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Unionville Borough was laid out in 1848 by William Underwood, a Bellefonte carriage maker. Originally from York County and a Quaker, Underwood moved to Unionville where he operated a gristmill, large lumber mill, managed a store, and for a few years served as the community's only doctor. Other members of the Society of Friends joined Underwood in the 1840s, making Unionville a major Quaker settlement. The Bald Eagle Valley had been an important lumbering area before 1848 with lumber camps providing charcoal for nearby iron furnaces. Unionville was excellently situated at the junction of the Old Plank Road (now Rt. 220) along the foothills of the Allegheny Front; the Rattlesnake Pike/Philadelphia-Erie Turnpike (Rt. 504) westward over the front; and along Bald Eagle Creek and DeWitt Run. The Tyrone and Lock Haven Railroad, completed in 1864, enhanced Unionville's role as an agricultural and trade center, and provided passenger service until after World War II.

Information and text courtesy of The Centre County Historical Society
www.centrecountyhistory.org/