On April 5, 1924, a riot broke out in Lilly between approximately 400 members of the Ku Klux Klan and the local residents, who had previously torn down burning crosses erected to intimidate them. Three locals were killed when gunfire erupted on both sides. The Klansmen fled in a panic and were promptly arrested after arriving back in Johnstown. 29 Klansmen and 15 residents of Lilly were charged with unlawful assembly, affray, and riot. One Klansman, Owen H. Poorbaugh, died in jail while awaiting trial on April 25, 1924, at the age of 48. The rest were all sentenced to 2 years imprisonment.
The Lilly Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Passages that mention Lilly, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 225Read the page →
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hiU township, south of Wihnore, turning its course it continues into Croyle township, where it is crossed by the stone bridge of the Pennsylvania railroad, prior to the late improvements between Lilly and Portage, designated as Little Conemaugh bridge No. 1, about one hundred yards east of the Deep Cut. Bending again to the west in a compound curve in the shape of an inverted S, about a mile in length, it is crossed below the Deep Cut by Bridge No. 2, and about three hundred yards east
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History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania1907 · page 221Read the page →
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The Little Conemaugh rises in Cresson township, this county, a few miles northeast of Lilly. The waters from the vicinity of Cresson drain into this liranch — Laurel run — above Lilly, and at Lilly another branch of about equal size— Bear Rock run unites with it from the southward. Into these two streams empty the waters from some of the best springs in Pennsylva-
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Lilly, 1806 to 1929
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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2016
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2016
