Editing Lewistown, Pennsylvania (section)

== History ==
[[File:Monument Square, Lewistown, Pennsylvania (1913).jpg|thumb|Monument Square in Lewistown in 1913]]
[[File:Juniata River by Lewistown.jpg|thumb|The [[Juniata River]] by Lewistown]]

===18th century===
The borough was incorporated in 1795 and was named for William "Bill" Lewis, a [[Quaker]] and a member of the state legislature. He gained designation of the borough, which was known then as the Village of Ohesson, as the county seat of Mifflin County.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83032276/#:~:text=The%20name%20honors%20Thomas%20Mifflin,by%20its%20Shawnee%20name%2C%20Ohesson. |title=Lewistown Gazette (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=2023-08-18 }}</ref>

===19th century===
During the late 19th century, Mifflin County became the crossroads of the Commonwealth. Located near the geographic center of the state, the area became a hub for traffic moving in every direction. Early roads crisscrossed the region, but it was the construction of the [[Pennsylvania Canal]] and the railroads that followed that gave stimulus to Mifflin County as an economic force in the state.

Lewistown, as the major city in Mifflin County, saw its economy expand dramatically as entrepreneurs launched companies to construct canal boats or build inns offering lodging for travelers and workers.

At its zenith, Mifflin County was one of the busiest centers for cargo and passenger traffic in the United States. But with the demise of the canal system, Mifflin County eventually lost its place as a major transportation hub.

On April 16, 1861, as the [[American Civil War]] broke out, Lewistown sent its Logan Guards, a militia group formed in 1858, to defend the national capital of [[Washington, D.C.]] They were one of five companies, all recruited in Pennsylvania, to share the honor of being the first U.S. troops sent to the capital. Monument Square, situated at the intersection of Main and Market Streets in Lewistown, serves as a memorial to these men.

===20th century===
Lewistown lost its role as a major transportation hub, but still boasted a strong industrial economy into the 1970s, when the county's industries began a slow decline.

The effects of [[Hurricane Agnes]] in June 1972 crippled the local economy. On June 19, Hurricane Agnes made initial landfall along the [[Florida Panhandle]] as a weak Category 1 [[Hurricane]]. Agnes proceeded through [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[South Carolina]] and [[North Carolina]] before moving over the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] off the North Carolina coast on June 21.

After regaining strength over the Atlantic, the storm made landfall again over southeastern [[New York (state)|New York]] on June 22 and moved westward in an arc over southern New York into north-central Pennsylvania. Hurricane Agnes became nearly stationary over Pennsylvania by morning of June 23, but was soon absorbed by a low-pressure system that slowly drifted northeastward from Pennsylvania into New York.

Rainfall from the storm over the [[Mid-Atlantic States|Mid-Atlantic region]] ranged from {{convert|2|to|3|in|mm}} in the extreme upper basins of the [[Potomac River|Potomac]] and North Branch [[Susquehanna River]]s to {{convert|18|in|mm}} near [[Shamokin, Pennsylvania]], in the Main Stem Susquehanna River basin. An average of {{convert|6|to|10|in|mm}} of rain fell over the Mid-Atlantic region. The soil, already well watered by spring rains, could not absorb so much water so quickly.

While flooding from the [[Juniata River]] was somewhat controlled due to a dam at [[Raystown Lake]], {{convert|44|mi|km}} west of Lewistown, the county suffered extensive flooding from the river and major streams. This resulted in the permanent closure of many businesses along the river.

Most notably, the flood submerged much of the [[American Viscose Corporation]] plant, then a division of FMC Corporation. The facility, located on the banks of the Juniata River across from Lewistown proper, manufactured rayon fiber (primarily for rayon-belted automobile tires), polyester, and Avistrap.

FMC was one of two major employers in the area at the time, the other being the Standard Steel Works. The Viscose plant was only marginally profitable before the storm, and the cost to reopen was prohibitive. The demand for rayon fabric for trendy clothing shot upward a few years later. Rayon production, and with it, thousands of good-paying jobs, moved to another FMC plant in [[Front Royal, Virginia]]. The Lewistown polyester plant reopened, but it rehired only a fraction of the previous workforce. The site eventually became the Mifflin County Industrial Plaza and a variety of businesses have come and gone since then.

In the wake of the failure of Lewistown's industry, a long period of decline began. The 1990s saw the loss of several plants, including Masland and Lear, and Standard Steel filing for reorganization bankruptcy.

===21st century===
The early 2000s saw the loss of Scotty's Fashions, Mann Edge Tool, Overhead Door shuttering its sectional division, and Ford New Holland shuttering its Belleville plant. This led to the related closing of the Belleville Foundry.

In 2011, Standard Steel merged with Japanese company Sumitomo Industries and is now known as Nippon Steel. This merger effectively saved the jobs of 500 union laborers as well as many others in the area.  First Quality, an adult incontinence products manufacturer, opened a facility in Lewistown that employs approximately 400 people.  [[Geisinger Health System|Geisinger]] purchased Lewistown Hospital in 2013 and expanded services, including a helicopter pad, the Geisinger LIFE program, and a new clinic in nearby [[Reedsville, Pennsylvania|Reedsville]].

In the 2020s, Lewistown has seen growth in new small businesses by young entrepreneurs, including restaurants and retail. The construction of an enhanced highway system between Lewistown and [[State College, Pennsylvania|State College]] was completed in 2020 and better connects the two communities.