HISTORIC NEWPORT

Indians were the first inhabitants of this region, settling along the Big Buffalo and Little Buffalo creeks where game and fish were abundant. The tribes were the Delawares, Monseys, Shawnees and, most likely, the Tuscaroras. In 1754, the Indians sold a portion of this land to the English, and it became property of Penn?s. At this time, the first white settlers began moving in, and by 1758, the Indians were ordered by the English to leave. In 1774, King George III authorized the sale of two plots of land called "Grenada" and "Antigua" to David English. In 1802, some of the land was plotted into 54 lots - following the river and in the area of Mulberry to Walnut. In 1840, Newport was incorporated as a borough with Sam Leiby being the first burgess and by 1846 the village had grown into a town of 100 homes.

The early economic growth of Newport was determined mainly from its location on the Juniata River. A ferry was established in the late 1700s and assuming the ferry's name, Newport was originally called Rider's Ferry. As the town grew, the name was later changed to Ridertown and then Reidersville. During the early era, freight was transported on rafts on the river. Rafts gave way to arks and keels, which were poled back up the river, and boat building became a significant business for the young community.

Ground was broken for the canal on July 4th, 1826 in Harrisburg, and in 1829, the Juniata branch, which flowed through Newport, was opened, greatly increasing Newport's position as a hub for water freight transportation. When the Pennsylvania Railroad brought rail service to the town in 1846, the foundation for the tremendous growth in the late 1800s was laid.