A Brief History of the
Wopsy Railroad and Resort
Altoona, Pennsylvania
This 1913 Wopsononock Railroad passenger train prepares to pull out from 4th. Ave. and 2nd. St., Juniata (near Altoona, Pa) to travel to Wopsononock Mountain. The Pennsylvania Railroad Juniata blacksmith shop is in the background on the right and the wooden, two story structure in the center is the Wopsy Railroad Juniata Station. A 2-6-0 Mogul steam locomotive powered the first rail excursion on the narrow gauge line from Juniata to Wopsy Mt. on June 11, 1891
Major development of the Wopsononock Mountain area, part of the Allegheny Mountains located west of Altoona, Pennsylvania, originated in the late 1880s when a group of local businessmen decided to exploit the cooler summer temperatures and scenic beauty found on the mountain top and also to take advantage of the recent discovery of a rich vein of coal in the northeastern corner of Cambria County near the village of Dougherty.
Photo taken summer of 1887
Prior
to the
development of Wopsy
in the late 1880s, a smaller
Wopsononock Hotel existed on the mountain. The following appeared in
the Altoona Tribune, April 4, 1889: "Almost directly in front of the
new house is the old Wopsononock hotel, which is dwarfed
by the statelier building which is now being erected. This old
building has been built for at least forty years, having been erected
by Mr. Alex Holliday, of Hollidaysburg, who then owned the property,
and for whom Mr. Thomas Keyes was tenant. Mr. Keyes afterward
bought it and the present company bought from him shortly before
his death. The contrast between the two houses is most marked,
yet both represent the period in which they were built
Mountain Laurel, Pennsylvania's
state flower,
abounds on
Wopsononock Mountain.
Click on flower to read more
The centerpiece of the resort community was the Wopsononock Hotel.
The hotel was a 60 room, three story wooden structure with a large verandah
across the entire front and along the left side. 'Wopsononock' was written
across the top front of the hotel. Other resort attractions included a dance
pavilion, bowling alley, baseball field, shooting range, merry-go-round and
lawn tennis courts. A mountain top forest fire destroyed the hotel along
with many of the cottages located on Lookout Road on April 30, 1903.
Fire damage to the hotel was estimated at $25,000 and insurance on the
building was only $2,500 so the historic Wopsononock Hotel was never rebuilt.
An outstanding attraction
near the Wopsy Resort was
the four story observation 'lookout tower' at the edge of the mountain.
It opened in June 1891 and it was said that on a clear day, one could
view six counties from the top platform. After the Wopsy Hotel was
destroyed by a forest fire in April 1903, regular maintenance ceased on
the lookout tower and its condition deteriorated until it was torn
down, date unknown.
The
Wopsy Railroad, originally a narrow-gauge railroad but
standard g
auged in 1916, extended about 15 miles from Juniata near Altoona,
Pennsylvania west to the plateau of Wopsononock Mountain and then
to Dougherty in Cambria County and was first operated to the mountain
top on June 11, 1891. After the loss of the Wopsy Hotel in 1903,
the railroad continued to transport picnickers and sightseers until lack
of funds forced abandonment in 1919. At that time, nearly everything
made of metal was sold for scrap (a few wooden cross-ties and
narrow-gauge spikes occasionally may be found on the old railroad bed)
An interesting bit of local history involves the disposition of the remaining
wooden structures, which were dismantled and used to build the dance
pavilion at Ivyside Park in 1923. Ivyside Park is now the site of Penn State
Altoona.
The financial history of the Wopsy Railroad was turbulent and involved
many legal squabbles; the two opposing factions were often in litigation,
fighting for control, and the railroad changed hands numerous times.
Almost as often, the official name of the rail line changed. Throughout its
history, the Wopsy Railroad was known as the Altoona & Wopsononock;
Altoona, Clearfield and Northern; Altoona & Beech Creek; Pittsburgh,
Johnstown, Ebensburg & Eastern; Altoona, Juniata & Northern and lastly,
the Altoona Northern. But whatever the official name bestowed at any
given time in its brief history, rail fans more often referred to the little
mountain train simply as the Wopsy Railroad.
auged in 1916, extended about 15 miles from Juniata near Altoona,
Pennsylvania west to the plateau of Wopsononock Mountain and then
to Dougherty in Cambria County and was first operated to the mountain
top on June 11, 1891. After the loss of the Wopsy Hotel in 1903,
the railroad continued to transport picnickers and sightseers until lack
of funds forced abandonment in 1919. At that time, nearly everything
made of metal was sold for scrap (a few wooden cross-ties and
narrow-gauge spikes occasionally may be found on the old railroad bed)
An interesting bit of local history involves the disposition of the remaining
wooden structures, which were dismantled and used to build the dance
pavilion at Ivyside Park in 1923. Ivyside Park is now the site of Penn State
Altoona.
The financial history of the Wopsy Railroad was turbulent and involved
many legal squabbles; the two opposing factions were often in litigation,
fighting for control, and the railroad changed hands numerous times.
Almost as often, the official name of the rail line changed. Throughout its
history, the Wopsy Railroad was known as the Altoona & Wopsononock;
Altoona, Clearfield and Northern; Altoona & Beech Creek; Pittsburgh,
Johnstown, Ebensburg & Eastern; Altoona, Juniata & Northern and lastly,
the Altoona Northern. But whatever the official name bestowed at any
given time in its brief history, rail fans more often referred to the little
mountain train simply as the Wopsy Railroad.
CLICK HERE
to read the
history
of the
Wopsononock
Post Office
