Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area

The cities of Altoona and Johnstown mark the anchor communities of the Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area. Few places in Pennsylvania symbolize American technical prowess and the emergence of the Keystone state as an industrial giant more than the conquering of the Ridge, a 1,200-foot obstacle rising above the Altoona and Hollidaysburg area. The Allegheny Portage Railroad, opened in 1834 and now a National Historic Site operated by the National Park Service, was an engineering marvel of its day carrying canal boats up and over this natural barrier. Then came the railroad era and another engineering feat in carving a winding railroad line up the Ridge. The Horseshoe Curve, a huge loop of track cut out of a mountainside entirely by men using picks, shovels, and horses is a popular National Historic Landmark that is a must see.

But in a twist of fate, a nearby Pennsylvania Canal Reservoir built near Southfork eventually became etched in history as the cause of the 1889 Johnstown Flood disaster. The Johnstown Flood National Memorial and the Johnstown Flood Museum tell the story of the disaster and the sagas of those who lived through this horrific event.

The Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area also celebrates the region's iron, steel, and coal industries which prospered as a result of the Ridge's conquest. The Coal Heritage Center in Windber introduces visitors to the region's mining heritage while a short trip to the Eureka 40 Mine Overlook offers a view of a "coal patch" community and an adjacent mine complex.

Heritage Area Description

The Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area is part of a federal heritage initiative called the Path of Progress located in a nine-county area in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Ridge is also undertaking an ambitious implementation, interpretation and marketing strategy centered on the iron and steel, coal and coke, and railroading and canal heritages of Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties.

Managed by the Allegheny Ridge Corporation and an Executive Director, partially paid from Pennsylvania Heritage Parks Program funds, the Ridge is concentrating on efforts to establish discovery/gateway/visitor centers in the five constellation areas of the region; to adapt historic buildings for public uses such as cultural resource centers, museums, art galleries, housing for the elderly, and commercial business enterprises; to build community parks, interpretive overlooks and recreational areas; to develop a river greenway and regional trail system; to promote downtown revitalization and Main Street initiatives; to develop an educational curriculum for the local school systems; to establish a heritage route highway system to link and interpret the numerous natural, historic, scenic and recreational resources in the region, including the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial; to implement a comprehensive marketing program for the Heritage Park, and to explore alternatives for preservation of the East Broadtop Railroad.

Milestones

• 1989 Steering committee of regional citizens and community leaders forms.
• 1992 The plan for the Allegheny Ridge is completed, state officials give “state heritage park” designation; Allegheny Ridge Corporation Board of Directors begins meeting in June.
• 1992-1995 Funding commitment received for the gateways/visitor centers
• 1995 The Allegheny Ridge Heritage Coalition forms in Cambria County; the Arron Building is purchased for the development of the Altoona Heritage Discovery Center
• 1996 Allegheny Ridge Heritage curriculum is produced for elementary and secondary school Students.
• 1997 Design phase begins for Johnstown and Altoona heritage discovery centers and the Hollidaysburg Canal Basin Park; the Windber Coal Heritage Center opens; the Allegheny Ridge Trail Headquarters is established in Duncansville
• 1998 A public/private partnership is formed for developing the Altoona Heritage Discovery Center; the Arcadia Theatre opens in Windber; the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway concept is introduced
• 1999 Construction begins on the Altoona and Johnstown heritage discovey centers; the Ridge RIDER concept introduced.
• 2000 Federal Millennium Legacy Trail designation is received for the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway; heritage discovery centers open in Altoona and Johnstown; the Allegheny Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau Signature Award is presented to Allegheny Ridge Corporation. The 2000 Ridge RIDER Conference is held in State College, PA
• 2001 The Allegheny Ridge Corporation and Altoona Heritage Discovery Center receive the Pennsylvania Downtown Center “Townie” Economic Restructuring Award; Project Ridge RIDER is presented at the Mid-Atlantic Governors’ Conference on Greenways, Blueways and Green Infrastructure held in Arlington, VA.
• 2002 Planning grants are received for the Greenway and Ridge RIDER projects; Hollidaysburg Canal Basin Park opens; Allegheny Ridge Corporation and Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area celebrate a decade; Allegheny Ridge Corporation receives Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame Award of Distinction for Community Service; Altoona Heritage Discover Center installs Gateway, a major interpretive 3 dimensional sculpture; the Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Mainline Canal Greenway and Project Ridge RIDER are featured model projects presented during the 16th National Trails Symposium, Greenways & Trails – Crossing the American Landscape in Orlando, Florida.

Heritage Area Organization

Allegheny Ridge Corporation
1421-1427 12th Ave.
Altoona, Pennsylvania 16601
P.O. Box 348
Altoona, Pennsylvania 16603
(814) 940-1922
Fax: (814) 940-1423
E-mail: jsheffield@alleghenyridge.org
Web: www.alleghenyridge.org

Contact: Jane E. Sheffield
Title: Executive Director

Contact: Timothy D. Clapper
Title: President

Organization Type: private non-profit

Mission/Purpose: To develop, interpret and restore the historic, cultural and natural resources of the Allegheny Ridge Heritage Area in central/western Pennsylvania.

Staff and Volunteers: Three full-time, 2 project coordinators, 1-2 Americorps volunteers

Involved Organizations

Additional Project Supporters

• Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission
• Johnstown Area Heritage Association
• Eureka Coal Heritage Foundation
• Mainline Heritage Association
• Borough of Hollidaysburg
• National Park Service

Tourist Promotion Agencies (TPAs) within the Region

• Blair: (814) 943-4163
• Cambria: (814) 536-7993
• Huntingdon: (814) 643-3577
• Somerset: (724) 238-5661
• Allegheny Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau 814-943-4138
• Greater Johnstown Cambria County Convention and Visitors Bureau 814-536-7993
• Huntingdon County Visitors Bureau 1-888-RAYSTOWN
• Laurel Highland Visitors Bureau 724-238-5661

Pennsylvania's Heritage Regions