Area Information
History: In 1801, Aaron Bloss moved to Tioga County and in 1802, moved to the area known as “Peter’s Camp”. He is considered the first settler of Blossburg. Sometime between 1818 and 1820, Aaron Bloss made the first attempt to found a town by changing the name of Peter’s Camp to Blossburg. Blossburg was officially recognized and incorporated a borough on August 29, 1871.

Mining: The real mining history of Blossburg Coal began shortly after 1810 when a pioneer David Clemens made the first effort to mine and market coal. Clemens opened a mine on Bear Run between 1812 and 1815, serving only the Painted Post area. Around the same time a lower vein was opened on Bear Run by Aaron Bloss. This vein is known as the Bloss Vein but was used only to satisfy local demands.
For more than 150 years, coal has played a vital role in the development of Blossburg. Today many of the mines still exist, dormant. However Ward Manufacturing (see tower image) is a descendant of the Blossburg Coal mining industry and is currently the largest business operating in the Blossburg area. Ward Manufacturing has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Festival each year.

Plane crash: Tuesday, June 23, 2015, silently marked the 48th anniversary of the tragic plane crash of Flight 40 near Blossburg. All 34 on board were killed when the plane went down 13 minutes after taking off from Elmira, New York after it took off for Washington, D.C. The plane went down in 1967.
Resources: Blossburg.org

Other sites you may be interested in:
Thumbnail Collection of USA Water Towers
Canadian Water Towers and Standpipes
Magnetic Hills in the United States of America
The History of the Christian Fish Symbol