PENNSYLVANIA LOOKOUTS

NEGRO MOUNTAIN

Somerset County
​Forbes State Forest

July 25, 1934:   "The highest elevation in Pennsylvania is Negro Mountain in Somerset county, 3213 feet above sea level.  On this site a forest fire observation tower has been erected by the Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters.
      Negro Mountain derived its name from a Negro slave who was killed here by the Indians while accompanying a hunting party headed by Colonel Thomas Cresat about 1750.  When attacked by the Indians all but the Negro escaped.
      The Negro Mountain forest fire observation tower commands a view of 400,000 acres of forest land."   (The Morning News)

​October 3, 1949:  "Contrary to popular belief, the highest point in the state is not in the mountainous northern part of the Commonwealth.  Officials of the Department of Forests and Waters point out that Negro Mountain in Somerset County, only a few miles from the State's southern border holds that title.
     Negro Mountain, 3213 feet above sea level, was named in 1760 to do honor to a negro slave who sacrificed his life so that a party of hunters he accompanied might escape from a band of marauding Indians.
     On a clear day over 400,000 acres of forest land can be seen from the top of the Department's fire tower located there."  (The Charleroi Mail)