Addison’s history dates back to 1700s

Dec 3, 2004 By Kary L. Coleman For The 2 min read

ADDISON – In 1765, Jasper Augustine fled to the untamed wilderness of southwestern Pennsylvania from Lancaster County, Pa. He settled along General Braddock’s Trail, just two miles from the line separating Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1775, Augustine’s son, Peter, bought 150 acres of land known as Joseph Mountain’s Tomahawk Right. At this time, the land was part of Bedford County. Today, this area of land is located in Somerset County.

In 1802, a survey of 312 acres of land was made. Augustine was issued a patent for 312.5 acres of land in 1814. Much to Augustine’s surprise, his 150 acres of land had “grown.”

Proudly, Augustine named his land “Sportsman.”

It was in the northern portion of this land that he marked off an area that would come to be known as Petersburg.

Here, Augustine built his cabin. He and his wife, Rosina, raised their family of sons Frederick, John, and Jacob and daughters Susanna, Catharine, and Ann. Augustine soon became the first mayor of this newly found village, which was his namesake.

At this time, the National Road, or Old Route 40, closely followed and sometimes crossed the Nemacolin and Braddock Trails, but Petersburg had Main Street.

Augustine’s daughter, Ann, and her husband, Henry Stuller, were the owners of the first lot in the village of Petersburg and built their home in 1820. The Stuller home was occupied in this spot until Ann’s death in 1858.

As the needs of the individuals traveling the National Road grew, Petersburg worked to meet these needs. Soon, the village was developing and thriving community along the National Road. However, with the completion of the railroad to Cumberland, Md., in 1846, the growth and prosperity in Petersburg soon ceased. The once bustling village soon became a quiet farming village.

Due to name conflicts and United State Postal Service dilemmas with another Petersburg in Pennsylvania, the village was forced to change its name. Today, the village is more commonly recognized as Addison and celebrated its 185th anniversary in 2002.