Westfield Borough

429 E Main St
Westfield, PA 16950

814-367-2632

About

HISTORY OF WESTFIELD BOROUGH

For many years Westfield was a village called “Westfield Township”. This area was once heavily timbered and home to many animals; Indians built their wigwams along the rivers and creeks. The first settler in Westfield was Reuben Cook, Sr., who resided with the Indians. Cook’s log cabin was situated along the south bank of the Cowanesque River near the former River Street bridge. This location is very near the current Westfield Municipal Building.

A group of Quakers from Rhode Island settled soon after Mr. Cook. The first settlement was called “Priestville” and was the central point for missionary activities. The name was later changed to Westfield as it was the westernmost point for settlers in the Cowanesque Valley.

Westfield was incorporated as a borough in February 1867 and is one square mile in size. A Borough Council was elected at this time, and the first Burgess was B.B. Strang. The Borough of Westfield has maintained a population of between 1,000 and 1,200 people for over 150 years.

The borough began to become more settled. The first post office opened in the 1820’s with Henry Trowbridge as the first Postmaster. In 1881 Westfield’s first firehouse was built. In 1893 Westfield Borough obtained an option on a spring, and this was the beginning of the Westfield Borough Waterworks. Gas lines were installed in Westfield in 1898. Gas lights were used until electricity was introduced in 1925.

The largest industry in Westfield Borough was Westfield Tanning Company, formerly Eberle Tanning Company, from 1867 until 2005 when it closed. Electri-Cord Manufacturing is currently the largest employer in Westfield Borough. The Electri-Cord celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2015.

Westfield Borough moved its offices to 429 East Main Street in 1982. The fire company, Crary Hose Company, and Westfield Borough Police Department are also housed in this building. It is governed by a 7 member council and a mayor.

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