Strattanville, PA

Strattanville is a Clarion County borough with a strong claim to being the county's oldest town. Its first settlement predates Clarion County by eleven years, John Strattan Sr. laid out the village in 1828, and the village became a borough in 1850. The 2020 census counted 537 residents. When Clarion County was choosing its seat, Strattanville was one of three contenders, along with Callensburg and Shippenville. Clarion eventually got the courthouse, leaving Strattanville with the older-settlement story.

The borough sits about three miles northeast of Interstate 80 Exit 64 by way of secondary roads, so its present-day map has an easy connection to the larger highway network without losing the older village shape. The county-seat contest gives the local history a little drama: Strattanville was important enough to be in the running when the county was new, yet its role settled into that of a borough with a long memory. For a small place, the timeline reaches back before the county line was even drawn.