Somerset County Chamber of Commerce

Flight 93 Memorial in Union City, CA
This Memorial proposes a remembrance stone to be crafted and placed in a flowing line for each individual person who's life was lost on Flight 93. It exemplifies that each person was more than just a moment in history, or a victim linked to such a horrifying event. The Memorial proposes to put a face to each soul lost on that fateful flight.

Flight 93 National Memorial
Information on the ongoing Flight 93 National Memorial Project and the status of the project.

LINCOLN HIGHWAY HERITAGE CORRIDOR
HISTORY OF RT. 30 (LINCOLN HIGHWAY)

NATIONAL ROAD HERITAGE CORRIDOR

Peace Barn
The Bruderhof Peace Barn is a project of the 5th-8th grade students of the Spring Valley School in Farmington, Pa. These students have converted an old barn into a memorial for the heroes of Flight 93. In addition they have handcrafted the memorial benches for each passenger and crew member at the nearby Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville.

SALISBURY, PA
History of Salisbury, PA.

SOMERSET HISTORICAL CENTER
The Somerset Historical Center portrays southwestern Pennsylvania rural life from its earliest inhabitants to the commercial agrarian enterprises of modern days.

SPRINGS MUSEUM
The Springs Museum depicts the life of the early settlers of the Cassleman Valley.

A HISTORY OF THE CHAMBER

The Somerset County Chamber of Commerce as we know it today was organized in August 1912 under the name of the Somerset Board of Trade. Its forerunner was the Merchants Association.

In 1918, the organization became known as the Somerset Chamber of Commerce. On July 19, 1921, the group was incorporated.

The first president of the new corporation was W. Curtis Truxall. The first manager was S.T. Cunningham. The first executive director of the Chamber of Commerce was Robert Kline, who was hired in 1957. He was given a fee of $250.00 per month for expenses.

It was on February 1, 1969, that the Chamber hired its first “paid” executive director, Gene Stayrook. Stayrook was also the executive vice president of the equally active Somerset County Development Council.

In 1971, the organization’s name was changed to the Greater Somerset Chamber of Commerce. The name change was intended to broaden the service area to include Somerset Township and areas north of the borough to Route 30 and six to eight miles south.

The Chamber experienced still another change in 1978 under the direction of Executive Director Edward Bowersox. The board voted to change the name to the Somerset County Chamber of Commerce in an effort to further broaden the Chamber’s activities to all areas of Somerset County.

Today the Chamber consists of over 700 members from all over the county and surrounding areas. The Chamber currently consists of a full-time Executive Director, Office Manager, and Newsletter Coordinator and a part-time Tourism Counselor /Receptionist.