TOWNS AND VILLAGES

BLOUGH (formerley Dulls' Station)

Located in the northeastern part of the Quemahoning Township, Blough was originally known as Dulls' Station--a mining town which was laid out in 1920 by the Wilbur Coal Mining Company.

HOOVERSVILLE

Hooversville was established in 1836. The first settlers to claim land in the Hooversville area were George Lohr (1780), Michael Kocher, and Casper Ripple (warrant 1794), who died in 1828. Jonas Hoover, the founder of Hooversville, came to Quemahoning Township in 1834 and bought land from the heirs of Casper Ripple. In 1836, he had lots surveyed along the the present Water and Main Streets. Jonas Hoover was a farmer who ran a gristmill and sawmill on Hoover Street in 1847. He was a Justice of the Peace from 1852 to 1862. He and David Crissey took part in establishing the German Reformed Church at Hooversville.

KANTNER (formerly Stonycreek Crossings and Sprucetown)

Kantner is located in the eastern part of Quemahoning Township and was one of the first places to be settled in the county. Benjamin Jolly was an innkeeper during the Revolutionary War. The town was named after John F. Kantner, who built a fulling mill in 1836. The building is still standing. It was purchased by William Rininger in 1884. William Rininger's great-great-grandson, Don Cameron Rininger III, has graciously submitted his copyrighted photo of the Rininger Woolen Mills, as well as some historical highlights and a Rininger family biography. (Thanks, Don!)

Rininger Woolen Mill Photo

Rininger Biography

KIMMELTON

Kimmelton, located in the southeastern portion of Quemahoning Township, was laid out in 1900 by the Reading Coal Mining Company. It was located near the Somerset and Cambria branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

LANDSTREET

Landstreet, a small mining town located in the northern part of Quemahoning Township. It was laid out by the Somerset Coal Company in 1900.

RALPHTON

Situated at the boundary of Quemahoning and Jenner Townships, and located in the southwestern part of Quemahoning Township, Ralphton was laid out by the Quemahoning Coal company in 1903.

READING

Reading, located in the southern part of Quemahoning Township, was laid out by the Reading Coal Mining Company in 1908.

STOYSTOWN

Daniel Stoy founded Stoystown in 1774. It was a chief commercial center in Somerset County during the stagecoach days, located on the Old Pennsylvania Road between Bedford and Pittsburgh.

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