ANSWERS: 1
  • On June 20, 1769 William Grey commended the first survey of Saltsburg. The wooded area was settled early on by mainly Scottish-Irish immigrants. From 1768 up until 1795 people migrated west and found the town of Saltsburg and Indiana County. Those settlers did not take full advantage of the area near the Kiskiminetas River until 1795 because of the threat and attacks of Native Americans. The name “Saltsburg” assumes a relation of the salt grain to this town. It is true that salt flourished in this “newly discovered” area. A Mrs. Deemer was the first who noted this discovery. Around the years 1795-1798 the woman responsible proved salt was on the site in the Conemaugh River, 1 mile above Saltsburg’s present site. Currently the name of that site is Moween, and the experiment used was simply evaporating the water and she produced a considerable sample of salt. In January 1817 the first sale was made, and deeded to the Congregation of Saltsburg. In 1816-1817 Andrew Boggs purchased a large amount of land, which held the first town lots. The town was name within common consent of her first settlers, with respect to the newly thriving industry. The town’s religion was mainly Presbyterian, which was also the religious ethnicity of the first church built in Saltsburg. The first house was built in 1820, and now is occupied with the Presbyterian Church. The town quickly filled with merchants in the late 1820s, and the town became a prosperous place to make a home. John Carson was the first tailor in 1827, Daniel Davis was the first blacksmith in 1828 and George Johnston was the first merchant in 1829. The wooded area quickly became more technologically advanced and people took notice to such a new and petite place. In 1838, the town’s size warranted the declaration of it to become a borough. In 1840 the estimated population was 335 inhabitants. Transportation was done using foot, carriage, train, or boat. The canal and train were fairly new to the people who lived in this area, but they adapted well. Later on, the canal and railroad were used also for a main trade source to redeem the western Pennsylvania city from exclusion to the trade market via scarce transportation options they were forced to inhabit in the early 1800s. As the town grew it became a sight for the passage of the main line canal from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. Coal and salt were transported along the canal and the building of boats became very important. It was in 1835-36 that Robert Young, Butler Meyers, and Jacob Newhouse magnetized a number of new craftsmen by opening the first canal-boat building business. Newhouse and his workers crafted some of the finest heavy freight boats the old canal ever saw. For several years boat building was said to be the chief industry of the town. In 1855 the railroad bridge was built with Major S.S. Jameson was the contractor with the Help of the Principal Mason, John Marth. By 1864 the railroad brought an end to the canal era. The growth of the town was minimal until coalmines became prevalent in the 1870’s. Dr. John McFarland, a graduate of Jefferson Medical College was the town’s first physician; he came to Saltsburg in 1836. Dr. McFarland was not only a physician but also the director of the Indiana county Medical Society and Instructor at the Saltsburg Academy. Later he served in the PA State House of Representatives from 1845-46 and became a man of the Railroad Industry. He was one of the first directors of the Northern Pennsylvania Railroad. The first school was a log house located closer to the trestlework or railroad bridge. John Whittlesey was the first teacher and John Bucklin was the second. The Saltsburg Academy was established in 1852. It was approximately 52 feet long by 30 feet wide. The town of Saltsburg is located in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. It currently has an estimated population of 923. The borough currently has cut their police department, meaning they do not have a town police enforcement system. There is an elementary school as well as a high school. They are located next to the Kiskiminetas River. Being so small, the main economy of Saltsburg is full of small restaurants, a few salons, a gas station, and a grocery store. The Rebecca B. Hadden Stone House Museum is located at 105 Point St. Saltsburg Pa, 15681. It has survived many floods, the railroad, and was standing since the days of the operation of the canal. The Saltsburg Area Historical Society is an organization that continues to retain information from the past of the town and the people and their ancestors of the area. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltsburg%2C_Pennsylvania

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