History of Mt. Pleasant, PA

  Andrew McCready laid out the town on land he purchased from Nathaniel Marshall on August 28, 1797. In 1876 N.B. Critchfield attempted to gather a comprehensive history of the town. Most of what he found out was based on the recollections of older inhabitants, and only back to about 1810. At that time there were about 34 log houses in the village. The first brick house in Mount Pleasant was built in 1812 and in later years was occupied as a store-room, known as Isaac Stauffer's.

  The names of some of the oldest citizen's that he recalled were; Michael Smith, Alexander McCready, Charles Fulwood, Esq., William Hunter, Conrad Keister, William Cherry, Clement Burleigh, Esq., William Anderson, James Lippincott, Rev. James Estep, John Connell, William Flynn, and David Hunter.

  The town was on one of the main thoroughfares between the East and the West; the old road was known as the Glade and was built by the state. It was the main highway from Somerset to West Newton and then to Pittsburgh. The road was improved regularly and in time was transformed into the turnpike. The Somerset and Mount Pleasant Turnpike Company was formed with the Honorable John Lobingier as president. The town depended on this road for commercial communication with other parts of the country until the railroads took its place.

  Mount Pleasant was incorporated on February 7, 1828. The first election was held in the house of Robert Hitchman. That first election took place in May 1828 when Abraham Shallenberger was elected Chief Burgess, and Jesse Lippincott, Assistant Burgess. Councilmen elected were; Jacob Rubert, Rev. Samuel Wakefield, Robert Hitchman, Jacob Kern, and John Hosler. David Fullwood was elected Secretary and John Hitchman, Treasurer.

  An act of Assembly passed in 1845 allowed incorporated parts of the borough of Mount Pleasant to choose their own overseers of the poor, and support their own poor apart from the townships of Mount Pleasant and East Huntingdon. Samuel Shupe and Abraham Shallenberger were overseers until the spring election of 1846.