Paint Borough owes its existence to the Berwind-White Coal Company and the development of the Eureka Coal Field in the 1890s. This borough was incorporated in 1900 around the same time that neighboring Windber Borough was being formed. But coal mining carried a high price. The resulting degradation fouled a previously pristine and incredibly scenic Paint Creek valley, which had been captured artistically by a group of plein-air artists led by George Hetzel. The boney (coal waste) piles that remain from the mining era continue to pollute Paint Creek, although the valley is recovering some of its natural beauty. While Paint Creek waters coat rocks with orange-colored ferric iron at lower flows, during periods of substantial runoff the Paint offers expert-only Class V whitewater.


Contact Information:

Paint Borough
807 Main Street
Windber, PA 15963
(814) 467-8375


Official Website
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