24/7 Trauma and Biohazard Cleanup in Alexandria, PA

Alexandria is a tiny borough in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, covering only about 0.1 square miles, and it proudly calls itself 'The Gem of the Juniata.'

The area was first known as Hartslog Settlement, after licensed Indian trader John Hart, who in 1744 used a large hollowed-out log to feed and salt his horses while trading along the Juniata River.

Alexandria was laid out into town lots in 1793 by Elizabeth Gemmill, a widow who founded the town after her husband's death and whose family collected ground rents on its lots until the practice was banned in 1920.

Alexandria was incorporated as a borough on April 11, 1827.

The Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Canal opened through Alexandria in 1833, sparking a mini housing boom, and the canal remained in use here until 1875 — longer than most other segments.

The population of Alexandria was 384 at the 2020 census; the borough was far bigger in the canal era, peaking at 601 residents in 1850.

Alexandria celebrates its frontier origins every year with the Hartslog Heritage Day festival, held on the second Saturday of October.

The Hartslog Museum, telling the story of the old Hartslog Settlement, is located on the second floor of the Alexandria Public Library, a 1899–1901 building donated by descendants of founder Elizabeth Gemmill.

The borough has developed Melvin Lane Nature Park along the Juniata River, near the natural water gap where the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata cuts through Tussey Mountain.

Because the U.S. Route 22 bypass built in 1941 routed traffic around town, Alexandria retains buildings from nearly every decade of the nineteenth century.