1998-1999 Undergraduate Catalog
Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705
Indiana County was formed by act of the state legislature in 1803 and was fully organized in 1806. George Clymer of Philadelphia, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, owned more than three thousand acres in the area and presented 250 acres to the new county for a county seat. The town of Indiana was officially founded in 1816.
The county's first major industry was the manufacture of salt, which began in 1813 about two miles above the town of Saltsburg. As early as 1797 bituminous coal was dug from exposed outcroppings. Mining soon rivaled agriculture as the backbone of the county's economy. Its influence gradually diminished, though, and today IUP is the county's largest employer. Indiana County now thrives with an economic base combining education, agriculture, energy production, and commerce into an outstanding quality of life for its nearly 90,000 residents.
Indiana has become known as the birthplace of film star, Jimmy Stewart, and as the Christmas Tree Capital of the World. Visitors and locals alike can relive Indiana County's past by visiting one of its parks, covered bridges, fairs, and even the largest Amish settlement in Western Pennsylvania. As one of nine counties represented in America's Industrial Heritage Project, Indiana County has a number of historical sites that are part of the project's Path of Progress. The project's archives are housed in the Special Collections section of IUP's Stapleton Library.
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