Creosote River of Ties

The Pennsylvania Railroad's first creosote tie-treating plant stood northeast of Mount Union along the Juniata River, opened just before 1909 when this photo was taken. The plant was the PRR's first industry of this kind: treating wooden railroad ties with creosote to preserve them. About seven thousand gallons of creosote were used daily, imported from Europe and stored in Philadelphia before being shipped here. The plant kept about five hundred thousand ties on hand at any given time, treating around two thousand daily. Carl W. Tiffany supervised the operation with approximately fifty men. Many of the men standing in this photograph may be your great grandfathers or great uncles.

From the record

Passages about this subject, quoted from county histories now in the public domain. Each one names the book and the position in the text so it can be checked. Spelling is as printed.

The territory embraced in each was designated as follows : First Ward, all that territory lying northeastward of a line beginning at the Juniata river, and running thence in a direct line along the centre of Fourth street, to the line of Oneida township. Second Ward, all that territory lying west of the First ward and east of the centre of Seventh street. Third Ward,a\l that territory lying north and west of the Second ward, and south of a line beginning at said (Juniata) river, and running thence eastward in a direct line along the centre of Eleventh street, to the line of Oneida township. Fourth Ward, all the territory lying north of the Third ward. HISTORY OF HUNTINGDON COUNTY. 247 On the extension of the borough limits in 1874, so as to include a part of Oneida township, the added territory was distributed among the four wards, principally to the second and third. The fire department of Huntingdon consists of three engines and hook and ladder apparatus, each in charge of an organized company. The "Juniata " engine was built in Philadelphia, 1804, and brought there early in 1805. It was committed, by an ordinance of 1806, to the Active Fire Company. The newspapers of that and subsequent years had frequent notices to the people to turn out with their buckets, to exercise the engine.Milton Scott Lytle, History of Huntingdon County (Lancaster: William H. Roy, 1876) · character 475,795 of the scanned text

It is a well known fact that the greater portion of the world's mineral wealth is found in mountainous districts, and in the early part of the last century many persons believed that rich deposits of minerals were to be found in the region drained by the Juniata river. The geological surveys of the state have dispelled to a considerable degree this belief. Prior to 1835 but little was known of the geology of Pennsylvania. Articles on certain geological features of the state had been written by such men as Thomas Hutchins, John B. Gibson, George W. Carpenter and others, and published in scientific journals, but these articles represented only the disconnected researches of private individuals. In 1832 the Geological Society of Pennsylvania was organized with seven members, and John B. Gibson was elected president. It is due to the efforts of this society that the first geological survey was authorized by the act of March 29, 1836, which appropriated $6,400 annually for five years, and Henry D. Rogers was appointed state geologist. The second survey was authorized by the act of May 14, 1874, which provided for a board of commissioners to take charge of the work. This board of commissioners met and organized on June 5, 1874, and appointed J. P.John W. Jordan, ed., History of the Juniata Valley and Its People (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1913) · character 25,298 of the scanned text

The growth of the town has kept pace with these additions of territory, and, in fact, rendered them necessary. Previous to 1855 the borough limits extended only to Seventh street ; but in 1854, J. Edgar Thomson, then Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, purchased the Cypress Cottage farm, lying west of the borough, for $29,- 000, and in May and June of the latter year, had the part of the farm north of the railroad surveyed by J. Simpson Africa, Esq., county surveyor, and laid off into 352 lots. About the time the plan of West Huntingdon was completed, Mr. Thomson sold the grist and saw mill, with five acres of land, to Messrs. David McMurtrie and Thomas Fisher, for $15,000, thus reducing the amount of his investment to 1 14,000. Col. William Dorris, who was the attorney and agent for Mr.Milton Scott Lytle, History of Huntingdon County (Lancaster: William H. Roy, 1876) · character 466,347 of the scanned text

Checked 2026-09-25 · Historic Mount Union collection

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