 The first Raystown Dam was the brainchild of brothers G.E. and
W.B. Simpson of Huntingdon, who believed that a hydroelectric project, financed largely by
Central Pennsylvanians, would bring great economic benefits to the area. In 1907 the
construction phase of the project got underway, using the most modern mechanical equipment
available, along with a large force of Italian immigrant laborers who lived at the site.
Work on the project continued until 1912, when lights powered by the Raystown Water Power
Company's generating plant went on in Smithfield and Huntingdon.In 1972, as the old Raystown Dam
was about to be replaced by a high level dam constructed by the Corps of Engineers, F.M.
Simpson gave a talk describing how the original dam was constructed. His talk, illustrated
by photographs taken during the construction, is reproduced in this new book published by
the Huntingdon County Historical Society.
Along the Raystown also documents life in the summer colony that developed
around the body of water created by the dam. Camping, boating, fishing, swimming, and
water skiing are all fondly recalled by summer residents interviewed in 1965 by Carol Keib
Grove, who made recreational pursuits on the Raystown the subject of her master's thesis
at Penn State.
The editor of this new 56-page publication the Huntingdon County
Historical Society is Nancy Shedd, who has combined material from the Grove thesis and
Simpson's description of the construction project, with sections on early 20th century
cottage life, the construction workforce, and a brief chapter on archaeology at the
pre-historic Sheep Rock site.
The book is illustrated by more than fifty photographs that capture the
flavor of life at the old Raystown Dam from the 1890's to the 1960's. Of special interest
to Raystown enthusiasts both past and present is a 9 x 33-inch fold-out map that documents
the extent of development just prior to construction of the new Corps of Engineers dam.
Notations and an overlay, printed on the map, relate earlier development to the present
shoreline, landmarks, and mile-markers, thus allowing current users of Lake Raystown to
imagine what once lay beneath the waters they now enjoy.
Along the Raystown is printed in an 8 1/2 x 9-inch format, using high
quality coated stock; the book is perfect bound. |
