Saltsburg Historic District

Saltsburg's historic district covers about 48 acres of the oldest part of the borough, a crescent of streets fronting on or west of Salt Street. Most of its 118 contributing buildings are wood frame, with some brick and stone, and they date from the 1820s through the 1930s. The town grew after the Pennsylvania Canal opened through it in 1829, with Lock No. 8 at the end of Salt Street, and many canal-era dwellings and stores were oriented toward the waterway, which served as a second main street. The Western Pennsylvania Railroad arrived along Plum and Walnut Alleys in the 1860s and was moved to the old towpath in 1882, prompting an 1880s building boom that replaced some canal-era construction with Victorian buildings of similar scale. Commercial and industrial activity, including salt production, coal and milling, shaped the town's economy. Archaeological excavations of Lock No. 8 in 1990 located remnants of the lock structure, which is why the district is regarded as important for canal history.