Juniata Township near Duncansville in Blair County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Staying Alive

— Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site —

August 10, 2023

1. Staying Alive Marker

Inscription. Standards of hygiene were horrific by today's standards. It wasn't that people didn't care; they didn't connect hygiene with health. In fact, bathing was considered dangerous to your health. Clean clothes were the mark of a dandy or a rich man. A laborer was proud of the stains of his trade and often wore them for a season without removing them.

Diseases that have been completely controlled now would routinely sweep the lands, killing thousands. In 1839 for every person who died of old age or violence, eight died of specific diseases. In Albany and Pittsburgh, water sanitation made it possible to fight epidemics. This was the starting point of campaigns in favor of hygiene in general. The battle against epidemic diseases was won more by sanitation than medication.

Looking back at records and past practices, we can now establish a relationship between infant mortality and the consumption of soap. Are you sure you’d really like to go back in time if you could?

(caption) Work may be more intense or last longer in different seasons.

(caption) Cleanliness standards were related to resources and practices of the

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time
As were medical standards- related to resources and practices of the time

(caption) Workers or travelers may not be near home for weeks of months.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 40° 24.695′ N, 78° 27.829′ W. Marker is near Duncansville, Pennsylvania, in Blair County. It is in Juniata Township. It can be reached from 6 to 10 Trail (APRR). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Duncansville PA 16635, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured

Staying Alive Marker looking west image. Click for full size.

August 10, 2023

2. Staying Alive Marker looking west

Incline 10 sign also visible

as the crow flies: Blair Homestead (approx. 0.2 miles away); Making the Connection (approx. 0.3 miles away); Fort Fetter (approx. 3 miles away); Hiding Incline 8 (approx. 3.4 miles away); Jaycee Memorial Park (approx. 3.7 miles away); Canal Basin (approx. 3.7 miles away); Adam Holliday (approx. 3.9 miles away); First High School (approx. 3.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Duncansville.

More about this marker. The marker is on the 6 to 10 Trail, about 300 feet north of the trailhead.

Staying Alive Marker looking east image. Click for full size.

August 10, 2023

3. Staying Alive Marker looking east

Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2023. This page has been viewed 198 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 15, 2023. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.