Portage Borough

Portage Borough Hall is located at 721 Main Street, Portage PA 15946; phone: 814-736-4330.

Portage Borough was incorporated in 1830. A trip across Pennsylvania at that time took 22 days. The Allegheny Portage Railroad, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Canal, was conceived as a 36 mile long route that contained ten planes, each with a stationary engine at the crest; a stone viaduct across the Little Conemaugh River; a 900 foot long tunnel; a skew-arch bridge of the tow spans, among several other minor bridges; and 11 levels. The 'portage' involved a 1,400 foot rise in elevation from the east and nearly 1,200 feet from the west. When completed, the trip across the state could be made in only 6 days. [1]

See: Portage Historic District.

1. Portage Area Historical Society, www.portagepa.us, accessed March 2008.