Then one day a man appeared, named James Wilson who afterwards became a fast friend and chose a plot for himself about a mile from Pomeroy. Roaming inquisitive Indians would stop by his curious cabin often. Crossing Chestnut Ridge by way of Fort Ligonier, he selected a prime piece of land, marked it off with boundaries, and claimed possession by building a cabin. Being adventuresome and ambitious, he decided to see for himself. Pomeroy, a young farmer in Cumberland Valley, heard of the large quantity of good rich land in this vicinity, after the occupation of the region by the army of General Forbes. It is probable, but not certainly provable, that settlements were made in the Derry area shortly after the formation of the old military road, or Forbes Road (1758), that is to say, some of the settlements as early as 1762, or previous to Pontiac’s War.Īmong the first settlers, if not the very first, was John Pomeroy, a man who was not only the first in respect to time, but who remained among the first men of the settlement in many respects until his death, nearly the space of a generation later. The railroad brought life to small towns across Pennsylvania and in 1881, Derry Borough incorporated and began serving as a popular hub in the transportation of goods, services, ideas and culture from New York, through Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and eventually across the nation. First came New Derry, laid out by the Guthries in 1815, then Derry Station in 1852, and then finally, Derry Borough.Īs with much of the country at that time, agriculture was the primary industry in Derry until the advent of the burgeoning Railroad System in the early 1850’s. John Pomeroy and James Wilson were the first settlers in the area in 1762, while the Greater Derry Area began to be settled in 1769, as the country embraced its manifest destiny and confronted the wild frontier. Endowed with substantial deposits of natural resources native to Southwestern PA and a rich history that stretches into the corners of four centuries, this small town is looking towards the future for opportunities, growth and an enduring place in history. In a small borough, nestled among the foothills of the Laurel Mountains and alongside Chestnut Ridge, rests the community of Derry, Pennsylvania.
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