00:00 -

00:07 - Welcome this edition of

00:08 - Exploring Pennsylvania Boroughs.

00:09 - I'm Chris Cap, executive

00:11 - director of the Pennsylvania

00:11 - State Association of Boroughs.

00:13 - Across the state each borough

00:14 - has its own unique story to

00:15 - tell.

00:16 - Each month we'll visit borough

00:17 - communities across the state to

00:18 - highlight cultural and tourist

00:19 - destinations, innovative

00:21 - programs, and economic

00:22 - development projects taking

00:23 - place.

00:24 - Today we explore Somerset

00:25 - borough in Somerset County.

00:27 - Located off the Pennsylvania

00:28 - Turnpike, is the only

00:29 - interchange that exits directly

00:30 - into a borough.

00:31 - Somerset was a central stage for

00:33 - the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794

00:35 - and several rebellion leaders -

00:36 - including Harmon Husband - lived

00:38 - in the borough.

00:39 - Today Somerset Borough maintains

00:41 - its historical significance and

00:42 - boasts a thriving downtown main

00:44 - street as the home of many

00:45 - locally made products.

00:47 - It's also the home of Light Up

00:48 - the Night, Fire and Ice

00:49 - Festival, and Blues on Main.

00:52 - We hope you enjoy this tour of

00:54 - one of Pennsylvania's many great

00:55 - borough communities.

00:57 - Hello my name is Scott Walker.

01:00 - I'm the mayor of Somerset

01:01 - borough. It is my privilege to

01:03 - welcome you to our borough:

01:04 - Somerset borough.

01:06 - Somerset Borough was first

01:07 - incorporated in 1804.

01:10 - Somerset Borough's the county

01:11 - seat of Somerset, Pennsylvania

01:14 - and was incorporated out of land

01:16 - from the former Bedford County.

01:19 - Somerset County is nestled in

01:20 - the Laurel Highlands of

01:22 - southwestern Pennsylvania and is

01:26 - at mile marker 110 on the

01:27 - Pennsylvania Turnpike.

01:29 - Visitors to our community will

01:32 - be welcomed into a small town of

01:34 - about 6,200 people.

01:36 - Although small in size, Somerset

01:38 - County is nationally known in

01:41 - stature.

01:42 - Out of the tragedy of Flight 93

01:44 - and the miracle of the Quecreek

01:46 - Mine Rescue, Somerset County

01:47 - became known as America's

01:49 - County.

01:50 - America's County symbolizes the

01:53 - ideals and values of the people

01:55 - of Somerset Borough and all of

01:57 - Somerset County in responding to

01:59 - the tragedy and triumph, and

02:02 - being thrust upon the world

02:03 - stage and both circumstance.

02:06 - As you enter Somerset Borough

02:08 - from the Pennsylvania Turnpike,

02:10 - you will see a wealth of lodging

02:12 - and eating establishments.

02:14 - If you look beyond what is at

02:16 - the turnpike entrance, you will

02:18 - see the beauty and charm of our

02:20 - community nestled in the heart

02:22 - of the Laurel Highlands.

02:24 - Being miles from highest point

02:26 - in Pennsylvania, we offer

02:28 - wonderful winter time downhill

02:30 - skiing.

02:31 - Three ski resorts grace our

02:34 - county and are easily accessible

02:36 - from the borough of Somerset.

02:39 - If winter sports are not your

02:40 - activity, you can come enjoy the

02:42 - beauty of Somerset County in the

02:43 - spring and summer when the

02:45 - foliage is in bloom and the

02:48 - wilderness is your playground.

02:50 - We offer miles upon miles of

02:52 - hiking trails and we offer a

02:54 - variety of state parks.

02:57 - I, personally, invite each and

02:59 - every one of you to come and

03:00 - enjoy everything that America's

03:02 - County has to offer.

03:05 - I Ken Halverson and my wife and

03:06 - I - my wife Rita and I - own

03:08 - Coffee Springs Farm here in

03:09 - Somerset, Pennsylvania.

03:11 - This story is about Harmon

03:12 - Husband who actually built

03:14 - Coffee Springs Farm, which is

03:16 - what it's called.

03:16 - And it's called that because the

03:18 - Indians - in the old days - used

03:20 - to - at the back of the spring -

03:22 - used to pick chicory.

03:23 - And the chicory is what they

03:24 - made their coffee out of.

03:25 - So that's how it got the name of

03:27 - Coffee Springs Farm.

03:28 - But Harmon Husband was born in

03:30 - Cecil County, Maryland and in

03:32 - his young adult life moved down

03:34 - to North Carolina and was

03:36 - elected to parliament under the

03:38 - governorship of Governor Tryon.

03:40 - And Governor Tryon and was

03:42 - extracting huge, exorbitant

03:44 - taxes.

03:45 - And so one day Harmon Husband

03:48 - went before Governor Tryon and

03:50 - said his people were willing to

03:52 - pay for the just cost the

03:53 - government, but they weren't

03:55 - willing to pay for the

03:55 - tomfoolery of scoundrels and

03:57 - thieves.

03:58 - And then he settled here in

03:59 - Somerset.

04:01 - That was a time when the

04:03 - Congress the United States and

04:05 - President Washington imposed a

04:06 - tax on whiskey and then of

04:09 - course followed the Whiskey

04:11 - Rebellion and President

04:14 - Washington sent the troops out

04:15 - here and they took Harmon

04:18 - Husband - as well as a general

04:20 - from Berlin, Pennsylvania by

04:21 - name of General Philson - put

04:23 - them in chains, and he marched

04:25 - them down to Philadelphia.

04:26 - This shows Harmon Husband being

04:28 - marched into Philadelphia.

04:30 - President Washington was getting

04:32 - lots of mail and conversation

04:35 - about why they're holding these

04:37 - people, and so they released

04:39 - them.

04:39 - And then Harmon Husband on his

04:41 - way back to Somerset - we don't

04:42 - know where - but he passed away.

04:44 - So he never made it back here.

04:45 - Now a little bit about Somerset.

04:47 - There are three domes that are

04:50 - of particular significance in

04:51 - Somerset.

04:52 - One being the dome of the First

04:54 - Christian Church, which was

04:55 - built about 1882.

04:57 - And the other is the dome of the

04:59 - Somerset County Courthouse,

05:01 - which was dedicated after it was

05:03 - constructed in 1907.

05:06 - As well as the Somerset Trust

05:08 - Department building on North

05:10 - Center Avenue, which was also

05:12 - built in the same period: about

05:13 - 1906.

05:14 - And our Somerset County Chamber

05:16 - of Commerce applied for a

05:18 - copyright to be called America's

05:19 - County.

05:21 - President George W. Bush

05:23 - proclaimed us America's County

05:25 - and that's what we've been known

05:26 - as ever since.

05:28 - My name is George Kaufman.

05:30 - I'm an attorney in Somerset and

05:32 - interested in local history and

05:34 - we are presently visiting at the

05:36 - old Somerset County Jail, a

05:38 - building next door to the

05:40 - present courthouse.

05:41 - This building served as the jail

05:44 - in Somerset County from 1890 to

05:47 - 1981.

05:49 - It has a very unique feature in

05:52 - that there is a double hanging

05:54 - gallows in the jail.

05:57 - When it was built in 1890 this

05:59 - was the latest innovation in

06:00 - jails.

06:01 - And it permitted two persons to

06:04 - be hanged.

06:05 - One time, the unfortunate victim

06:08 - of the hanging was dropped

06:09 - through the floor in the form of

06:13 - execution.

06:15 - The double gallows were used

06:17 - twice to hang brothers who had

06:19 - been convicted of murder.

06:21 - The first was the Nicely

06:23 - Brothers in 1891.

06:25 - Probably Somerset County's most

06:27 - famous criminal case.

06:29 - And the Roddy brothers in 1898.

06:32 - And the last execution occurred

06:34 - here in 1913.

06:37 - There are some artifacts from

06:38 - those hangings on display in the

06:40 - jail, including: the nooses that

06:43 - were used for the double

06:45 - hangings, and some evidence, and

06:47 - weapons from some of the

06:49 - homicide cases.

06:51 - The jail is part of Somerset's

06:53 - rich history.

06:54 - It's part of the ghost history

06:56 - tour which is done periodically

06:59 - and you can attend this fall as

07:01 - part of that tour and it's

07:03 - available other times.

07:04 - Arrangements can be made for

07:05 - anyone who's visiting to come to

07:07 - the jail.

07:10 - Hi, my name is Ron Aldom, I'm

07:11 - the executive director of the

07:12 - Somerset County Chamber of

07:13 - Commerce: an organization

07:15 - dedicated to marketing,

07:16 - promoting Somerset County.

07:18 - With Somerset County we are

07:19 - absolutely a tourism

07:22 - destination, particularly

07:23 - focused on outdoor recreation.

07:25 - We're close to most of the major

07:26 - markets.

07:28 - The biggest market of course is

07:29 - our resorts and we actually --

07:32 - we have three ski resorts which

07:33 - is a phenomenal thing, and

07:35 - actually Seven Springs being the

07:37 - big one on the on the top of the

07:39 - mountain is one of the top

07:41 - resorts in the eastern United

07:42 - States.

07:43 - So it draws well over a million

07:45 - people a year to the resorts

07:46 - because they are four seasons

07:47 - resorts.

07:49 - I really welcome people to come

07:51 - to Somerset County.

07:52 - Absolutely confident 100 percent

07:55 - guarantee that you will enjoy

07:56 - what's here.

07:57 - There really is something for

07:59 - everyone, no matter what age, no

08:01 - matter what level of activity,

08:02 - no matter what you want to do.

08:05 - Anybody can come here and enjoy

08:07 - what we have.

08:08 - Hi, I'm Regina Coughenour, and

08:10 - I'm executive director of

08:11 - Somerset, Inc., which is the

08:12 - main street program in Somerset

08:14 - Borough.

08:15 - We have a holistic approach to

08:16 - economic revitalization here.

08:18 - We focus on a number of

08:19 - different areas from aesthetic

08:21 - appeal.

08:22 - So we have some public art

08:23 - projects that we're working on

08:24 - this summer that we'll be

08:25 - launching.

08:26 - We also have some economic

08:27 - revitalization efforts always

08:29 - ongoing; filling vacant spaces.

08:31 - We put in a pop up shop over the

08:33 - winter on the corner, up front

08:34 - with a local bootmaker, and

08:37 - we're renovating Trinity Park,

08:39 - which is just right in the

08:41 - center of our main street area.

08:43 - Our first event in January is

08:45 - our Fire and Ice Festival.

08:47 - Just under 50 ice sculptures.

08:49 - The whole weekend takes off with

08:51 - a boom with fireworks right in

08:53 - the center of our diamond which

08:54 - is really an unusual display.

08:56 - This year we had a synthetic ice

08:57 - rink.

08:58 - We have the Laurel Highlands

08:59 - Model Railroad Club put on this

09:01 - gigantic model railroad train

09:04 - display.

09:05 - It's really breathtaking.

09:06 - And we also have a local beer,

09:08 - wine, and spirits tent.

09:09 - Entertainment all weekend.

09:10 - It's really a great way to get a

09:12 - sense of who we are, especially

09:14 - in the winter time in Somerset.

09:16 - Another event that we host each

09:17 - year is the Earth Day Trail.

09:19 - Another nod to our connection to

09:22 - the land that we live in.

09:23 - We have the Earth Day Trail and

09:25 - it starts at one business where

09:27 - kids and families receive a map,

09:29 - and then we use the map to guide

09:30 - them through the uptown area -

09:32 - from place to place - and at

09:34 - each location there's a hands-on

09:36 - educational Earth Day

09:37 - activities.

09:38 - Another amazing event that we

09:40 - host each year is Chalk the

09:41 - Block.

09:42 - It's a newer event.

09:43 - It's kind of this twist on that

09:45 - classic summertime activity of

09:46 - just drawing on the sidewalk

09:47 - with chalk.

09:48 - It's the most accessible

09:49 - activity out there.

09:50 - And we've twisted it into this

09:52 - interactive art form that

09:54 - incorporates fine artists, so we

09:56 - have a professional chalk artist

09:58 - come and live-chalk for two days

10:01 - and they create eight amazing

10:03 - 3-D pieces in our historic

10:05 - district.

10:05 - We have a real range of

10:07 - businesses.

10:08 - We have Stahl's Jewelry that's

10:11 - 126 years old.

10:13 - Cascio's Fruit Market they're a

10:14 - hundred year old fruit market,

10:16 - again.

10:16 - Feels like you're stepping back

10:18 - in time.

10:19 - It's a really well-kept little

10:20 - shop.

10:21 - Down on Patriot Street in uptown

10:24 - Somerset is Mel's Restaurant and

10:25 - Bar.

10:26 - They just celebrated their 90th

10:27 - birthday.

10:28 - And right across the street from

10:29 - them - totally at the opposite

10:32 - side of the spectrum in lifespan

10:33 - - is Aimee's Crafts.

10:36 - We have this really eclectic mix

10:38 - in Somerset.

10:39 - In Somerset County we offer a

10:41 - unique rural experience that is

10:43 - so authentic.

10:44 - We're a people born of the

10:45 - mountains that surround us and

10:47 - we exemplify that in everything

10:49 - that we do.

10:50 - We hope that you'll come visit

10:51 - us.

10:52 - Check out the the Main Street

10:53 - website, somersetinc.org, for

10:55 - more information about what to

10:57 - see when you stop in to

10:58 - Somerset.

11:00 - Hi my name is Fred Rosemeyer

11:02 - I'm on Borough Council here in

11:05 - Somerset Borough.

11:06 - We have a ship that was

11:08 - commissioned - the USS Somerset

11:11 - - and that's kind of unique for

11:13 - a borough or county to have that

11:17 - distinction of having a ship in

11:19 - your honor and we were very

11:22 - proud of that.

11:23 - The community was proud of it

11:25 - and this is a beautiful place to

11:27 - live.

11:28 - It is my privilege to see you

11:31 - talk to our fire chief and also

11:34 - our chief of police.

11:36 - Hi, I'm Michael Livengood.

11:37 - I'm the fire chief of the

11:38 - Somerset Volunteer Fire

11:39 - Department, Somerset,

11:40 - Pennsylvania.

11:42 - We currently have around 45

11:45 - active members in our

11:46 - department.

11:47 - I've been in 29 years in this

11:49 - department.

11:50 - My second term as fire chief.

11:52 - Back when the flight 93 event

11:55 - happened we did have the

11:57 - hazardous materials team here,

11:58 - which is now Somerset County

12:00 - owned and we did respond to that

12:03 - incident.

12:04 - We also responded to the "9 For

12:06 - 9" miners that were trapped.

12:10 - So within the community, we do

12:13 - an awful lot.

12:14 - It's good for a community to

12:16 - have a volunteer fire

12:16 - department.

12:17 - It helps keep your fire

12:18 - insurance down.

12:21 - If you'd like to check out our

12:22 - fire department:

12:22 - somersetfire.com. Thank you.

12:27 - Hi, my name is Randy Cox, the

12:28 - chief of police in Somerset

12:30 - Borough.

12:31 - Somerset Borough's provided

12:33 - police services since 1852.

12:36 - But the department is quite

12:37 - different than it was back then.

12:39 - Today we have a number of units

12:41 - within the department including

12:43 - our school-based officers,

12:46 - detectives, traffic unit,

12:48 - motorcycle unit, and canine.

12:51 - One of the other unique things

12:52 - about Somerset Police

12:53 - Department's the fact that we're

12:55 - one of the accredited

12:57 - departments in the Commonwealth

12:59 - of Pennsylvania.

13:00 - Pennsylvania has approximately

13:02 - 1,200 police departments and

13:05 - about 10 percent - or about 120

13:08 - of them - are accredited

13:10 - agencies through the

13:11 - Pennsylvania Law Enforcement

13:13 - Accreditation Commission.

13:15 - We're also fortunate that we

13:17 - have such great support from our

13:19 - community.

13:19 - A lot of the programs and the

13:22 - initiatives that we operate here

13:24 - in Somerset Borough are not

13:26 - really taxpayer funded.

13:28 - For instance our canine unit,

13:30 - since 2005, has been funded with

13:33 - donations other than taxpayers'

13:36 - money.

13:36 - So we have a lot to be grateful

13:39 - for here.

13:40 - A good community to work in.

13:42 - And a lot of support from our

13:43 - community.

13:45 - Hi, my name is Michelle Enos and

13:47 - I serve as the manager for

13:48 - Somerset Borough.

13:49 - I'm here to talk to you about

13:51 - revitalization projects that are

13:53 - going on in our community.

13:54 - Uptown Works is being created as

13:56 - Somerset's first coworking

13:58 - space.

13:59 - It is centrally located in our

14:01 - uptown business district.

14:03 - It is being designed for

14:04 - self-employed individuals and

14:06 - businesses that will come

14:07 - together and work in a co-op

14:09 - space.

14:11 - You can expect renovations to

14:13 - include modern office spaces,

14:16 - conference rooms, private

14:17 - meeting rooms, high speed

14:19 - internet services, and

14:21 - everything.

14:21 - All the amenities you would

14:22 - expect in a co-op space.

14:25 - One of the projects we're

14:26 - excited about as well is Trinity

14:28 - Park.

14:28 - We're standing here today to the

14:30 - future home of a public outdoor

14:32 - space that will house events.

14:35 - A stage for local concerts.

14:38 - It was actually developed from

14:40 - Trinity Church that was

14:42 - destroyed by fire back in

14:43 - December 24th, 1965.

14:46 - Part of the special things about

14:47 - Trinity Park as well, is those

14:50 - bricks will be used to

14:51 - incorporate into the design for

14:53 - the park.

14:54 - They came from the church that

14:56 - was destroyed by fire.

14:58 - This will also be the home to

14:59 - housing an expansion of our

15:00 - already popular events, such as

15:03 - Fire and Ice Festival and our

15:04 - Antique Fair.

15:06 - We're currently underway with

15:08 - the phase 1 - of four phases -

15:09 - to be completed in our uptown

15:11 - Somerset project.

15:12 - We're proud to announce that we

15:14 - have received a Transportation

15:15 - Alternatives Grant Program to

15:18 - replace all of the streets'

15:19 - sidewalks in our uptown

15:20 - district.

15:21 - We're starting with phase 1,

15:23 - which will cover 100 block of

15:25 - West Main Street.

15:26 - It will also include removal and

15:28 - replacement of street trees,

15:30 - upgrading all of our underground

15:31 - electrical facilities to

15:33 - accommodate for vendors during

15:34 - local events, and installing for

15:37 - the future conduit for

15:39 - underground fiber optic lines to

15:42 - account for high speed internet

15:43 - services.

15:44 - We'd like to also welcome to our

15:46 - borough's website where you can

15:47 - keep up to date on local events,

15:50 - construction projects, and

15:51 - renovation projects that are

15:52 - going on in our community.

15:54 - Please visit

15:55 - www.somersetborough.com.

16:00 - Hello, my name is Mark Miller -

16:02 - along with my wife, Pam - we're

16:04 - the owner-operator of the Pine

16:06 - Grill Restaurant since January

16:08 - 1st of 1988.

16:10 - The Pine Grill was established

16:12 - in January of 1941, just a few

16:15 - months after the opening of the

16:17 - Pennsylvania Turnpike in 1940.

16:20 - The Pine Grill has tried to keep

16:23 - its charm as it was back in

16:25 - 1941.

16:27 - The original woodwork, booths,

16:30 - floor, and tried to keep the

16:33 - fair as we appeal a lot to

16:36 - travelers off the Pennsylvania

16:37 - Turnpike and a lot of them stay

16:39 - at our many motels.

16:42 - We have a lot of franchise

16:43 - motels.

16:43 - Some independent motels.

16:45 - We also have a few Bed and

16:47 - Breakfasts' is nearby.

16:49 - We also offer great food, not

16:53 - only at the Pine Grill, but also

16:55 - we have Italian.

16:57 - We have Chinese.

16:58 - We have Mexican.

17:00 - We have pizza.

17:01 - We have some major chains.

17:03 - Casual dining.

17:05 - And we have many independent

17:06 - restaurants.

17:07 - Across the street, we had the

17:09 - iconic Summit diner that was

17:11 - established in 1960.

17:14 - The Pine Grill is an American

17:16 - casual dining restaurant

17:17 - featuring fresh seafood, pastas,

17:20 - steaks, salads, burgers, and

17:23 - soups.

17:24 - Most of our menu items and

17:25 - specials are made from scratch

17:28 - and the majority of our desserts

17:30 - are made on premises.

17:32 - So if you're traveling through

17:33 - the community and exiting 110 on

17:36 - the Pennsylvania Turnpike, be

17:38 - sure to stop at the Pine Grill

17:40 - or any of our other fine

17:41 - restaurants here in Somerset

17:43 - Borough.

17:44 - Thank you.

17:45 - Hi, my name is Jaci McCusker and

17:47 - I'm the director of development

17:48 - here at Laurel Arts in Somerset,

17:49 - PA.

17:50 - Our mission here is arts for

17:52 - everyone.

17:53 - So we are really involved in all

17:54 - things art.

17:55 - This building is an actual

17:57 - historic mainstay of Somerset

17:59 - County and Somerset Borough.

18:02 - It was established in 1832.

18:04 - The Joseph Imhoff House.

18:06 - And then later sold the property

18:08 - to Peter Ankeny, who's one of

18:10 - the founding fathers of

18:12 - Somerset.

18:13 - Through the years, it also

18:14 - became owned by Philip Dressler

18:17 - who was known to be the inventor

18:19 - of the tunnel kiln out of

18:20 - Pittsburgh, PA.

18:22 - His wife, Dorothy Dressler,

18:23 - later donated the building in

18:24 - 1976 and at that point we became

18:27 - an arts organization known as

18:29 - Laurel Arts,. with the help of

18:31 - some local individuals who got

18:33 - together and decided we really

18:34 - needed a rural arts program.

18:36 - So at that point, we were the

18:37 - first fully staffed nonprofit

18:40 - rural arts organization in the

18:41 - state of Pennsylvania.

18:43 - From there, we've also added our

18:44 - Education and Dance Center in

18:46 - 2009.

18:47 - And we are now the National

18:49 - Museum for the Guild of American

18:51 - Paper Cutters.

18:52 - And if you look around, you can

18:53 - see art displayed on our gallery

18:55 - walls.

18:56 - Right now we are currently

18:57 - showing a show between a local

18:59 - artist and also one who came all

19:01 - the way from Russia and since

19:03 - studied at the Art Institute of

19:04 - Pittsburgh.

19:05 - So you can see a lot of imagery

19:07 - from Pittsburgh on our walls.

19:09 - We have everything - like I said

19:11 - - from classes to events.

19:13 - Programs really to get the word

19:15 - out about art.

19:16 - We want to have a greater impact

19:18 - uptown and throughout the county

19:20 - and other towns in our area to

19:22 - promote art and show what art

19:24 - can do to change our uptown, and

19:27 - get tourism into our areas, and

19:29 - also show people what is so

19:31 - great about our area.

19:33 - If you'd like to learn more

19:34 - about Laurel Arts and what we do

19:35 - here, and arts in Somerset

19:37 - Borough, feel free to check us

19:39 - out on the web at laurelarts.org

19:41 - or on our Facebook page where

19:43 - you'll see lots of images and

19:44 - events that we have coming up

19:46 - for the next year.

19:47 - We'd love to have you stop on by

19:49 - and check out what Summerset is

19:51 - all about through arts and

19:52 - culture and Laurel Arts.

19:54 - Thank you for taking a tour of

19:55 - Somerset Borough.

19:57 - Please join us for the next

19:58 - edition of Exploring

19:58 - Pennsylvania Boroughs right here

20:00 - on PCN.