On a wintry day, a group of community volunteers came together to videotape the people, places and happenings of the Philipsburg area. Philipsburg, nestled in the Moshannon Valley , is a friendly, small town with a rich history, including many historic churches, buildings and homes. At the turn of the 20 th century, Philipsburg was a bustling mining town, with it’s share of mansions built by the wealthy.

Centrally located, it was also the crossroads for many traveling salesmen. During the last several years, a concerted revitalization effort has been under way to help the town flourish again. Through good and rough times, Philipsburg, continues to be a relaxed hometown where “neighbors take care of neighbors.”

Volunteer Fire Companies
A perfect example of the spirit of volunteerism is the three active Volunteer Fire Companies in the Philipsburg and Osceola Mills area. Slab Town , as the east end of Philipsburg used to be called started a “bucket brigade” in the late 1800’s. For unknown reasons it disbanded and in 1881 the Reliance Fire Company was formed, becoming the first official fire company in the borough.

Hope Fire Company started in 1887 and continues its operaton today. Each organization is unique – even having different color equipment - Reliance has white and Hope has red. Healthy competition between the two borough companies helps maintains a high level of service to the community.

Chester Hill, a neighboring fire company in Clearfield County , boasts a 4000 gallon tanker, one of the largest in the area, and is instrumental in servicing many rural areas around Philipsburg. Finally, Columbia Fire Company in Osceola Mills was formed in 1889, and continues to serve the borough very well.