Huntingdon Boro Water Dept

Huntingdon Boro Water Dept Municipal Water Report Info

Early explorers traveling through this region of Pennsylvania documented a Standing Stone monument erected by Native Americans near the junction of Standing Stone Creek and the Juniata River. According to John Harris' 1754 documentation, this monument stood 14 feet tall and measured six inches across. Historical accounts mention that the pillar featured hieroglyphics and imagery potentially representing historical or spiritual significance to its creators.

The area now known as Huntingdon was initially referred to as "Standing Stone" because of this monument. Through unknown circumstances, the original stone was removed early on, presumably by those who created it, and replaced with a similar stone marked with early surveyors' names and dated "1768." In his property deed for a plot near 2nd and Allegheny Streets, Huntingdon's founder William Smith references it as the "Old Stone lot," suggesting the original monument once stood there.

Today, railroad tracks and embankments separate this location from the creek-river intersection, but before the railroad's construction, the property would have extended to the riverbank with clear views of the confluence. Eventually, the second Standing Stone was relocated to the yard of a stone residence at 105 William Smith Street—a property owned by William Smith's descendants. Despite its durability, the stone was broken into multiple fragments by "malicious" individuals, according to contemporary reports. One piece survives and is displayed in the Huntingdon County Courthouse entrance, with the ancient names and date still visible on its smooth gray surface.

In 1896, as Huntingdon Borough prepared to celebrate its centennial incorporation anniversary, local industrialist J.C. Blair proposed erecting a stone column commemorating the town's original name. The current monument at Penn and William Smith Streets was unveiled in September 1896 and remains a testament to Huntingdon's significant historical position in Central Pennsylvania.