Newry dates its founding to 1793 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.
First census: 326 in 18802020 census: 230233 years
How did Newry get its name?
Newry was named after Newry in Northern Ireland.
More on the name
The town was founded in 1793 by Patrick Cassidy, an Irish immigrant who named it after his hometown.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1825. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓
What stands out about Newry’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
During the late 18th century, Patrick Cassidy, a native of Newry, Ireland and an American soldier in the American Revolutionary War, purchased three hundred acres of land in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. This is now known as Blair County. C. 1793, where he constructed a small town on the land, which he named for his home.
A half-century later, Newry flourished as the Allegheny Portage Railroad began to carry passengers from Hollidaysburg across the Alleghenies to Johnstown. Newry's location made it a suitable stop for the railroad and this new influx of visitors stimulated the economy of the town. This prosperity lasted from the 1830s to the 1850s, when the railroad closed.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Newry. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902Hollidaysburg sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Newry.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Newry, 1880–1911
Passages that mention Newry, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of the city of Altoona and Blair County1880 · page 250Read the page →
Read the text
Newry (a borough) and Duncansville are towns containing between 300 or 400 inhabitants each. The other towns of the county are small settlements from fifty to one hundred inhabitants, all of which contain post offices. Their names appear in the list of post offices of the county, as follows: POST OFFICES IN BLAIR COUNTY.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 133Read the page →
Read the text
An account of the Bellwood division railroad may be found in the history of the borough of Bellwood. The Newry branch railroad, which is no longer in operation, is described in the history of the borough of Newry.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania1911 · page 256Read the page →
Read the text
tlers had located in that portion of Frankstown township now known as the township of Blair. Among them were Patrick Cassidy, the founder of Newry; Henry Champinou, Michael Fetter, who built the fourth grist-mill in the upper valley of the Juniata, and who with his sons, Michael, George, Samuel and John, occupied the premises,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
A history of Blair county, Pennsylvania. From its earliest settlement, and more particularly from its organization, in 1846 to June 1896 ..1896 · page 15Read the page →
Read the text
battleti fault amo boy he went to Newry to see a circus; Ho lidaysburg was then too insignificant to warrant the showmen in stopping; Newry was tlie larger town. I'his Irish settlement for a time throve and was prosperou?, but tholocation of the canal
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Newry, 1793 to 1970
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Peaked at 444 in 1970; 230 people lived here in 2020.
15 censuses, 1880–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Newry’s Wikipedia page.
Questions about Newry’s history
What year was Newry founded?
In 1793, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Newry’s post office opened in 1825, and the census of 1880 counted 326 people here.
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 (1), Wikipedia, 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 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.
2006