Westmoreland County PA Archives History ....."Father Of Latrobe" November 16, 1908
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Latrobe Bulletin, Mon, Nov 16, 1908
The "Father of Latrobe" is dead. To those unfamiliar with the early history of
this borough, the above sentence will convey nothing. To those, however, whose
interest in the town in which they live, has led them to become conversant with
its beginning, the statement that the “father of Latrobe" is dead, will mean
that Oliver Weldon Barnes, the noted engineer, who was responsible for the
location and the christening of the town of Latrobe, has been called to his
final reward. Mr. Barnes died from pneumonia, on Saturday, at his home in New
York City, at the age of 88 years. Until within a few days of his death, the
venerable engineer was actively engaged in his profession, being connected with
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company.
The history of Latrobe began when Oliver W. Barnes, with that rare discernment
which later made him one of the great engineers of the country, discovered the
manifold advantages which the site now occupied by Latrobe afforded for a town,
and thereupon proceeded to establish it. His death, at the advanced age of 88
years, makes it but fitting that the early history of the town should be
referred to at this time.
In the spring of 1847 when the engineer corps that was to make the preliminary
surreys and locations of the line of the Pennsylvania railroad was formed, a man
then in his early manhood, Mr. Oliver W. Barnes, of Philadelphia, was chosen by
Edward Miller, the chief engineer of the Western Division, who was called an
associate engineer with Mr. J. Edgar Thompson, who was chief engineer of the
whole proposed railroad, extending from Harrisburg to Pittsburg, as one of his
associate engineers. He was attached to the first corps that assembled at New
Salem, Westmoreland county, early in May, and commenced the surveys, of what was
then called the northern route, in a westerly direction down the valley of
Turtle Creek towards Pittsburg. This corps of engineers, after completing
surveys to Pittsburg, was subsequently placed under the charge of Mr. Barnes and
transferred to the summit of the Allegheny mountains to locate the line east and
west of Sugar Run Summit through which was subsequently constructed the
Allegheny Mountain Tunnel as it now exists.
In the following year, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company invited subscriptions
to its capital stock in Westmoreland county and $56,000 was subscribed through
the influence of the then leading citizens residing in or near Greensburg, who
brought arguments to bear on Mr. J. Edgar Thompson in favor of a southern route
thru the county which would pass through the county seat. Mr. Thompson ordered
the surveys and a location made, which was placed under the charge of Mr. Oliver
W. Barnes, as senior assistant. The location was approved and subsequently
placed under contract for construction under the charge of Mr. Barnes as
principal assistant engineer.
In this way he became impressed with the great advantages that the present site
of the city of Latrobe presented as a trade centre for the eastern portion of
the county. He submitted a plan for laying out a town here to the then president
of the company, Col. Patterson, and Mr. J. Edgar Thompson, the chief engineer.
They promptly approved of it and Mr. Barnes thereupon purchased the 150 acres of
land on which the town plot was made out, from Mr. Thomas Kirk, an Irish
gentleman who was a prosperous farmer upon it, for $7,500. The railroad was then
under active construction, and shortly afterward was opened to Beatty Station as
a through route from Philadelphia.
A line of stages was put on the Southern Turnpike between Beatty and the present
town of Turtle Creek, and thousands of passengers were, during the two years
that the heavy work between Beatty Station and Turtle Creek was under
construction, transported by these stages.
It became necessary to arrange for the refreshment of this throng of people at
Latrobe as the most convenient point in the journey. Mr. Barnes therefore
erected the large brick hotel building known for many years as the Clifford
House, and it was used as a wayside inn for several years. It did an immense and
profitable business in feeding passenger, while the trains stopped here for wood
and water before proceeding westwardly to Beatty Station, or from the east bound
trains returning from Pittsburg. The tide of travel in those days was as three
to one, that is, there were three times as many people going west as there were
going east.
Mr. Barnes all this time was the engineer in charge of the construction of the
Western Division and Mr. Thomas A. Scott was the assistant superintendent of
transportation working the trains on the completed portions of the line. The
town plot of Latrobe was laid out and people came from all parts of the country
and even from Europe, bought the lots and built themselves homes. The times ware
hard in those days between 1852 and 1856 and the growth of the town was slow,
but after the panic of 1857, and the war was over, the town began to grow
rapidly. Mr. Barnes did a great deal in the way of developing the interests of
the place by building what was then called the Latrobe Car Works, and placed
them in charge of his brother, William Henry Barnes, later the president of the
Allegheny Valley Railroad and a prominent director in the board of the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, He conducted them very successfully for several
years.
Postscript
In 1852, Pennsylvania Railroad civil engineer Oliver Barnes laid out the plans
for the community that was incorporated in 1854 as the borough of Latrobe.
Barnes named the town for his best friend and college classmate, Benjamin Henry
Latrobe II, who was chief engineer for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. 

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