As our community prepares for the nation’s 250th anniversary, I hope organizers will pause before repeating the familiar tale that William and Adam Holliday arrived here in 1768 and began homesteading on the site of present�’day Hollidaysburg. That story, though often retold, simply does not align with the historical record.

Its roots trace back to U. J. Jones’ History of the Early Settlement of the Juniata Valley, where he describes the brothers arriving on the banks of the Beaverdam Branch and William dramatically driving a stake into the ground, predicting a future town. It’s a memorable scene — but none of it is supported by contemporary evidence. At best, it is a case of misremembered tradition; at worst, pure invention.

Documented records place William in Cumberland County until the mid�’1770s, with his first appearance in what became Frankstown Township occurring in 1775. Adam remained in Cumberland County even longer, farming and raising a family until the mid�’1790s, when he finally did move to this area.

Despite this, Jones’ account has become so deeply embedded in local folklore that it continues to appear in later histories. In fact, Hollidaysburg held a major celebration in 1968 commemorating this event — which, historically speaking, never happened.

For those interested in how Hollidaysburg actually developed, I’ve published a paper that examines the evidence in detail. It is available at: https://archive.org/details/beyond-the-folklore-william-and-adam-holliday

Stephen Kleiner

Altoona