THE COUNTY OF BLAIR

"Two hundred years ago--1746--the territory comprising the present County of Blair was virgin country--primeval forest. It was then, as it is now, glorious county--a jumble of valley, streams, hills, and mountains. Here was a forward peak where one could see for miles and miles, here a series of mountains, each mountain a brother to the next. Here were silent forest glades, mountain meadows through which rushed a thousand creeks, waterfalls and roaring streams. It was matchless country..."(Blair County's First Hundred Years 1846-1946 by the Blair County Historical Society)

Although some squatters may have been present in the territory shortly after 1746, it was not until 1754 that a treaty was signed which allowed settlers to purchase land. Within the next 20 to 30 years, counties were formed which eventually were subdivided to form Blair County; Bedford County was formed in 1771, and Huntingdon County was formed in 1787. Frankstown Township was created in 1775; at that time this township included all of the present day Blair County and some townships that today are still a part of Huntingdon County. On February 26, 1846, the County of Blair was formed from parts of Bedford and Huntingdon Counties. Many of the first settlers came from eastern Pennsylvania and Maryland, while others came directly from Europe.

Towns in existence at this time included: Hollidaysburg, Williamsburg, Martinsburg, Newry, East Freedom, Claysburg, and Collinsville. Altoona was not in existence until 1849. Principal industries of the area included agriculture, transportation, and iron mining and smelting. It was the transportation industry which created Altoona. The Pennsylvania Railroad was searching for a site for its repair shops, selecting the Robeson farm in Logan Valley; this eventually became the site of the world's largest railroad repair shops.

Altoona

As the canal was dying as a major form of transportation, the railroad was rising to its dominant position. By 1846, the PRR had their tracks completed to Altoona, and by 1850 they were extending westward. As previously mentioned, the first small railroad shops were built on the site of the David Robeson farm. The town at this point had no name, and the suggestion was made to name it after Altona in Germany, the site of the first railroad shop in the world. The extra "o" was added to the name for the sake of individuality. The growth and development of the town was tied to the expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Martinsburg and Morrison's Cove

Organized in April 1839, Martinsburg was originally in the northern part of Bedford County, thus explaining the name of its parent Township, North Woodbury Township (even though it is located in the southern part of Blair County.) The first settlers of this area were Dunkards of German descent, immigrants from the Conococheague district of Maryland and Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Earliest recorded land grants date back to 1765. Interestingly, according to nearly every family tradition, the settlers coming into Morrison's Cove consisted of groups of three brothers. These settlers purchased large pieces of land, giving their "estates" descriptive names such as: Biddle's Choice, Fertile Plain, Hatter's Delight, Turkey Hill, Plainfield, Richlands, White Oak Valley, and Blooming Grove.

The earliest settlers in the area were apparently the objects of occasional Indian raids. The stone house of my ancestor Frederick Rhodes bears the date of 1816 in its western gable, and this is the third dwelling to occupy that site;. The first, a log cabin, was burned by Indians.

*Blair County was named for John Blair, a son of Capt. Thomas Blair, one of the pioneer settlers of the area. He was one of the earliest advocates for creation of a separate county; he died before its inception.