Emergency Crime Scene and Biohazard Cleanup in Newry, PA

Newry is a borough in Blair County and part of the Altoona metropolitan area, tucked into the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains.

Newry was founded in 1793 by Patrick Cassidy, an Irish immigrant and Revolutionary War soldier who named the town after his hometown of Newry, Ireland; the recorded plan of the town, dated September 25, 1795, laid out 96 lots.

Founder Patrick Cassidy was a professional surveyor who also plotted the Blair County towns of Williamsburg and Hollidaysburg.

Newry is one of the oldest towns in Blair County — only Williamsburg is older.

In its early days Newry was an important stop on the main highway crossing the Allegheny Mountains, supporting a hat factory as well as furniture, shoe, wagon, and tin shops.

Newry was incorporated as a borough in 1876, holding its first borough election on April 25 of that year.

Newry once had its own railroad — a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad connecting it to Duncansville — which carried passengers and freight from 1870 until it was abandoned as unprofitable around 1900.

Newry's population was about 230 at the 2020 census, down from 326 residents counted back in 1880, and the borough has taken on a quiet suburban character as Altoona families have migrated south.

Newry packs its roughly 230 residents into just 0.1 square miles, giving it a population density of more than 2,300 people per square mile.

Patrick Cassidy donated land in 1816 for Newry's Catholic church and is buried in St. Patrick's Church Cemetery; a St. Patrick School still operates in the borough today, while public-school students attend the Hollidaysburg Area School District.