Local History

The Library is a great source of local historical information in many different formats. We have histories of our region, counties, and communities. We have a solid collection of railroad history books and photographs.

The Pennsylvania Room, located on the 2nd floor balcony, is full of books of local significance. It is dedicated to the illustrious histories of Pennsylvania, its Counties, and our local towns and cities including Altoona, Claysburg, Hollidaysburg, Martinsburg, Roaring Spring, Tyrone, Williamsburg, and many more. Through the generosity of the Blair County Genealogical Society, we have many of their publications available for use in research.

The Altoona Area Public Library offers local history books in digital format to preserve the history of the area. In recent years, we have seen an increasingly urgent need to find a way to capture the information about our past from books that are crumbling with age. Many of the books in our Pennsylvania Room collection are in very brittle condition and deteriorate more each time they are handled.
In a digital format, the information can easily be read and studied without causing further harm to the original publications. We hope this will preserve our local history well into the future for anyone who may be interested.

The following books are available on our website:

Altoona Chamber of Commerce.
Altoona, the Keystone City of the Keystone State.
Chamber of Commerce: Altoona, PA, 1924.

Clark, Charles B, Esq.
A History of Blair County Pennsylvania
Charles B. Clark, Esq.: Altoona, PA., 1896.

Gallitzin, Demetrius Augustine
A Letter to a Protestant Friend
Thomas Foley: Ebensburg, PA., 1820.

Replogle, Emma A. M.
Indian Eve and Her Descendants

J. L. Rupert, Book and Job Printer: Huntingdon, PA., 1911.
Knox, Homer C.
A History of Methodism in Altoona
Altoona, PA., 1909.

Altoona Mirror
Altoona Mirror Souvenir Booklet.
Altoona Mirror Printing Company: Altoona, PA., 1912.

Shoemaker, Henry W.
Stephen Franks and the history of fox hunting in Blair County
Altoona, Pa. : Altoona Mirror, 1937.

Author Unknown
Story of Altoona
Clarence E. Weaver; Eddy Press Corp. 1911

Shoemaker, Henry W.
The tree language of the Pennsylvania German Gypsies
Reading, Pa. : Reading Eagle Press, 1925

Shoemaker, Henry Wharton
A week in the Blue Mountains
Altoona, Pa. : The Altoona Tribune Press, 1914

Chatman, John H.
The Bald Eagle
Altoona, PA. : The Altoona Tribune Press, 1919

Shoemaker, Henry, W.
Stories of Pennsylvania Animals
Altoona Tribune, 1913

Shoemaker, Henry, W.
A Forgotten People
Bellefonte, PA, 1922

Shoemaker, Henry, W.
Present status of wildlife

Shoemaker, Henry, W.
Elizabethan Days
Reading, PA, 1912

Altoona Chamber Of Commerce
1913-1914

Coming soon:

Clark, Charles B., Esq.
Illustrated Altoona: A Complete Pen-picture of the city of Altoona Pennsylvania at the Close of the Year 1895.
Board of Trade: Altoona, PA, 1896.

Weaver, Clarence E.
Story of Altoona, the Mountain City: Railroad, Industrial and Commercial Center Population 65,000.
Clarence E. Weaver: Altoona, PA, 1911.