Pennsalt Historic District

Pennsalt Historic District is a residential area in Harrison Township containing over 150 buildings from the 19th century. The houses form six blocks of buildings parallel to the Allegheny River, with simple one-story wooden cottages and two-story brick rowhouses mixed throughout.

The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company founded this community in the 1850s as a place for its workers to live. The company gradually expanded the settlement over several decades into a complete company town.

The buildings show how factory workers lived in the 19th century, with simple yet sturdy structures made of stone and wood. You can see how tightly the homes were arranged and how the community was designed around workers' needs.

The district is easy to explore on foot since the buildings are arranged in compact blocks. The best time to visit is during daytime when light brings out the architectural details of the homes.

The district preserves its original layout from the 1850s nearly unchanged, with street patterns and building arrangements that still reflect factory worker culture today. This makes it a rare example of a fully intact industrial worker settlement.