Ligonier, Pennsylvania

History

In 1758, when British forces launched a major campaign to remove French forces from the forks of the Ohio, now Pittsburgh, this spot on Loyalhanna Creek was the site of their westernmost camp before reaching the Ohio. The British maintained a large army, a virtual moving city of 6,000 people, that temporarily made Ligonier the second-most populated spot in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia. Fort Ligonier was named after John Ligonier, a British noble of French origin who held the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Eventually, the name of the settlement that grew up around the fort was shortened to Ligonier.

In 1817, the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh Turnpike was completed, a gravel road that was the precursor to today's US Route 30. Fort Ligonier was a logical place for travelers to break their journey, and with such commercial opportunities in mind, a local resident named John Ramsay (sometimes spelled Ramsey) laid out the street plan, including the space now known as the Diamond. He initially called the town Ramseytown, later changed to Wellington (after the Duke of Wellington), and finally the name was changed to Ligonier. Several decades of prosperity followed. On April 10, 1834, Ligonier was incorporated as a borough.

However, in 1852 the Pennsylvania Railroad was completed, which bypassed Ligonier and passed through the towns of Bolivar and Latrobe instead. Traffic shifted from horse-drawn vehicles to the railroad, causing the community's population to drop to 350 according to the 1860 census.

Ligonier benefited when the Ligonier Valley Railroad was completed in 1877, linking the community to Latrobe where connections to the Pennsylvania Railroad were possible. The Ligonier Valley Railroad enabled lumber, coal, and quarried stone to be transported out of the Ligonier Valley, which spurred development of the town. Additionally, the railroad made it easier for Pittsburgh residents to visit Ligonier, causing the town to develop as a summer resort. Some major physical changes to Ligonier occurred during this period. In 1894, the Diamond, which had been used as a corral for horses and wagons, was transformed into a park with a bandstand. A large hotel, the Hotel Breniser, was built in 1900 where the town hall currently sits. In 1909–1910, the Ligonier Valley Railroad built an ornate station and headquarters building, which still stands at 339 West Main Street.

In 1952, the Ligonier Valley Railroad ceased operation, due to a combination of overlogging, decline of the coal industry, and the loss of passenger traffic to motor vehicles.

The Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad also served Ligonier from 1899 to 1916, although it did not enjoy the success of the Ligonier Valley Railroad.

Ligonier has three listings on the National Register of Historic Places: the Fort Ligonier site at 216 South Market Street; the Ligonier Historic District, which encompasses the Diamond and the oldest parts of the borough; and the demolished Ligonier Armory.

Ligonier and its surrounding countryside are strongly associated with the Mellon banking family, who still owns considerable tracts of land in the area. The Huntland Downs estate, near Ligonier, comprises some 30,000 acre of land and is the centerpiece of the Mellon land holdings in the region.

Image:railroad-station-in-ligonier-pennsylvania.jpg|Former train station, now school district offices Image:FtLigonier.jpg|Fort Ligonier Image:Ligonier-pennsylvania-downtown.jpg|Ligonier's downtown with the Town Hall in the background.

Media

Ligonier is served by two media markets: Pittsburgh and Johnstown-Altoona.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,695 people, 827 households, and 459 families residing in the borough. The population density was 3,482.5 PD/sqmi. There were 907 housing units at an average density of 1,863.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 99.76% White, 0.06% Asian, and 0.18% from two or more races. Of the population, 0.35% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Geography

The Borough of Ligonier is entirely surrounded by Ligonier Township, which is a separate municipality. According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.5 sqmi, all land. Ligonier is located at (40.244518, -79.237067).

Notable people

• Arthur St. Clair, Major General and Patriot in the revolutionary war, 8th President of the Continental Congress (see also Fort Ligonier)
• Garrett Smithley, NASCAR driver
• R.K. Mellon, Financier
• RC Sproul , Reformed Theologian and founder of Ligonier Ministry

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. (2020). "U.S. Census website". US Census Bureau.
3. (1999). "Metropolitan Areas and Components". Population Division, US Census Bureau.
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". U.S. Government Printing Office.
5. Shirey, Salley. (2001). "Ligonier Valley". Arcadia Publishing.
6. "History - Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce". Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce.
7. "National Register of Historical Places - Ligonier Historic District". Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission.
8. "Ligonier Valley Rail Road Association".
9. Smith, Rachel E.. (2008). "Latrobe and the Ligonier Valley". Arcadia Publishing.
10. {{NRISref
11. (May 24, 2020). "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". U.S. Census Bureau.
13. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". U.S. Census Bureau.
15. "Census Population API". United States Census Bureau.
16. (2011-02-12). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].