HOLLIDAYSBURG
Hollidaysburg is one of the older communities in Blair County. Founded by brothers Adam and William Holliday in 1768, it bears their name today. Both Adam and William had been to the area with Colonel John Armstrong’s Pennsylvania expedition in 1756. Adam settled on one side of the Juniata River and William occupied land on the other.
Many settlers coming to the area were of Scotch-Irish descent. Despite dangers, European colonists found Pennsylvania attractive for numerous reasons. Land acquisition policies were more generous to economically disadvantaged colonists than those of neighboring New York. Religious tolerance and separation of church and state were likewise very appealing to migrants. Native peoples responded to the hostile incursion on their lands with a series of offensives all throughout the American Revolution. In August 1779, the children of William Holliday were murdered when the family farm was attacked. Settlers often responded with acts of equal violence.
The settlement remained primarily agricultural until the opening of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike—a narrow road for wagon travel. By 1830, Hollidaysburg had grown to a hamlet of seventy-two people. The Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal was opened to Hollidaysburg in November 1832 and the growth of the community increased rapidly by several thousand. By 1834, the Portage Railroad opened, thus connecting by train, canal, and incline plane the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Canal and its interconnected modes of transportation unleashed an era of innovation and excitement. In the Allegheny Mountains, the canal used ten locks to conquer the great mountain barrier—five locks uphill and five locks downhill. The school located at the base of the first lock was fittingly named Foot of Ten.
Incorporated as a borough on August 10, 1836, Hollidaysburg was at one time the hub of transportation in the area. Although Gaysport was contemporaneous with the development of Hollidaysburg, it was incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1841. Even though settled by William Holliday, it acquired its name from John Gay, a prominent civil engineer. The two boroughs were united by agreement on January 1, 1924.
A foundry was established in 1835 by Devine and Evans for fabricating iron materials and tools to be used on the canal and Portage Railroad. The company is still in business today under the name of the McLanahan Corporation, one of the oldest continuously family owned and operated businesses in the commonwealth. Shortly thereafter, the county’s earliest newspaper, The Hollidaysburg Register, was established in 1836.
In 1842, Jeremiah S. Black was appointed presiding judge of the 16th Judicial District, which included Blair County. He served until 1851, when he was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice for the first three years of his term, was reelected in 1854, and later became U.S. Secretary of State. Another advocate for area development and the canal system was farmer, merchant, and public servant John Blair, for whom the county was ultimately named in 1846. The Borough of Hollidaysburg was chosen as its county seat. The community was a bustling center of law, politics, and commerce. The first session of court was held on July 27, 1846, in the Methodist Episcopal Church on Walnut Street. The church was used until a courthouse was constructed. A stone building adjacent to the church and owned by John Mahoney served as a jail.
During the pre-Civil War era, Hollidaysburg was a thriving port city—part boom town, part Wild West. Muddy streets, hotels, brothels, saloons, and general stores were occupied by a colorful assortment of characters chasing profit or adventure. In 1842, celebrated writer, Charles Dickens, rode the canals and vividly recorded his journey on the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
On July 4, 1846, Daniel K. Reamey was appointed to construct the first courthouse and jail at the site of the present courthouse on Allegheny Street. The cost of the work was $14,576.18. The jail was located at the rear of the courthouse. After a number of years, the first courthouse building became inadequate due to increased business and a contract was let for the removal of that building and the construction of a larger building by a Pittsburgh contractor, John Schreiner. The contract price was $103,700. Since its construction in 1875-76, an addition was built and several annexes added, including the former school for girls at Highland Hall. A large addition was constructed in 1999. A prison, located between Mulberry and Blair Streets, was constructed in 1868-69 at a cost of $100,000. Harsh modernist additions to the original facility were completed in the 1980s.
In 1905, the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company erected car repair shops just east of Hollidaysburg. At about the same time, the Pennsylvania Railroad expanded its shops and yards in Hollidaysburg and extended their lines to other communities. Later in the twentieth century, the Samuel Rea shops were constructed, becoming one of the largest facilities in the PRR’s domain. They bear the name of a Hollidaysburg native who became a president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
A unique byproduct of the World War II era was the Slinky–a beloved toy invented by accident. In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was testing coils for use at sea. When he inadvertently dropped one in his office, he noticed the steel spring bounce across his floor. He had an epiphany, and the Slinky was born. When the simple toy hit Philadelphia store shelves for Christmas 1945, it became a sensation. Richard and his wife, Betty, established James Industries and later relocated to Hollidaysburg in 1964. Every Slinky made since has been manufactured in Blair County. Some 400 million have been produced. The Slinky is now the official toy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Hollidaysburg is largely a residential community, taking pride in its many beautiful homes and in its historical significance. The National Park Service included the district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Hollidaysburg was featured in the first 200 of such communities to receive that designation.
Many settlers coming to the area were of Scotch-Irish descent. Despite dangers, European colonists found Pennsylvania attractive for numerous reasons. Land acquisition policies were more generous to economically disadvantaged colonists than those of neighboring New York. Religious tolerance and separation of church and state were likewise very appealing to migrants. Native peoples responded to the hostile incursion on their lands with a series of offensives all throughout the American Revolution. In August 1779, the children of William Holliday were murdered when the family farm was attacked. Settlers often responded with acts of equal violence.
The settlement remained primarily agricultural until the opening of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike—a narrow road for wagon travel. By 1830, Hollidaysburg had grown to a hamlet of seventy-two people. The Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal was opened to Hollidaysburg in November 1832 and the growth of the community increased rapidly by several thousand. By 1834, the Portage Railroad opened, thus connecting by train, canal, and incline plane the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Canal and its interconnected modes of transportation unleashed an era of innovation and excitement. In the Allegheny Mountains, the canal used ten locks to conquer the great mountain barrier—five locks uphill and five locks downhill. The school located at the base of the first lock was fittingly named Foot of Ten.
Incorporated as a borough on August 10, 1836, Hollidaysburg was at one time the hub of transportation in the area. Although Gaysport was contemporaneous with the development of Hollidaysburg, it was incorporated as a borough on April 21, 1841. Even though settled by William Holliday, it acquired its name from John Gay, a prominent civil engineer. The two boroughs were united by agreement on January 1, 1924.
A foundry was established in 1835 by Devine and Evans for fabricating iron materials and tools to be used on the canal and Portage Railroad. The company is still in business today under the name of the McLanahan Corporation, one of the oldest continuously family owned and operated businesses in the commonwealth. Shortly thereafter, the county’s earliest newspaper, The Hollidaysburg Register, was established in 1836.
In 1842, Jeremiah S. Black was appointed presiding judge of the 16th Judicial District, which included Blair County. He served until 1851, when he was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice for the first three years of his term, was reelected in 1854, and later became U.S. Secretary of State. Another advocate for area development and the canal system was farmer, merchant, and public servant John Blair, for whom the county was ultimately named in 1846. The Borough of Hollidaysburg was chosen as its county seat. The community was a bustling center of law, politics, and commerce. The first session of court was held on July 27, 1846, in the Methodist Episcopal Church on Walnut Street. The church was used until a courthouse was constructed. A stone building adjacent to the church and owned by John Mahoney served as a jail.
During the pre-Civil War era, Hollidaysburg was a thriving port city—part boom town, part Wild West. Muddy streets, hotels, brothels, saloons, and general stores were occupied by a colorful assortment of characters chasing profit or adventure. In 1842, celebrated writer, Charles Dickens, rode the canals and vividly recorded his journey on the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
On July 4, 1846, Daniel K. Reamey was appointed to construct the first courthouse and jail at the site of the present courthouse on Allegheny Street. The cost of the work was $14,576.18. The jail was located at the rear of the courthouse. After a number of years, the first courthouse building became inadequate due to increased business and a contract was let for the removal of that building and the construction of a larger building by a Pittsburgh contractor, John Schreiner. The contract price was $103,700. Since its construction in 1875-76, an addition was built and several annexes added, including the former school for girls at Highland Hall. A large addition was constructed in 1999. A prison, located between Mulberry and Blair Streets, was constructed in 1868-69 at a cost of $100,000. Harsh modernist additions to the original facility were completed in the 1980s.
In 1905, the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company erected car repair shops just east of Hollidaysburg. At about the same time, the Pennsylvania Railroad expanded its shops and yards in Hollidaysburg and extended their lines to other communities. Later in the twentieth century, the Samuel Rea shops were constructed, becoming one of the largest facilities in the PRR’s domain. They bear the name of a Hollidaysburg native who became a president of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
A unique byproduct of the World War II era was the Slinky–a beloved toy invented by accident. In 1943, naval engineer Richard James was testing coils for use at sea. When he inadvertently dropped one in his office, he noticed the steel spring bounce across his floor. He had an epiphany, and the Slinky was born. When the simple toy hit Philadelphia store shelves for Christmas 1945, it became a sensation. Richard and his wife, Betty, established James Industries and later relocated to Hollidaysburg in 1964. Every Slinky made since has been manufactured in Blair County. Some 400 million have been produced. The Slinky is now the official toy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Hollidaysburg is largely a residential community, taking pride in its many beautiful homes and in its historical significance. The National Park Service included the district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Hollidaysburg was featured in the first 200 of such communities to receive that designation.
