Mount Union borough

Mount Union Becomes a Borough, 1867

On April 19, 1867, the court granted the petition that made Mount Union a borough. J. Simpson Africa's 1883 county history, Charles Howard Welch's 1909 history of Mount Union, the 1913 Juniata Valley history and the county's 1937 souvenir book give the same date. The Lewistown Gazette reported the change on May 1, 1867: “Mt. Union has been incorporated into a Borough.”

Africa says a borough charter was thought advisable “for the peace and good order of the town.” In March 1867, the Globe of Huntingdon passed along an item credited to the Mount Union Times, which considered the rapid rise in real estate prices there “an encouraging sign of progress.”

Africa prints the petition with 33 names, among them David Etnier, John Dougherty, Catharine Dougherty, George McLaughlin and B. J. Devor. Africa lists John Shaver twice, and Welch does too. Welch's 1909 list has 30 names and leaves out P. M. Bare, John Bare and May Simons. The petition described the new borough by its bounds, beginning at the northern end of the bridge across the Pennsylvania Canal and taking in the school house. Devor ran a store in town from 1865 to 1871, and an 1897 biography calls him “one of the incorporators of the borough of Mount Union in 1867.”

The court set May 6, 1867, for the first borough election. It named P. M. Bare to give notice, Samuel Miller as judge, and Samuel Diffendaffer and Adam Harshberger as inspectors, and it set later elections for the third Friday in March each year. The petition and decree were recorded on June 6, 1867, in the county recorder's office.

The first election was held at school house No. 1, between nine in the morning and four in the afternoon. George McLaughlin was elected burgess, and J. C. Sechler, J. G. Stewart, Samuel Diffendaffer, Adam Harshberger and B. J. Devor were elected to council. Welch calls McLaughlin “one of the pioneer business men of this town.” Africa and Welch both list Augustus Eberman for 1868, the year after McLaughlin. Jordan's 1913 history instead names Eberman as chief burgess at the incorporation.

The new burgess and council first met on the evening of June 10, 1867, in Devor's office. Africa and Welch differ on which offices Devor and Stewart held that night. Africa says Devor was elected secretary, John G. Stewart collector and treasurer, and Samuel Miller street commissioner. Welch says Devor was elected president, Stewart secretary and treasurer, and Miller street commissioner. Both say a tax of five mills on the dollar was laid “for street purposes and all other necessary expenses.”

Checked against the record. Checked November 1, 2026. We read the court dates, the signers, the first officers and the first council meeting in J. Simpson Africa's 1883 county history and Charles Howard Welch's 1909 history of Mount Union. Jordan's 1913 history and the county's 1937 souvenir book also give April 19, and we read the May 1, 1867 Lewistown Gazette item in the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive. Welch often repeats Africa nearly word for word, so the two books' agreement on the dates counts for less than it seems. The sources disagree on three points, and the story gives each version: the number of signers (Africa prints 33 names, Welch 30), who was chief burgess at incorporation (Jordan says Eberman, while Africa and Welch name McLaughlin as burgess at the first election), and which offices Devor and Stewart held on June 10, 1867. Still open. We have not seen the court's decree in Miscellaneous Book No. 2 of the county recorder's office, so the original signatures and the court's exact wording are unchecked. We have not seen the council's minutes from 1867, if they survive, and they could settle the offices. We searched The Globe of Huntingdon in the Pennsylvania Newspaper Archive from late February through June 1867 and found no report of the petition or the election. The scanned text is imperfect, so a short notice could have been missed, and we did not find the Globe's issue for May 1 in the archive. We have not seen an 1867 copy of the Mount Union Times, which may have covered the vote. The court set May 6 for the election, and we have not found the date the vote was held.

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