Wellersburg was laid out in 1830 and incorporated as a borough in 1857. The town is now in a dilapidated state having been steadily declining since the abandonment of the iron industry in 1866. It contains a population of about 250 and has one hotel, three stores, one blacksmith shop, one wagonmaker’s shop, one tannery and one slaughterhouse. There are two churches in the borough and a schoolhouse (formerly a church building) with a seating capacity of 200.
George Weller was the founder of the town. He purchased the land on which it is built from Jacob Korns. The first house in the place was erected by Jeremiah Wingert in 1833. He also started a tannery in 1834. A Mr. Barnes built the first store. His successor in the mercantile business was John R. Brinham. Brinham erected the first brick house in the place, and still occupies it. It is the only brick structure in the township. Jacob Cook built the first tavern, and Gideon Shaffer the first blacksmith shop.
The town grew slowly, like most country villages, until the building of the furnace brought a sudden influx of population.
The Wellersburg furnace was built in 1855. The Union Coal and Iron Company, its projector and first owner, was organized in 1854. The furnace, when in active operation, produced about 300 tons of iron a month, and the industry, in all its departmenrs, afforded imployment to about 200 men. The furnace continued in operation at different times, until 1866 when it was abandoned. The collapse of this industry was the death blow of the growth and prosperity of Wellersburg.
The church of the Evangelical Association in Wellersburg was built about 1852 and cost eight hundred dollars. The building was erected by Jacob Albright. The church has but a small membership at present.
Some of the present residents of the borough are:
Michael Long, Esq., a native of Milford township, was first elected justice of the peace in 1862 and has since held the office continuously. He is engaged in farming.
Henry Moser, son of John Moser, a native of Germany came to America in 1833 and to Somerset county in 1855. He is now engaged in the mercantile business in a store he purchased from Isaac Augustine.
(Source: History of Bedford, Somerset & Fulton Counties, PA; 1884)
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