Cresson

History

One of the first buildings in the area which would become Cresson was the Mountainhouse Hotel. The Queen Anne style structure was opened by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1881, sold to the Cresson Springs Co., and demolished in 1916. It was hoped to attract visitors from Pittsburgh and Johnstown looking for clean air and "therapeutic" mineral springs. Although itself unsuccessful, it led to the development of several other hotels, companies, and the town itself. The area is currently known as the "Mountainhouse Grounds" to local residents and is in the midst of development. Several of the original cottages still stand, including those of Andrew Carnegie and Benjamin Jones. Photographer R.A. Bonine of Altoona took several stereographs of the Cresson area, including the Mountainhouse during the 1870-1880s. The following were included in his series "Views Among the Alleghenies". File:Cresson, a summer resort on the P. R. R. among the wilds of the Alleghenies, by R. A. Bonine 4.jpg|Mountainhouse Hotel File:Winter at Cresson, summer resort, on the P. R. R. among the wilds of the Alleghenies, by R. A. Bonine 10.jpg|Cresson Springs Co. Building File:Cresson, a summer resort on the P. R. R. among the wilds of the Alleghenies, by R. A. Bonine 8.jpg|Hotel from Railroad Station File:P. R. R. Depot at Cresson, looking east, by R. A. Bonine 2.jpg|Railroad Depot (looking east) File:Cresson, a summer resort on the P. R. R. among the wilds of the Alleghenies, by R. A. Bonine 10.jpg|Muller Cottage

Geography

Cresson is located in eastern Cambria County, atop the Eastern Continental Divide, the height of land between the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and the Ohio River valley. The Little Conemaugh River rises in Cresson, flowing southwest to form the Conemaugh River, which in turn flows to the Kiskiminetas River, then the Allegheny River, the Ohio River, and finally the Mississippi. The north side of Cresson, meanwhile, drains north to Clearfield Creek, a tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, leading to Chesapeake Bay. Blair Gap, at the eastern edge of the Allegheny Plateau and east of town, is the location of the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, where the first railroad (a portage railway) crossed the Allegheny Mountains. Cresson is bypassed to the south and east by U.S. Route 22, a four-lane expressway, with access from two exits: Pennsylvania Route 53 (Second Street) on the south, and the Admiral Peary Highway (former US 22) on the east. Altoona is to the northeast via US 22 and Interstate 99, while Ebensburg, the Cambria County seat, is to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  2,177
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,033
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,853
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,817
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,485
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  1,419
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,295
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,153

Largest nearby schools

• Penn Cambria HS
  High · Cresson · 567 students · 14.9:1 ratio
• Central Cambria HS
  High · Ebensburg · 559 students · 16:1 ratio
• Penn Cambria MS
  Middle · Gallitzin · 468 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Cambria El Sch
  Elementary · Ebensburg · 450 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Portage Area El Sch
  Elementary · Portage · 448 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Central Cambria MS
  Middle · Ebensburg · 379 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Portage Area JSHS
  High · Portage · 359 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Penn Cambria Intrmd Sch
  Elementary · Lilly · 211 students · 14.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2020-10-06
  5 km WSW of Bolivar, Pennsylvania
• M 3.44 — 2019-06-13
  9 km N of Blain, Pennsylvania