Blair County Events
Classes
ADVANCED GENEALOGY - March 7, 2009, 2 p.m., at Blair County Genealogical Society, Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library, 431 Scotch Valley Road, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
Events
February
The World Famous Horseshoe Curve, David W. Seidel, February 19,
2009, at Blair County Genealogical
Society, Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library, 431 Scotch Valley Road,
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
David W. Seidel, Altoona, is the Historian for Horseshoe Curve Chapter and the National Railway Historical Society. The Horseshoe Curve is known worldwide as an engineering achievement by the Pennsylvania Railroad, this landmark, located just west of Altoona, opened to traffic on February 15, 1854, and it enabled a railroad line to climb the Allegheny Mountains and the eastern continental divide. The Horseshoe Curve’s construction, without modern equipment, impacted railroad design and development for mountainous terrain everywhere, enabling access to coal and other raw materials essential for the industrial age. J. Edgar Thompson, chief engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad, is widely recognized for his engineering and design of the Horseshoe Curve, a concept never utilized previously. Today the curve is still in use and sees approximately 70 trains daily.
March
The Royer Family . . . The Rest of the Story, George Dempsie &
Patty Hatch, March 19, 2009, at
Blair County Genealogical Society, Roller-Hojeth Memorial Library, 431
Scotch Valley Road, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648
George Dempsie, a State College elementary school teacher, and Patty
Hatch, retired Blair County employee, both Williamsburg natives, will
speak on Royer Mansion, which is approximately 5 miles south of
Williamsburg on Route 866. Samuel Royer, a local ironmaster and owner of
the Springfield Furnace, built the 2-story mansion in 1815 and moved into
the home in 1821. This unique structure is made of limestone. Samuel also
added an addition to the original site. The Blair County Historical
Society owns the Mansion, which it bought from the State of Pennsylvania
for $1.
Meetings
Blair County Genealogical Society meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the 3rd Thursday of each month except July and December, at the library. Visitors are always welcome.
Family Reunions
Please send Blair County family reunion announcements to me to have them posted on this page.