Peter S. Duncan

Peter S. Duncan of Hollidaysburg, PA, was an industrialist who operated several iron and clay mines in Blair Co. for many years, including a clay pit in nearby Ore Hill, PA. Although substantially smaller than that at Oreminea, this mine was served by the PRR's Bloomfield Branch. A sample of sand excavated from this mine was among the mineral displays exhibited by the State of Pennsylvania at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893. Peter S. Duncan passed away in May of 1937—hence why "Peter S. Duncan Estate" is listed as the shipper on the one bill in this collection on which his name appears, from October of the same year. It is unclear why a shipment of clay left Oreminea under this name. One potential explanation might be that the mines at Ore Hill, which would have been largely mined out after several decades of operation, shut down after his death, with the estate filling remaining orders by contracting shipments from other clay pits.