Stoystown was founded in 1774 in the Pennsylvania Province, making it one of the few Somerset County communities that actually predates Somerset County.
In its infancy the community was set in a wilderness in which white settlers from Europe fought Native Americans for land and other resources. After the Revolutionary War, founder Daniel Stoy returned to Stoystown and laid out the first town lots in 1796.
Joseph Buck and Alexander Ogle opened the first store around 1800. A post office was built in 1811. Eight years later the town was incorporated, but it later lost the charter because of neglect on the part of borough officials. The town was incorporated again in 1838. During the stagecoach days Stoystown was one of the county's chief commercial centers. It was a place where horses would be changed for the next stage trip across the Allegheny Mountains. The town's reputation as a traveler's mecca continued with the construction of several hotels, including the Diamond Hotel and the Hite Hotel, which exists today as a senior housing center.
Stoystown continued to grow through much of the 19th century, pausing briefly for the Civil War when many young men were called to duty. In the early 20th century coal mining became one of the town's principal industries.
By the late 1930s the Route 30 bypass was completed, funneling traffic away from the borough. A passenger train quit making stops in Stoystown (Kantner station) two decades later. The community school hosted its last student in the 1960s.
Today, the Stoyestown Area Historical Society is leading an effort to restore some of the town's historical sites, including a 19th century log home that is being rebuilt near the community building.
Meanwhile, the borough and county are planning to improve the town's infrastructure by connecting Stoystown to the Reading Mines water system only a few miles away. The system is part of the Somerset Township Municipal Authority.
The town is currently served by four deep wells, according to council President Amos Snyder. Snyder said he can't remember the borough running out of water in his 14 years as a resident, but there have been many water shortages. The taste of the borough's water has prompted some residents to purchase the bottled variety.
"Everybody wants a better quality of water and more of it," he said.
A portion of the county's 2010 bond issue will be used to complete the water project, setting the stage for the town to continue to grow.