Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

 borough, county seat

Huntingdon is home to Juniata College.

The town of Huntingdon, described in early deeds as being "at Standing Stone on Juniata," was laid out in 1767, only thirteen years after this region of Pennsylvania was purchased from the Indians. The Rev. William Smith, head of the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) and an energetic speculator in frontier lands, was the town founder and proprietor. To ensure the development of his town. Smith's deeds required lot owners to erect a substantial house within a year or so of purchase.

Nevertheless, growth was slow because of unsettled conditions in this frontier region during the Revolution. But settlers poured into the area during the 1780s, and in 1787, Huntingdon was made the seat of a new county, named for the already thriving town. A pleased Dr. Smith joined local citizens in contributing funds to build a county courthouse.

As this handsome brick "seat of justice" was being constructed in 1796, Huntingdon was incorporated as a borough. Its early date of incorporation, by Juniata Valley standards, led Huntingdon's mid-19th century newspaper editors to bestow on it the nickname of "the ancient borough."

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