date, the original plot contained but ninety lots 60x180 feet in size and the streets were Allegheny, Walnut and Montgomery a diamond was formed by taking thirty feet off the end of each of the four lots cornering there. As Allegheny street was sixty feet wide and Montgomery street fifty feet, it follows that the diamond was 120x170 feet, and so it has remained to the present time. The original plot cannot now be found and the only copy known is not dated.

"The little town did not grow rapidly at first and in 1814 there were but three houses, a small store and a blacksmith shop. In 1830 it was not nearly so large or important a vil- lage as Frankstown, but when the canal was finished and the great basin and terminus lo- cated at Hollidaysburg the place immediately began to grow and in 1835 it was a very im- portant town, far exceeding Frankstown. The Hollidaysburg Sentinel and Huntingdon, Cam- bria and Bedford County Democrat, the first issue of which was published October 6, 1835, in a descriptive article said that the population was 1,200 and that no town in the interior of the state enjoyed more advantages than Holli- daysburg. This census included Gaysport. In 1836, eight daily transportation lines operated on the canal and railroad and the tolls col- lected on the canal, railroad, and for motive power that year amounted to $154,282.74. The borough was chartered in August that year and the council held their first meeting at John Dougherty's house September 20, 1836.

"Higher civilization soon became apparent for the young borough went in debt in June 1837 for public improvements. One of the bonds, or evidences of debt, reads as follows :

"HOLLIDAYSBURG BOROUGH LOAN.

"This is to certify that there is due to bearer from the Burgess, Town Council, and citizens of the Borough of Hollidaysburg ONE DOL-

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LAR bearing an interest, redeemable in the payment of taxes, by virtue of an ordinance passed by the Town Council, June 19, 1837." "JAMES COFFEE, Burgess."

"$5,342.69 of these "borough notes" were outstanding on the 6th of April, 1844, at which time the total indebtedness of the borough was $16,311.30.

"The 'Huntingdon, Cambria and Indiana county pike' was completed from Hunting- don through Hollidaysburg to Blairsville in 1819, and the canal from Huntingdon to Hollidaysburg in 1832; the first boat com- ing from Huntingdon November 28. The Allegheny Portage railroad was completed late in 1833 and operated in 1834, making the line of transportation by boat and rail complete from Philadelphia, through Holli- daysburg to Pittsburg, and Hollidaysburg became one of the most important towns be- tween the two points, an extremely pros- perous business place. When the new county was formed and Hollidaysburg made the seat of justice in 1846, it added still more to her prestige and it seemed as if her cup of prosperity was full to the brim. A few years later, 1851, the magnetic telegraph, as it was then styled, was extended from Bed- ford to Hollidaysburg, and during the fol- lowing year, 1842, the railroad from Al- toona was completed.

"Until the construction of the canal, the business center of Hollidaysburg was at the diamond but with the advent of the canal it all gravitated to the basin at the foot of Montgomery street. A town hall and mar- ket house were erected about 1835, midway between the diamond and the canal basin, and many stirring scenes have been wit- nessed where now oppressive quietness reigns since the railroad superceded the canal and the latter was abandoned. The old market house was abandoned excepting a part, which was fitted up for the borough fire company, but later it was entirely dis- used, and after standing tenantless for sev-

eral years, was finally torn down, at a per- iod still quite recent.

"The large warehouses and store build- ings which were erected near the basin have been changed to dwellings and in some cases removed since the railroad superseded the canal, and the business part of the town has gone back to its old location around the diamond and along Allegheny street. Many of these changes occurred before the advent of any considerable manufactures. The furnaces and rolling-mills are of more recent origin than the railroad and even this indus- try seems to have reached its highest point some years ago.

"The canal began to fall into disuse soon after the completion of the Pennsylvania railroad and in a few years more was en- tirely abandoned as a channel of commerce ; the water stood stagnant within its banks a few years longer when it was arained off and the embankments broken down, the stone in the locks taken away for other uses, and now the line is only faintly traceable through the county. The Allegheny Port- age railroad began at the western end of the basin and continued thence across the Juniata and through Gaysport to Duncans- ville and "Foot of Ten" where it began its steep ascent of the mountain to another plane, along this plane to another incline. and so on to the mountain top, and down on the other side to Johnstown, thirty-nine miles from Hollidaysburg, the beginning of the western division of the canal.

"Iron manufacturers had been operating in the upper Juniata valley for fifty years before any furnaces were erected in Holli- daysburg, but to compensate, in some de- gree, for this, those built at Hollidaysburg in 1855, were much larger and more com- plete than any others and used coke for fuel instead of charcoal, as the earlier and smaller ones in the county had done. The first of these furnaces, called the Hollidays- burg furnace, but later known as No. I, was built by Watson, White & Co., at a cost of about $60,000. It stood on the Gays-

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port side of the river. The principal con- tributors to the enterprise were Col. Will- iam Jack, McLanahan, Watson & Co., Rob- ert and B. M. Johnston, David Watson, William Jackson, A. M. White and Samuel S. Blair, Esq. It was first put in blast No- vember 18, 1856, and had a capacity of 120 tons per week.

"Chimney Rocks furnace, later known as No. 2, was built in 1855-6 by Gardner, Os- terloh & Co. Although begun later than the other, it was completed first, but was of less capacity. A few years later, owing to financial difficulties, these two furnaces came under one control. The Blair Iron & Coal company, composed of Watson, Den- nison & Co., and the Cambria Iron company of Johnstown. They were thus operated for many years. Quite recently, however, the old No. I furnace was abandoned and torn down so that now there is but one fur- nace at Hollidaysburg.

"The Hollidaysburg Iron and Nail com- pany is the name of the corporation now owning and operating one of the rolling- mills at Hollidaysburg. The mill is located near the No. 2 furnace and was built in 1869 by B. M. Johnston. In 1866 some new members were taken in and the company chartered under the above name. The works have been operated almost continu- ally for thirty-six years.

· "The other rolling-mill was built later and is now operated by the Eleanor Iron company, R. C. McNeal, secretary and treasurer. These are both quite extensive works, the Iron and Nail company employ- ing 150 men. Nails were made there at one time, but the nail department has not been in operation for some years.

"McLanahan, Smith & Co. have an ex- tensive foundry and machine shop in Gays- port where they manufacture large quan- tities of machinery which is shipped to va- rious parts of the country, the southern states especially. These works were first started in 1857 as the. Bellrough' foundry,

and have been enlarged several times since by successive owners."

HOLLIDAYSBURG DATES.

First settlement made in .. 1768

Janet Holliday and brother massacred by Indians. . 1790

Town laid out about. 1790

Pike completed through. 1819

Canal completed to here and first boat run 1832

Portage Railroad completed. 1833

Population 1,200 in. 1830

Incorporated as a borough 1836

Great flood 1838

Made county-seat 1846

First court held in M. E. church, July 27. 1846

Magnetic telegraph from Bedford. 1850

Pennsylvania Central Railroad and first train 852

First foundry . 1837

First fire engine (hand engine) 1837

First iron furnace 1855

First rolling mill 1860

First water-works, from Brush Mountain. 1867

Present county jail completed. 1869

Presbyterian church completed. 1870

First steam fire engine .. 187.I

Present Court House built. .

Largest fire, Wayne and Allegheny streets; loss, $20,000, April, 14. 1880

1877

Telephone service from Altoona. 1881

Memorable flood, May 31. 1889

Electric Passenger Railroad from Altoona. 1893 Water brought from Blair run. 1895

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Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 56

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Number of Pages: 1036

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036