Welcome to the Norwin Historical Society’s website!  We’re proud of our heritage and the progress the surrounding communities have made over the past 165 years.

The Norwin Area consists of Irwin, North Irwin, and North Huntingdon Township.

In 1852, the Pennsylvania Railroad Company completed the Brush Creek Valley line as a direct route to Pittsburgh.  In response, John Irwin laid out a plan of lots for Irwin Station, stretching from Water Street to Fourth Street, West to Tinker Run and East to Walnut Street.  Soon, agriculture, coal and gas mines began to prosper and Irwin Station became a central location for attracting hundreds of families to the area.

North Irwin grew out of land once owned by the John Irwin family.  When the Pennsylvania Railroad came through Irwin in 1852, the opportunity arose for the growth of Irwin and the subsequent expansion of settlement known as North Irwin.  By 1894, with business, industry and settlement In North Irwin, the residents of North Irwin petitioned Westmoreland County to seek incorporation as a borough.  On December 29, 1894, the petition was granted.

North Huntingdon Township had its beginning as a part of the larger Huntingdon Township chartered on April 6, 1773.  This is the same date that Westmoreland County would become the last county formed before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.

Located in Westmoreland County, between Pittsburgh and Greensburg, it encompasses both Irwin and North Irwin, as well as numerous smaller communities in the area.

Essential to the growth of North Huntingdon Township were the following: