History, Somerset County

That part of Pennsylvania now included within the limits of Somerset County, was formerly part of Bedford County, from which it was taken by an act of Assembly, dated April 17, 1795. It contains within its borders an area of 1,050 square miles. Situated as it is, between the Laurel Hill and Allegheny Mountains, the … Read more

OTHER SOMERSET COUNTY FIRST SETTLEMENTS. With the dawn of every new year representatives from two Berlin churches call on every land owner in the center of town to collect “one Spanish milled dollar”, or a fraction thereof. For more than a century-and-a-half the Berlin Lutheran and Reformed Churches have followed this custom, following provisions of … Read more

By a perusal of the minutes of the board of county commissioners, it is ascertained that on October 29, 1795, the first commissioners of Somerset county–John Fletcher, John Read and John Leech–entered into a contract with Josiah Espy and John Campbell, of the town of Somerset, for the construction of “a temporary gaol in the … Read more

The history of Somerset, in point of area, takes rank as the sixth county in the vast commonwealth of which it forms a part. It contains one thousand one hundred and two square miles, or seven hundred and five thousand two hundred and eighty acres of land. Its boundaries are the State of Maryland on … Read more

The Fire of 1876It is probable that if there is ever a history of Somerset written, the month of May will come in for a good share of the attention of the historian. Most of our readers will remember— we are sure all that live within the limits of Somerset county will— that on May … Read more