Mile Mark: -0.20
Elevation: 590'
Date: unknown
Published Photos: EBT 67, 81, 159, 176, 216; AEBT 87, 89. 90, 96
Published Plans: EBT 94
Mount Union served as the northern terminus of the EBT and it's only rail link to the national rail system. The Pennsylvania Central Railroad, later the Pennsylvania Railroad, was built in the 1850's along the Juniata River through Mount Union on it's way to Altoona and the crossing of the eastern divide. Cargo was transferred to and from the PRR in a yard the EBT constructed between the town and the river.
Mount Union was founded near the site of Drakes Ferry, a river crossing and village. It had a 1919 population of 4750 and a 1990 population of 2878. Using Mount Union as the northern terminal for the EBT was not a foregone conclusion. Terminating at Mapleton, three miles west, was another plan. Since that would have bypassed the profitable towns of Three Springs and Rockhill/Orbisonia, the current route was selected. This turned out to be a more important decision later, as three brick plants built in Mount Union around the turn of the century proved to be a major buyer of RI&C coal as well as shipping much ganister on the line.
Mount Union's long refractory boom ended in the 1980's as the last two plants closed. Recently several industrial firms have opened plants in the Riverview Business Center in Allenport providing many jobs in the area. The renewed industry may also breath new life into the EBT in the form of the
View a 1906 aerial view of Mount Union.
View a
1994 aerial photo of Mount Union.
View a
1994 aerial photo of Mount Union.
HABS/HAER information:
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