Salona, PA

Salona is an unincorporated community in Lamar Township, Clinton County, Pennsylvania, along Pennsylvania Route 477 about 3.7 miles south of Lock Haven. Its name comes from the Greek city of Thessalonica, but the community passed through several more homespun names first: Mudtown, McGhee’s Town, and Mechanicsbury. A 1769 land grant to Mary Austin shaped the first lots on both sides of the main street.

Salona grew rapidly as houses, businesses, and small industries filled the valley. Residents once called it Saint’s Rest because the village tolerated no saloons, and The Athens of Clinton County because it was the valley’s largest commercial center. Those nicknames give the place a little personality beyond its road sign. Salona today sits within the Lamar Township group of villages, close to Lock Haven and the roads of the West Branch Susquehanna country. The road still follows that old valley line. The classical name is a reminder that even a small Pennsylvania crossroads can carry a surprisingly layered past.