In the late eighteenth century, the site on which Blairsville was founded was surrounded by wilderness, a few scattered homesteads, a block house across the "broad fording" and nearby Newport, Indiana County's first settlement.  Blairsville was originally laid out by Jmes Campbell and Andrew Bround in 1811 along the planned route of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike.  It was so named in honor of John Blair, President of the turnpike company. 

For a number of years, the town was oriented towards serving travelers and shipped goods from the turnpike.  In 1829, Blairsville became the terminus of the newly completed Pennsylvania canal, giving the town new importance.  By 1834, the Allegheny Portage Railroad was completed, allowing canal boats to be lifted over the Allegheny Mountain, and growth slowed in Blairsville.

Yet, the town remained an important point along the canal until 1848 when the Pennsylvania Railroad mainline was comleted between Johnstown and Pittsburgh.  Canal operations ended entirely in 1865.

The Pennsylvania Railroad extended a branch to Blairsville in 1851, with the first railcar, the Henry Clay, arriving at the new train station at Old Main and Liberty.  By the 1870, the railroad had moved its repain shops to Blairsville.  With canal operations closed, the railroad became a major employer in the borough.

In the years preceeding the Civil War, Blairsville was an important stop on the "Underground Railroad" as fugitive slaves moved north into and through Indiana County.   Lewis Johnston, the only person of African descent listed biographically in the 1875 Arms and White history of Indiana County, and prominent businessman John Graff were active conductors, moving freedom seekers north toward Canada.  In 1858, the citizen's of Blairsville drove two slave catchers in pursuit of the fugitive slave Richard Newman from the borough.  A similar incident occured again in 1860.

A period of rapid growth and industrial development followed for Blairsville as glass factory, tin mill, and foundries added to the employment opportunites in the town.  Mining and agriculture gained increased importance, and the town of Blairsville grew as a business and trade center for the region.  Later in its industrial history, in the midst of the derpession, employment in Blairsvile's industries totaled only ninety-two workers.

Conditions improved in the 1940s, but a series of events after World War II permanently altered the physical appearance and economic health of Blairsville.  The Conemaugh Dam flood control project, designed to prevent the flooding of Pittsburgh, necessitated the clearance of all structures in the low-lying, most historic, section of Blairsville abutting the Conemaugh.

In 1951,  Route 22 relocated from Market Street in Blairsville to a new highway to the north.  While this bypass reduced traffic problems in Blairsville, new businesses grew up nalong the new highway, and several downtown businesses abandoned their Market Street locations.

In the 1960s, a redevelopment project marked the last event that significantly altered the physical environment of Blairville.  Some of Blairsville's oldest buildings were lost to the project.  Twenty-seven structures were demolished to make room for new county housing and Vale Tech Institute..among them the historic Exchange Hotel.

Despite the losses to the Conemaugh Dam project, Rt. 22 improvement, and redevelopment, Blairsville is home to St. Peter's Episcopal Church, constructed in 1830 and the former Armory, both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Blairsville, poignantly beautiful with the surrounding greenspaces, unique storefronts, hiking, biking, and canoing opportunities, remains a great destination in Indiana County.