Hollidaysburg

Established in 1796 (officially incorporated in 1836), the Borough of Hollidaysburg gets its unique name from Adam and William Holliday, former soldiers from the French and Indian Wars. The brothers, intending to settle along the Allegheny River, were impressed with the beauty of the rolling landscape and fertile ground.

Hollidaysburg grew from a small market town and tavern stop into an important inland shipping terminal and transfer point on the Pennsylvania Canal, the gateway to the west. Here, 82-foot canal boats were broken into four sections and loaded onto the Allegheny Portage Railroad to begin their long trek over Cresson Mountain.

The town soon became a major commercial gateway at the Allegheny Ridge, between the mid-Atlantic seaboard and the western frontier of the Ohio Valley. Within the next thirty years, Hollidaysburg became the seat of Blair County, and the Pennsylvania Canal eventually was supplanted by the steam locomotive and the Pennsylvania Railroad. The spire of the County Courthouse, built in 1877, still dominates the Borough's skyline.

In those hundred-plus years, Hollidaysburg has remained a vital government center for Blair County, with over 5,000 residents living in the Borough proper.

Hollidaysburg has also remained loyal to its roots. The town is dotted with Historic homes and buildings. The Diamond District is a rustic and tree-lined commercial district where visitors can stroll and dine comfortably. The shops along the Diamond provide unique shopping opportunities that are not found anywhere else and are within walking distance of a variety of historic bed and breakfast inns.