| |
By C. Paul Keller
 As the county seat for Potter County, Coudersport is the busiest town in the county.However, when first surveyed in 1807, there were no residents and even forty-one years later, in 1848, when the borough was incorporated there were only two hundred residents. There were, however, five stores, three taverns, a tannery, a sawmill, a foundry and an academy, which opened in 1841. A stagecoach ran through town.
Then the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad was constructed in 1882.In only twenty years the population exploded to over three thousand. Many forestry industries came into the vicinity, as well as two glass factories and a condensed milk company. One of the glass plants produced a variety of decorative glass products from 1900 to 1904, which have become highly collectable in recent years. A book on the subject has been published, Coudersport Glass 1900-1904 by Potter County resident Tulla Majot with Paul W. Heimel. A large collection can be seen at the Potter County Historical Society.
 In 1985 the shopping district of Coudersport was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the storefronts were built in 1880, after a fire destroyed thirty-five buildings. The Victorian brick stores and restaurants, as well as an old fashioned movie theater, attractive Courthouse Square and many Victorian homes, make Coudersport a delightful place to explore. Atop the courthouse is a replica of one of only six courthouse Statues of Justice in the United States to not have a blindfold. The original can be viewed inside the courthouse. Coudersport is home to the Maple Festival, held the first weekend in May, and many other festivals throughout the year, as well as a farmers market on the Courthouse Square during the summer months. Highly rated Charles Cole Memorial Hospital is located within minutes of downtown Coudersport, and many hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts make a stay in Coudersport enjoyable.
Check out more information by visiting the Coudersport Chamber of Commerce – www.coudersport.org.
Coudersport is the most "wired" community per capita of any place in the world. Click here to learn about Investment opportunities in Coudersport, Pennsylvania
|
|
|
