{"nrhp_refnum":"66000648","name":"Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"U.S. 22","address_restricted":false,"city":"Johnstown","county":"Blair County","state":"PA","lat":40.45944257950006,"lon":-78.55656276072008,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1962-12-29","areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 36-mile transportation route of inclined planes and level track over the Allegheny Mountains between Hollidaysburg and Johnstown, Blair County, Pennsylvania, built as part of the Pennsylvania Canal system. Remains include the Staple Bend Tunnel, the Lemon House summit stop, and portions of several inclined planes.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the railroad was an engineering accomplishment that linked the eastern and western sections of the Pennsylvania Canal across a mountain barrier, using inclined planes, stationary engines and a sectional boat system that let canal boats cross without unloading. It describes the Staple Bend Tunnel as possibly America's first railroad tunnel and compares the engineering favorably with European feats.","narrative":"Built between 1826 and 1834 across the Allegheny Mountains, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was a 36-mile route linking the eastern and western divisions of the Pennsylvania Canal between Hollidaysburg and Johnstown. Its ten inclined planes, five on each side of the summit, were powered by stationary steam engines that hauled cars on endless ropes, with four cars raised and lowered at once. Between the planes, horses and later steam locomotives moved the cars along a 13-mile long-level. Engineer John Dougherty's sectional boat system let canal boats ride on railroad flat cars over the mountain, allowing travelers to pass from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh without changing. The Staple Bend Tunnel, which may have been America's first railroad tunnel, and the Lemon House, where travelers spent the night at the summit, are the most significant surviving remains. The railroad was sold to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1857.","period_of_significance":"1826-1834","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Most of the route is now built over by roads and modern railroads; surviving remains include the tunnel, the summit level with the Lemon House, and stone ties and culverts.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:30.144443-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/66000648_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000648/a0c44c9b41-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000648/a0c44c9b41-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"National Park Service Digital Image Archives","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allegheny_Portage_Railroad_National_Historic_Site_ALPO0276.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">National Park Service Digital Image Archives</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allegheny_Portage_Railroad_National_Historic_Site_ALPO0276.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71994227","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_Portage_Railroad","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2677208"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/blair-county/allegheny-portage-railroad-national-historic-site-66000648/"}