Williamsburg Trail & River Design Workbook

WILLIAMSBURG

Trail & River Design Workbook

WILLIAMSBURG Trail & River Design Workbook

The Williamsburg Trail & River Design Workbook is a resource for community members, planners, local and regional government, students, and anyone else interested in enhancing the landscapes around the Lower Trail and the Frankstown Branch in Williamsburg, PA. The Workbook is not a design proposal; it is a compilation of geographic data and insights gathered between 2021 and 2023. Sources include local knowledge from Borough leadership, residents, and business owners; as well as publicly available data. This information is synthesized and consolidated into measured plans and other graphics that can be used to explore design and planning ideas visually.

One catalyst for thinking about the landscape around the Lower Trail and the Frankstown Branch in Williamsburg is the Borough’s recent acquisition of approximately 54 acres of former power company property north of downtown. While this new parcel is an important area of focus, the Workbook assumes that any proposition ought to take into account a larger vision for the landscape of the Borough and region, especially given the central location of Williamsburg along the Lower Trail and within larger recreational networks like the 9/11 National Memorial Trail and the Mid State Trail.

The plans, section drawings, diagrams, and text presented here are intended to be as widely accessible as possible, enabling anyone to test and express design ideas with some level of precision. The 11x17-inch page format means the Workbook can be reprinted at scale on consumer printers. Graphics may be used as base drawings for sketching on trace paper. Multiple scales and drawing types are provided so users can focus on different areas of interest.

THEMATIC PLANS

The first section consists of three plans of the total study area, including downtown Williamsburg and

the Robeson Extension, as well as Cenveo and new Borough properties northwest as far as the Lower Trail Grannas Station. Each of these three plans shows a different set of data based on its theme. Along with basic geography, plans include opportunities and challenges identified in planning discussions. The thematic plans are accompanied by additional graphics and text exploring the broader implications of each theme.

ZONE DETAIL PLANS & SECTIONS

The second section is organized into four zones, each represented in a Zone Detail Plan. The more zoomed-in zone plans show a greater level of detail than the thematic plans. They also show the location of a series of section-elevations along the trail and river, which are shown following the corresponding Zone Detail Plan.

CREDITS

The Williamsburg Trail & River Design Workbook was prepared by Alec Spangler, assistant professor of landscape architecture at Penn State’s Stuckeman School, with contributions by Penn State landscape architecture students Anne Lai and Elliott Kline.

Ilona Ballreich (Penn State Sustainable Communities Collaborative) facilitated connections to stakeholders including the primary community partners:

Williamsburg Borough:

Ted Hyle, Mayor

Rowdy Kegarise, Police Chief

Joe Lansberry, Borough Manager

Lisa Dishong, Borough Office Manager

Rails to Trails of Central PA:

Mike Panek, Vice President and Maintenance Supervisor

Karl King, Charter Board Member (Secretary 9/11 National Memorial Trail)

The following community members and specialists are among those who have contributed their knowledge, time, and expertise to the Workbook:

Williamsburg Community Farm Show

Arianne Waddington

Sherry Waddington

Williamsburg Community School

April Wheland

Williamsburg Public Library

Roane Lytle

Jennifer Hoffman

Williamsburg Lions Club

Trisha Radmann

Blair County

Grant Willis

Blair Planning

David McFarland

Sherry Socie

Rails to Trails of Central PA

Ed Donahoe

Allegheny Ridge Corporation

Jane Sheffield

Explore Altoona

Mark Ickes

McCollom Development Strategies

Cathy McCollom

PA Interfaith Power and Light

Greg Williams

DISCLAIMER

CONTENTS

The Crossroad

David Cadle

BluAcres LLC

Trent Lee

Noah Wheland

Mike Biddle

Jim Foreso

Julie Foreso

Carol Ginter

Ryan Gorsuch

Elizabeth Isenberg

Jonathan Isenberg

David Kessling

Linda L. Lang

Leslie Ann Lower

Allan Overdorff

Stephanie Pardee

Stephen Parks

Regina Patterson

Cynthia Potter

Josh Potter

Pam Prough

Karyn Shaw

Lugene Shelly

...and others

No formal surveys were done to produce the content in this resource, and information provided by individuals has not necessarily been verified. Many details and measurements are estimated by sight and photographs only, and subsurface conditions are loosely inferred. While effort has been made to be as accurate as possible at an appropriate level of precision, errors and omissions may be present and are the responsibility of the author. The Workbook should be used for discussion only and not for construction of any kind.

THEMATIC PLANS

1. Recreation & Access ........................ p. 2

2. Resilience & Sustainability .............. p. 6

3. History & Culture .............................. p. 10

ZONE DETAIL PLANS & SECTIONS

Aerial and Zone Key Plan ...................... p. 14

1. ZONE 1: Farm Show ......................... p. 16

2. ZONE 2: Downtown Core .................. p. 22

3. ZONE 3: Riverside Park .................... p. 36

4. ZONE 4: Power Plant ........................ p. 48

Sources.................................................. p. 60

This project is made possible in part by a Faculty Research Grant from the Penn State Stuckeman School and the Hamer Center for Community Design.

Recreation & Access

The proximity of the Lower Trail and the river edge to Williamsburg’s downtown means there are unique opportunities to deliver outdoor recreation to a wide range of users. Central Pennsylvania’s wealth of natural resources is much less available to people with mobility limitations. Easy parking, paths with accessible slopes and surfaces, and necessary support services rarely align with high-quality landscapes for hiking, boating, fishing, and other nature-based activities. But relatively minor improvements to the Lower Trail and Frankstown Branch corridor can make Williamsburg a place where outdoor recreation is accessible to all.

Interventions range from the simple, like modifying gates and access points to accommodate wheelchairs and specialized equipment; to more ambitious projects like regrading sections of riverbank to create ADAcompliant boating and fishing access. Universal access can be embedded in larger habitat restoration work: Moderate slopes correspond to specific plant communities, and outboard structures for water access can be designed to improve fish habitat. New parking areas can be designed in parallel with constructed marshland to mitigate stormwater runoff. Expanded access is about attracting new users of all kinds to the trail, river, and downtown, from local residents, to area college students, to long distance hikers.

The Lower Trail is one of many excellent short-tomiddle distance walking and biking paths in Central Pennsylvania, but it is also connected to a sprawling network of state-wide and regional routes. Hikers on the Mid State Trail turn off the Lower Trail at Spring Street and walk right through the downtown. The 9/11 National Memorial Trail and the Main Line Canal Greenway both overlap entirely with the Lower Trail. Route planners are working to create and improve safe trail

connections between Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, New York, and Washington, D.C., among other urban centers, as well as to national routes like the East Coast Greenway, Appalachian Trail, Great Eastern Trail, and Great American Rail Trail.

As a midway point on the Lower Trail and one of few town centers with direct trail access between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Williamsburg is perfectly positioned to welcome local users of the Lower Trail and Frankstown Branch, as well as touring cyclists and hikers from afar. By building up amenities along the trail that serve Williamsburg residents, the Borough becomes a more welcoming and profitable destination for non-resident use. With a strong connection to regional history and the Main Line Canal corridor, spotlighting features like Big Spring and the legacy of canal infrastructure can further expand and deepen engagement with the Borough and surroundings.

Grannas Station Trailhead

Grannas Brothers Ganister Quarry

Shelter west of Grannas Station

Informal gathering area opposite “Indian Chief Rock:” limited access over steep banks and dense vegetation (See ZONE 4 Section D)

River access limited by retaining walls and fences at former dam site. Potential promontory for views (See ZONE 4 Section C)

Moderate slope; sparse understory; and low, wide shelf to riverbank suggest potential new water access (See ZONE 4 Section A & B)

Moderate slopes from Farm Show Property suggest potential new water access (See ZONE 1 Section A)

Steep slopes and dense vegetation prevent further trail and river access until Grannas Station

Ash waste hill: no formal access (See ZONE 4 Sections C, D, & E)

Fenced wet meadow on former industrial site: limited access (See ZONE 4 Section A)

Informal parking area provides direct access from Juniata River Rd between trail heads (See ZONE 3 Section E)

Abutment and central pier from removed conduit bridge: informal promontory (See ZONE 3 Section C)

“Scout Steps” to river access (See ZONE 3 Section B)

High St Bridge intersection: steep grade leads to unsignaled vehicle crossing (See ZONE 2 Section F)

‘V’ chicane at main gate may impeded personal mobility devices (See ZONE 2 Section B

Steep slopes and forest prevent further trail access (See ZONE 1 Sections A & B)

Resilience & Sustainability

Like many Central Pennsylvania towns, Williamsburg enjoys recreational opportunities and ecosystem services from the local natural landscape while also facing the question of unused, degraded industrial land from bygone eras. These two conditions can complement one another in future planning. With enough commitment to continued management (already underway through local volunteer work with support from groups like Interfaith Power and Light, ClearWater Conservancy, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation), some areas along the Lower Trail and Frankstown Branch can be recovered as robust ecological systems similar to the preindustrial landscape. Other areas have been so severely modified by previous uses that they suggest new opportunities for interacting with the natural world beyond managed wilderness.

For example, current best practices for habitat maintenance and flood mitigation suggest minimizing “hard” infrastructure on riverbanks, but existing features like old bridge abutments can provide more ways to engage with the water’s edge without further compromising bank conditions. A low-lying former power plant site with degraded soil conditions may be a more suitable site for a constructed marshland than the native riparian forest of centuries past. Constructed ecological systems can be combined with new infrastructure in a way that poses less risk to longestablished plant and animal communities, creating a net benefit for both habitat and human use. Amenities that may be accommodate in this “new nature” include boardwalks and other accessible circulation, tent, and RV sites, outdoor recreation facilities, boating and fishing access — all of which have the potential for new business and revenue for the Borough.

Williamsburg experienced several devastating floods in the 20th century. The acquisition of over 50 acres of new land upstream of the historic residential

area, much of it in the floodway, could be an opportunity to think big about flood mitigation while managing the remnants of the former power generating facility. One of the biggest questions is the fate of the nearly 100-foothigh ash waste hill on the edge of the floodplain just on the other side of the Lower Trail from the Frankstown Branch. Of course, the hydrology and the conditions of the soil in this area need to be carefully evaluated by specialists before any significant intervention, but hopefully this Workbook can help generate the right questions to ask of the site.

Finally, the Borough’s expanded property can have potential for more than recreation and rehabilitation of habitat; the existing electrical substation and power line corridors could support locally produced electricity once again in the form of solar generation. Just across Juniata River Road, the Cenveo campus offers additional roof area and open ground if Cenveo and the Borough are open to collaboration.

FEMA Mapped Flood Zones

Typical River Channel

FEMA Regulatory Floodway

FEMA 1% Flood Hazard

FEMA 0.2% Flood Hazard

Grannas Brother’s Quarry has provided local resurfacing material for trail

Grannas Brothers Ganister Quarry

Grannas Station Trailhead

Grannas Brothers Ganister Quarry

JuniataRiverFrankstown Branch

Electrical substation along the Lower Trail within the Borough’s newly acquired parcel

Historically dammed water levels reached near current 1% Flood Hazard elevation at approx. 6’ above current water level

Base of ash waste hill near the 0.2% Flood Hazard elevation, approximately 862’

Extensive invasive tree removal, including Ailanthus (host for spotted lanternfly) which occurs throughout the river corridor

Electrical substation and existing power line corridors could support new modes of power generation (See ZONE 4 Section B)

Extensive native tree planting underway in clear area (See Zone 4 Section A)

Wide, shallow flood plain at Farm Show could support boat launch and river access along with current recreation fields

Forested ash waste hill from former coal power plant with approx. 2-foot of top soil. 10-foot topographical contour lines shown (See ZONE 4 Sections C, D, & E)

Approximately 275,000 SF roof area plus lawn area at Cenveo campus for potential solar generation

New borough parcel composed of former power plant and wastewater facilities with unimproved soil and industrial remnants. Volunteer wet meadow and scrubland area has become quality bird habitat.

Former dumping ground for paper mill, currently forested

Abutments and central bridge pier from conduit transporting waste across the river remain.

Big Spring outlet into river (See ZONE 2 Section E)

Pavement damaged by tree root intrusion in narrow corridor between steep slopes and river

Water Resources as Park Program

NatureWorks Park, Hollidaysburg

Blair County Conservation District

NatureWorks Park, operated by the Blair County Conservation District, is a combination of recreational amenities and a demonstration site for stormwater and wetland management. At the edge of Hollidaysburg, along a tributary to the Frankstown Branch, the 15-acre site is “Blair County’s first environmental specific outdoor education and recreation area.”

Over 75% of NatureWorks Park is floodway, floodplain, or wetland, including existing wetlands designated as “Exceptional Value.” Thus, the construction of the park serves as an example of social program overlaid onto preserved and improved natural systems. The park is now promoted by the Conservation District as a living index of water resource protection and enhancement strategies, including those that can be implemented by community members in their own space.

Since much of parcel recently acquired by Williamsburg Borough is in a floodway (and all of it has a close relationship with the Frankstown Branch), projects like NatureWorks park are a helpful reference for the development of new public space that also serves the environment.

Source: Blair County Conservation District, https://blairconservationdistrict.org/ natureworks-park/ and https://natureworkspark.org/

Clockwise from above: Blair County Conservation District signage; amphitheater, photo Keller Engineers; aerial, photo Explore Altoona; boardwalk view, photo Blair County Conservation District

History and Culture

For all recorded history, the area around an oxbow of the Frankstown Branch now called Williamsburg has had a place among the most important transit corridors across the Commonwealth. Sitting in the northern end of Morrison’s Cove, a small valley near the edge of the Allegheny Plateaus almost entirely enclosed by ridges, the area around Williamsburg has always presented challenges for transportation infrastructure. At the same time, excellent water and forest resources, fertile land, and deposits of limestone and iron made the region, and Williamsburg in particular, attractive for settlement and development. Its location midway between the beginning of the broad Susquehanna Valley and the convergence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers – what has become Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, respectively, ensured that Williamsburg would play a role in cross-state commerce.

Just as Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia loom larger than the communities of Central Pennsylvania today, less is known about the earliest inhabitants of contemporary Williamsburg compared to the indigenous peoples of west of the Allegheny Front, the Lower Susquehanna Valley, and the Coastal Plain who would later move to the area. The Onojutta-Haga people, from whom it is believed that the name “Juniata” derives, probably used the Frankstown Branch and the lowlands around it to navigate the valley.

In the 18th century, the Kittening Trail (Frankstown Path), first developed and used by indigenous people, became the earliest known east-west route between present-day Harrisburg and Pittsburgh used by European settlers. This cemented the area around Williamsburg as an important midpoint: the LenapeShawnee village of Assunepachla was a key way station in the 18th-century fur trade. Williamsburg is just over the Tussey ridge from the site of Assunepachla, and the Kittening Trail passed 3 miles north on the current alignment of Route 22.

Transit and trade across Pennsylvania were revolutionized in 1832, when the Main Line Canal system connected Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh, and this time Williamsburg was at the heart of things. The canal route through town allowed Williamsburg to participate in regional commerce and led to the development of many historic buildings that still survive. When the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Main Line supplanted the canal, Williamsburg was briefly left out, but later branches linked the Borough to the growing rail system in time its peak of prosperity in the early 20th century, as a paper mill replaced iron related products as the leading industry.

After the loss of large-scale industry, one of Williamsburg’s greatest new opportunities may hearken back centuries to the earliest form of transit in the region: walking trails. The transformation of the old canal towpath and railroad alignments into the Lower Trail by Rails to Trails of Central PA in the 1980s links Williamsburg to a growing network of long-distance recreational trails, routes, and waterways. Again, Williamsburg is poised to be at the midpoint: connecting major urban centers and nationally recognized recreational and cultural networks, while still retaining the character of a small community in the wilds of Central Pennsylvania.

Surviving

Surviving

Grannas Brothers Ganister Quarry JuniataRiverRd/Rte866

Grannas Station Trailhead

Big Spring, Williamsburg

NOTE: Canal era resources mapped here are adapted from Heberling, Historic Resources Survey Report: Canal-Era Resources In Huntingdon Borough, Huntingdon County, and Hollidaysburg and Williamsburg Boroughs, Blair County, Pennsylvania. See References on p. 60

Approx. location of Williamsburg Dam and Guard Lock

Approximate typical level of Frankstown Branch behind former cooling water damremoved sometime after plant closure in 1991

Retaining wall and other structures remain from power plant cooling water dam (See ZONE 4 Section C)

Site of Penelec coal power plant, retired in 1991. Fences and working electrical substation remain (See ZONE 4 Sections A and B)

Ash waste hill, built up during coal power plant operations; topped with soil sometime before plant closure in 1991 (See ZONE 4 Sections C, D, & E)

Lower Trail follows alignment of PRR Petersburg Branch though Grannas Station

Site of playing fields before construction of Westvaco envelope plant (now Cenveo) in 1960s

IMPORTANT HISTORIC DISTRICT SITES

St. Joseph’s Cath. Church 1973

Keystone Flour Mill, 1910

Canal weight master’s house, c. 1830s

Public Library (formerly Presbyterian Church) 1841

Kaufman Building (stores) 1890

Hollidaysburg Trust Co. Building 1873 (removed, now a parklet)

Zion Lutheran Church 1907

Schwab Hotel 1911

Lazarus Ministries (orig. German Reformed Church) 1910

Brethren Church 1911

Williamsburg Junior and High School 1933, with later additions

Post Office 1962

Childhood home of Wilmer Stultz, aviator

Lutheran Cemetery 1837 (site of first Lutheran Church on north parcel)

Former Williamsburg Academy 1860

Williamsburg Elementary School 1941

Methodist Cemetery 1816

John K. Neff House (at Big Spring) 1830

Presbyterian Cemetery 1824

Former Blair Co. Children’s Home 1902, now part of Grace

Pointe Community Church

PRRPetersburgBranchRoute

Approx. location of canal lift lock

Historical canal towpath and PRR Petersburg Branch and current Lower Trail all use the same alignment east of High St.

Just outside map extent all three routes diverge from Frankstown Branch; the Lower Trail remains closer to the river until rejoining the historical routes at a re-purposed rail bridge

Paper mill waste site, now forested

Abutments and central bridge pier from conduit transporting paper mill waste remain.

Site of Williamsburg Manufacturing Company (paper mill) 1905-1980

Location of “diamond” or main civic square from original town plan

Former site of 1857 Juniata Iron Furnace next to Big Spring outlet

Remnant concrete structure next to piped outlet

Big Spring

Former water treatment facility

Approx. location of canal lift lock

?

? Establishment of Haudenosaunee Confederacy by Iroqouoian language nations around present day New York State

Iroquois-speaking Susquehannock people move into Lower Susquehanna Valley region, absorbing existing communities there. Among them were likely the Onojutta-Haga people, from whose name “Juniata” is derived

Indigenous history long precedes colonial documentation

1900 Pop. 935 Local iron industry stagnates as steel dominates

1905

Charles M. Schwab opens the Williamsburg Manufacturing Company. Locally born industrialist was persuaded by local leaders to build the paper mill, which also brings electricity to some homes for the first time. Building costs forced Schwab to sell the mill to Westvaco in 1907

PRR extends Williamsburg branch line to Petersburg, connecting it to the Pennsylvania Main Line - now called Petersburg Branch

1910 Schwab Hotel completed; Schwab would also build working housing collectively known as “Schwabtown”

1914

Penn Central Light & Power Co. opens Williamsburg Electric Generating Station

Paper Mill Era 1905-1944

1910-20s: High-end paper manufacturing and peak of prosperity

1640s

Dutch establish trading posts in Pennsylvania Haudenosaunee nations expand into present-day Pennsylvania through war and fur trade with Europeans Susquehannocks ally with Maryland in ongoing battles with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy

1681

King Charles II charters the colony of Pennsylvania, granting its lands to William Penn

1675

Weakened by European diseases and attacks, the Susquehannocks are defeated and scattered by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy

Occupants of rugged areas like Morrison’s Cove/Williamsburg are less well known than those in the broad fertile valley along the Susquehanna

1966

1976

1936

St. Patrick’s Day Flood severely damages paper mill and other infrastructure, slowing growth along with the Great Depression

Williamsburg Farm Show Assoc. reforms and holds annual show for the first time since incorporating in 1940 U.S. Envelope announces plans for $1.5 million expansion

1960 Pop. 1,790

1957

Led by coach Bill Casper, Williamsburg Blue Pirates win PIAA Class C basketball state championship, cementing a tradition of excellence in the sport. Baseball team wins Blair County league title, and football team is unbeaten

Conrail takes over operations of the bankrupt Penn Central Railroad, formerly PRR

1974

Historic paper mill closes; Westvaco operates newer envelope plant

1972

Hurricane Agnes floods the region, with Williamsburg hardest hit

Waste ash from power and paper plans accumulate on both sides of the river Paper production transition to envelopes and cardboard packaging

Water Dam

1958

1933 Passenger service on Petersburg Branch discontinued; freight service remains 1939

1967

USDA Aerial Imagery 1939 - 2019

1690s

Groups from the Algonquin-language Shawnee tribe settle in the Lower Susquehanna Valley

1713

Groups from the Tuscarora Nation begin fleeing war with Europeans in North Carolina. Seeking refuge with fellow Iroquois speakers, in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy to the north, some will spend time around present day Blair County. In 1722 the Tuscarora become the 6th nation in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy

1754

Pennsylvania leaders try to purchase the area from the Ridge and Valley province to today’s Ohio border from the Haudenosaunee nations, despite Shawnee, Lenape, and others living in that territory. They later settle on a smaller area including Blair County but the new Commonwealth negotiates deeds to the remainder of its current boundaries by 1800. Indigenous people remain today, but Pennsylvania does not recognize any national or tribal status

1789

Kittanning Trail (Frankstown Path) first used by indigenous people, expanded for use by wagons; called the “Great Road” from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh, it would become today’s State Rte 22

Colonial land acquisition in Pennsylvania through deeds and treaties 1719-1792

Displaced indigenous people flee to Haudenosaunee controlled lands in central PA

1795

Drawn by the potential of Big Spring to power milling, German immigrant Jacob Ake founds “Aketown,” later renamed Williamsburg after his son. Town is laid out on Philadelphia-style grid centered on a public square

1832

Pennsylvania Main Line Canal between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg (with rail connection to Philadelphia) opens section in Williamsburg, accelerating economic growth

1854

1873

PRR opens branch line from Hollidaysburg to Williamsburg, boosting commerce in iron, quarry, and farm products

1980

Historic paper mill facility demolished

1982

Conrail abandons Williamsburg freight line

Mid State Trail Association formed to maintain the 327-mile northsouth route across Pennsylvania, conceived in the late 1960s

1989

Rails to Trails buys 11 miles of Penn Central right of way (Williamsburg to Alfarata) with support from T. Dean Lower. Lower Trail is named for his late wife Jane and son Roger

1991

Penelec retires Williamsburg coal power plant; it is demolished years later, along with the dam on the Frankstown Branch that had supplied cooling water. Electrical substation is retained

1827 Williamsburg Borough first incorporated; reincorporated 1893

1840 Pop. 637

Pennsylvania Railroad Company (PRR) opens Main Line from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, bypassing Williamsburg. Canal economy declines and it is sold to PRR in 1857, remaining open to ship Williamsburg’s iron and limestone until 1875

1857

Already running mills and a tannery, George Neff helps form the company that built the Juniata Iron Furnace on Front St

Canal Era 1832-1875

Railroad Era 1875-1905

2002

September 11th National Patriot Trail Alliance formed to plan a memorial trail linking sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York; renamed to September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance in 2009

2004

The remaining 5.5 miles of the Lower Trail from Williamsburg to Flowing Spring Station, near to Canoe Creek State Park, is acquired Allegheny Ridge releases Main Line Canal Greenway Plan

2018 Pop. 1,180

April 2022

Altoona Mirror notes the opening of several new Williamsburg businesses in conjunction with renewed interest around the Lower Trail

1,250

2011 MeadWestvaco sells envelope plant to Cenveo

C&S Family Markets closes Williamsburg grocery store

2021

DCNR opens the connector trail from the Lower Trail to Canoe Creek State Park, with support from Rails to Trails and PennDOT

“Juniata Iron District”

Zone Detail Plans & Sections

ZONE 4 PowerPlant

ZONE1FarmShow

ZONE 3 Riverside Park

ZONE 2 Downtown Core

ZONE 1 Farm Show

ZONE 1 Section A

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 844’

Lower Trail

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

Asphalt Path

(841’)

ZONE 1 Section B

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 848’

Lower Trail

Swale

Timber Fence at Swale Culvert (approx.)

Asphalt Path Outlet

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

Scale 1”=10’

Wastewater Treatment Plant

(864’)

(864’)

Service Road for Water Treatment Plant

ZONE 2 Downtown Core

ZONE 2 Section A

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 851’

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

ZONE 2 Section B

Community Maintained Tree Planting East 1st Street Sidewalk

Pavilion with Picnic Tables (847.5’) (846’)

ZONE 2 Section C

ZONE 2 Section D

East 1st Street

Sidewalk Sidewalk Lawn Area, Privately Owned

Split Rail Fence at Edge of Outlet Channel, See Zone 2 Section E

(849.5’)

(849’)

ZONE 2 Section E

(843.5’)

Big Spring Stone Lined Channel, Open

Big Spring Channel in Culvert under East 1st Street and Sidewalks (Approx.)

Big Spring Channel in Open Stone & Concrete Chamber

ZONE 2 Section F

Martin General Store

Lower Trail

Asphalt Path Service Area for Store

Approx. 7% Slope Leading to High Street Intersection

Stop Sign for Trail Users; Vehicles do not stop Timber Fence

ZONE 3 Riverside Park

FEMA0.2%FLOODHAZARD

FEMA1%FLOODHAZARD

ZONE 3 Section A

Landscaping Waste Pile Riverside Park Play Area

Opening and Entry Path at Split Rail Fence (844.5’)

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 853’

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

ZONE 3 Section B

Riverside Park Recreation Area Athletic Facilities

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 854’

(849’)

(837’)

(843.5’)

Lower Trail

Asphalt Path

Stone Stair with Split Rail Fence Railing

Dirt Path to River Access

Opening at Split Rail Fence

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

ZONE 3 Section C

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 857’

Abandoned Concrete Bridge Abutment

Abandoned Concrete Bridge Pier

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

(860.5’)

ZONE 3 Section D

Cenveo Campus; Site of Historic Williamsburg Manufacturing Company Paper Mill (866’)

ZONE 3 Section E

Cenveo Campus; Site of Historic Williamsburg Manufacturing Company Paper Mill

Cenveo Finish Floor Elev. Approx. (860’)

4

ZONE 4 Section A

ZONE 4 Section B

Electrical Substation, Beyond (850’)

ZONE 4 Section C

Split Rail Fence with Community Maintained Bird Houses

Lower Trail Stone Dust Path

Damaged, Overgrown Chain Link Fence

Community Maintained Invasive Plant Clearing and Native Tree Planting

Soil-Topped, Forested Ash Waste Hill

BREAK

(858’)

(843’)

ZONE 4 Section D

Soil-Topped, Forested Ash Waste Hill

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 860’

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

“Indian Chief Rock”

Clear Gathering Area with Paths and Damaged Plaque

Loose Stone Revetment 4D

(850’)

(845’) (843’)

ZONE 4 Section E

Soil-Topped, Forested Ash Waste Hill Lower Trail Stone Dust Path

Vegetated Berm, Beyond

FEMA 1% Annual Flood Hazard Approx. 860’

Juniata River Frankstown Branch

Dense Understory, No Easy Access to River

References and Resources

RECREATION AND ACCESS

Regional Planning and Development Groups

• Allegheny Ridge Corporation https://www.alleghenyridge.org/

• Altoona Blair County Development Corporation (ABCDCorp) https://abcdcorp.org/

• Blair County Conservation District https://blairconservationdistrict.org/

• Blair Planning (Blair County Planning Commission) https://www.blairplanning.org/

• Central Blair Recreation Commission http://www.cbrcparks.org/

• Explore Altoona https://explorealtoona.com/

• Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg Main Line Canal Greenway (Allegheny Ridge Corporation) https://mainlinecanalgreenway.org/

• Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC), Penn State Sustainability Institute https://sustainability.psu.edu/programs/scc/

• Trail Town Program https://www.trailtowns.org/

Regional and National Trails

• 9/11 National Memorial Trail https://www.911trail.org/

• Rails to Trails of Central PA https://rttcpa.org/

• Eastern Divide Trail https://bikepacking.com/eastern-divide-trail/

• Mid State Trail https://hike-mst.org/

People with Disabilities

• Americans with Disabilities Act https://www.ada.gov/

• Center for Independent Living South Central PA https://cilscpa.org/

• Design with disabled people now https://www.designwithdisabledpeoplenow.com/

• Wonders within Reach: Accessible Family Adventures https://wonderswithinreach.com/

Pennsylvania Agencies

• PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR), including State Parks https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/

• PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/

• PA Fish and Boat Commission, including PA Water Trails https://www.fishandboat.com/

• PA Department of Transportation (PennDOT), including Pennsylvania Bike Routes https://www.penndot.pa.gov/

RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Regional Groups

• Blair County Conservation District https://blairconservationdistrict.org/

• ClearWater Conservancy https://www.clearwaterconservancy.org/

• Penn State Sustainability Institute https://sustainability.psu.edu/

• Penn State Extension https://extension.psu.edu/

• Susquehanna River Basin Commission https://www.srbc.net/

• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation https://www.cbf.org/

Pennsylvania and National Agencies

• PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/

• PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/

• PA Fish and Boat Commission https://www.fishandboat.com/

• U.S. Energy Information Administration https://www.eia.gov/

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) https://www.usgs.gov/

• U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) https://www.fema.gov/

HISTORY AND CULTURE

Indigenous Peoples

• Indigenous Peoples in Pennsylvania History, Penn State University Libraries https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/IndigenousPAHistory

Index of resources and information about indigenous people in Pennsylvania

• Native Land Digital https://native-land.ca/

Non-profit with an interpretive online map of indigenous territories worldwide

• Haudenosaunee Confederacy official website https://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/

History of Haudenosaunee Confederacy and its six nations: Mohawk; Oneida; Onondaga; Cayuga; Seneca; and Tuscarora

• Susquehanna National Heritage Area: Susquehannock Native Landscapes www.susquehannaheritage.org/discover-river-history/susquehannock-native-landscape/ Brief history of the Susquehannock people

General Pennsylvania History

• ExplorePAhistory.com http://explorepahistory.com/ Various records and accounts of PA history, including survey of PA Historical Markers, partnered with Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Historical Association, and others.

• PA Historical & Museum Commission PA-SHARE https://share.phmc.pa.gov/ Repository of all kinds of historical documents and images related to PA

• Power Library: Pennsylvania’s Electronic Library https://powerlibrary.org/

• The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society http://www.prrths.com/ Detailed records of from the Pennsylvania Rail Road and related rail companies

Local and Regional History

• Historic Resources Survey Report: Canal-Era Resources In Huntingdon Borough, Huntingdon County, and Hollidaysburg and Williamsburg Boroughs, Blair County, Pennsylvania, Final Report May 2013, Scott D. Heberling, Heberling Associates, Inc. Alexandria, Pennsylvania in association with Allegheny Ridge Corporation Altoona, Pennsylvania (available through https://powerlibrary.org/)

• Juniata River Corridor: America’s Industrial History Project, Southwestern Pennsylvania, reconnaissance survey September 1919, Ann Van Huizen, U.S. Department of the Interior/ National Parks Service (available through http://npshistory.com/)

• Williamsburg Yearbooks: Potteiger, John F. Founder’s Day 1790 - 1965 Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. Williamsburg, 1965.; Frye, William R. ed. Williamsburg Bicentennial Book Williamsburg, 1976.; Speck, Louise ed. Williamsburg, PA 1790 - 1990 Bicentennial Book. Williamsburg, 1990.

• Williamsburg Borough Website https://sites.google.com/site/williamsburgpennsylvania/

• Blair County Historical Society https://www.blairhistory.org/

• Blair County Library System https://www.blaircountylibraries.org/

• Morrisons Cove Community Website https://morrisonscove.net/

• Penn State University Libraries https://libraries.psu.edu/

Maps and Data

• Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) Pennsylvania Imagery Viewer http://maps.psiee.psu.edu/ImageryNavigator/ Searchable online map interface including historical USDA aerials

• USGS topoView Map Viewer https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/ Interactive viewer with historical USGS topographic maps

• Blair County Web Map https://gis.blairco.org/apps/Parcel Viewer/

GEOGRAPHIC DATA SOURCES

Base Map Layers

• Basins and Watersheds: Susquehanna River Basin Commission

• Blair County parcel data: Blair County GIS

• Buildings and Roads: PA DCNR

• Federal Lands: ESRI

• FEMA Flood Hazard Zones: FEMA

• Historical aerials: USDA accessed through PASDA Imagery Viewer

• Historical Topographic Maps: USGS via USGS topoViewer

• PA Bike Routes: PennDOT

• PA County and Municipal Boundaries: PennDOT

• PA Public Lands: WeConservePA

• PA Trails: PA DCNR

• PA Urban Areas: PennDOT

• PA Water Trails: PA Fish and Boat Commission

• Rivers and Streams: PA DEP

• Roads, places, and satellite imagery for reference: Google

• Satellite imagery: ESRI World Imagery Layer (Maxar; Earthstar Geographics)

• Topographical contours: PA DCNR

• Topography, shaded: ESRI (World Hillshade layer)

Maps throughout this book were created using ArcGIS® software by Esri. ArcGIS® and ArcMap™ are the intellectual property of Esri and are used herein under license. Copyright © Esri. All rights reserved. For more information about Esri® software, please visit www.esri.com.

Historical map features, including Historic District and building designations, historical Main Line Canal towpath alignment, locks, and dams; and Pennsylvania Railroad alignments were based on materials, surveyed, compiled, and reproduced in 2013 Report Historic Resources Survey Report: Canal-Era Resources In Huntingdon Borough, Huntingdon County, and Hollidaysburg and Williamsburg Boroughs, Blair County, Pennsylvania, prepared by Scott D. Heberling, Heberling Associates, Inc. (Alexandria, Pennsylvania) in association with Allegheny Ridge Corporation (Altoona, Pennsylvania).

Figures cited from this report include:

Figure 7-4 (p.171) Williamsburg in 1859, from: Geil and Freed. 1859 Blair County Pennsylvania Geil and Freed, Philadelphia.

Figure 7-5 (p.174) Williamsburg in 1873, from: Pomeroy and Company. 1859 Atlas of Blair and Huntingdon Counties, Pennsylvania. Pomeroy and Co., Philadelphia.

Figure 8-2 (p.181) Juniata Division between Williamsburg and Hollidaysburg, from: Fritz, David and A. Berle Clemensen 1992 Juniata and Western Divisions, Pennsylvania Main Line Canal Special Study. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC.

Figure 8-4 (pp. 230-233) Canal-Era Properties in Williamsburg

Figure 8-9 (p.228) Williamsburg Historic District, from: Richards, Frederick R. 1994 Williamsburg Historic District. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. Richard C. Sutter and Associates, Inc. Hollidaysburg, PA.

Figure 8-12 (p. 237) Canal Features and Buildings from PRR Real Estate Division Survey Maps Superimposed on Aerial Photograph of Williamsburg (courtesy of History Mapping Services)