Many towns in Blair County are full of rich history, but one man took it upon himself to keep history alive in Claysburg.
Richard Allison’s family has lived in Claysburg for many years and have kept pieces of history within the family for generations.
Allison figures he has spent somewhere between 30 and 40 years collecting pieces of Claysburg history. Everything from old photos and posters to locally made milk bottles. Community members have also helped add to the collection.
Allison has become the unofficial historian of his hometown. It all started with a spontaneous historic tour he and his wife decided to put together.
“My wife and I had been to Alaska and in one town we saw huge posters of the local history going back 150 years, and when we come home we decided it was time to start preserving Claysburg history,” recalled Allison.
Allison has even put together a website to document the historic events in Claysburg.