Lumber, coal, and coke yards were industries that had supported the population, which numbered 1,470 in 1910.

Many famous Pittsburgh businessmen, including Charles M. Schwab, Andrew Carnegie, and Henry Clay Frick, maintained summer residences in the area.

Cresson is bypassed to the south and east by U.S. Route 22, a four-lane expressway, with access from two exits: Pennsylvania Route 53 (Second Street) on the south, and the Admiral Peary Highway (former US 22) on the east.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.48 square miles (1.25 km2), all land.

The Queen Anne style structure was opened by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1881, sold to the Cresson Springs Co., and demolished in 1916.

It was hoped to attract visitors from Pittsburgh and Johnstown looking for clean air and "therapeutic" mineral springs.

Several of the original cottages still stand, including those of Andrew Carnegie and Benjamin Jones.

[6] Photographer R.A. Bonine of Altoona took several stereographs of the Cresson area, including the Mountainhouse during the 1870-1880s.