Altoona, Blair County

I say it a lot, and think it even more frequently, but I really do believe we live in one of the most beautiful states in the entire country. My recent trip with my husband was a perfect example of that, since out to the west there is so much open space and woodland and mountainous territory. Kevin and I had such a good time on our trip that I've really been looking forward to doing the next several blog posts - most of August is being dedicated to "county firsts"! 

To kick off that plan, I'm going to share a bunch of what I learned about Altoona. Although it's not the seat of Blair County (that honor goes to nearby Hollidaysburg, with its gorgeous courthouse), it does have the distinction of being the only incorporated city in the county, and has a number of interesting aspects to it - historical and otherwise.

I'm going to start the post by apologizing for the poor image quality of the historical marker. The marker stands in the median on Logan Boulevard, which is a very busy street, and there is nowhere to pull over and park. So I had to literally take the picture through our windshield while Kevin was driving, and the result is not great. The text reads as follows: Founded 1849 as a terminal for westward expansion of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It soon became a major railroad center of the nation. Scene of the War Governors' Conference, 1867. Hopefully I can get a better picture sometime - if anyone lives out that way and can safely take a good picture of the marker for me, I'll gladly give photo credit!

Exactly why the city is called Altoona is unknown, or at least unconfirmed. One theory is that it's named for the community of Altona, in Germany. Another is that it's derived from the Latin word altus, meaning 'lofty' or 'high.' But the earliest known explanation, which makes me think it's the right one, is that it comes from the Cherokee word Allatoona, which translates roughly as 'high lands of great worth.'

Altoona was founded in 1849; a few years later, in 1854, it was incorporated as a borough, and was declared a city in 1867 and 1868. Whatever Altoona really means, that has been its name since its inception... except for two months in 2011. In exchange for $25,000, the city was literally and legally named "POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pennsylvania" for sixty days as part of a weird marketing ploy for the film of the same name. This is arguably the strangest thing I've written in this blog so far - though to be fair, if someone wanted to give me $25,000, I'd probably be willing to change my name for two months too.

Anyway, when it was established, Altoona was really intended to serve mainly as a maintenance complex for the Pennsylvania Railroad. (Yes, the one on the Monopoly board.) They're the ones who designed the world-famous Horseshoe Curve, an engineering marvel which took shape in 1854. The idea was to make it easier for trains to cross the Allegheny Mountains; the huge curve takes the elevation very gradually, making it possible for this to happen. Even more astonishing, the mountain track was carved without heavy equipment, and instead the men who cleared the way were given only hand tools and explosives. At the recommendation of my stepdad Ravi, Kevin and I paid a visit to this national historic landmark, which has its own small museum and is absolutely fascinating. We enjoyed our time there very much; there are videos about the construction and also lots of ephemera to observe, including items from various Presidential visits to the curve over the years. A funicular (a cable car which goes up a mountain) will normally transport visitors to the observation area, but it was closed for repairs on our visit; however, we braved the staircase and were well rewarded with beautiful views like the one at left. Definitely go if you're in the area.

Because it was so central to the railroad (the map at right illustrates some of its importance), this made Altoona a great choice of location for the 1862 War Governors' Council - the governors of thirteen states convened to discuss the Civil War and give their approval to the Emancipation Proclamation. After the war was over, the Interstate Commission held its first meeting in Altoona to design Gettysburg National Cemetery. The rise of the railroad made Altoona a very important location, which is how it came to be made a city, and at its peak in the early 20th century there were more than 15,000 people employed at the Altoona Works, then the largest railroad shop complex in the world. During World War II, both the complex and Horseshoe Curve were on a list of targets to be destroyed by Nazi saboteurs, but they were caught before they could do anything. After the war, the decline of the railroad led the complex to seriously downsize, but parts of it are still used today; other parts have been turned into the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum. The railroad shops have their own marker, so I'll talk more about that in the future.

Today, Altoona is the only city within the borders of Blair County. Its appearance varies widely; the downtown area is crammed with businesses, like the hotel where we stayed (I do like my Marriotts), but a short drive away is a more historic area. Here you'll find the Baker Mansion, home of the local historical society and the subject of a future blog post, and the remains of Alleghany Furnace, which at one time was the largest furnace in Blair County and will get its own blog post too. Also in this neighborhood is the Knickerbocker Tavern (seen at left), which dates from 1904 and is one of the oldest restaurants in the city; we had dinner there and enjoyed it a lot. 

One of Altoona's greatest modern claims to fame is being the birthplace of Sheetz. For those unfamiliar, Sheetz is a chain of gas stations; it was founded in the 1950s by the Sheetz family of Altoona, and they operated the first self-serve gas pumps in the country. I have to admit that, being native to the Lehigh Valley, I didn't actually see a Sheetz until I was in my thirties; so when it comes to the hotly contested Pennsylvania debate of Sheetz vs. Wawa, I grew up going to Wawa and that's my preference. But Sheetz is a good company, and it's still headquartered in Altoona today.

Altoona is also famous for being the home of Lakemont Park, where Leap-the-Dips presides. Leap-the-Dips, which was the primary reason we even went to Altoona in the first place, has the distinction of being the oldest still-operating roller coaster in the entire world. This white wooden coaster has been thrilling riders since 1902. It has its own marker, so you can read about it in my post here.

There's plenty to say about Altoona, and we had a great time on this first visit, but I'll close out this post by sharing one of their legacies that we didn't experience on our trip: Altoona has its own pizza. You've probably heard of New York style, and you've probably heard of Chicago style. Well, in Blair County they have Altoona style. It was invented in the late 20th century at the Altoona Hotel, which has since been lost to a fire, but other local establishments still offer it. Altoona pizza features Sicilian-style dough which is cut into squares rather than triangular slices. Toppings are, traditionally, tomato sauce, green bell pepper, cooked salami, and pre-sliced American cheese. Note that the salami goes under the cheese. It's either great or terrible, depending on who's answering the question.

If you get out to western Pennsylvania, do take the time to explore Altoona. Even if it means you have to take the stairs, it's worth it.

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Sources and Further Reading:

Official website of the City of Altoona

Simpson, Africa J. History of Huntingdon and Blair Counties, Pennsylvania. J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1883.

Mandak, Joe. "Altoona, Pa., changes name to Spurlock movie title." Associated Press, April 26, 2011. Article available courtesy of the Wayback Machine.

Altoona at the Historical Marker Database

If you've enjoyed this, please leave a comment!

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.