Newport Town
The first colonial town in Indiana County, established in about 1787
Geocache #11
Indiana County 1776 GeoTrail
- Founded about 1790, Newport was the essential ferry crossing to go west. Located on the banks of the Conemaugh River it was a terminus of the Frankstown Road.
- Newport contained a hotel, post office, homes and a wharf. One can imagine long lines of wagons and livestock waiting to cross over.
- After the bridge was established in Blairsville, business moved up river and Newport faded into obscurity.
- Newport was the subject of a recent archeological study by Indiana University of Pennsylvania which yielded building foundations and Native American artifacts dating to much earlier periods.
This geocache is on PA State Game Lands. Obey all PA Game Commission regulations. Wear blaze orange during hunting season. Non-hunters are not permitted in State Game Lands between November 15 and December 15.
A set of 12 geocaches at Indiana County locations that were significant in the late 1700s. Visit all 12 and imagine what the county was like at our nation's birth.
You can earn a geocoin, while supplies last, by picking up a geotrail passport at the Indiana County Tourist Bureau office, the Blue Spruce Park office, or three of the county's historical societies — Blairsville, Indiana County, and Saltsburg. Or you can download, print and assemble the passport yourself from the Indiana County 1776 GeoTrail web site.
When you open the passport, each left page will show the name and GPS coordinates of a geocache and the right page will be blank. Use the graphite stick supplied in the geocache container (or your own crayon) and the corresponding blank page in your passport to make a rubbing of the woodblock that is attached to the inside of the container's lid. If you don't have a passport, you can use any blank sheet of paper. This rubbing will prove that you visited the geocache. If you are unsure how to make a rubbing, watch the video on the Indiana County 1776 GeoTrail web page.
After completing the geotrail, you will have a broad picture of Indiana County's character in and around 1776. Bring your passport or your own sheets of paper with the 12 rubbings to the Tourist Bureau office or the Blue Spruce Park office to pick up a trackable geocoin prize designed and created for this geotrail, while supplies last.
For more information, visit the Indiana County 1776 GeoTrail web site.