The Staple Bend Tunnel, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a town called Mineral Point, was constructed between 1831 and 1834 for the Allegheny Portage Railroad.

Workers chipped and blasted 901 feet (275 m) of solid rock to make the tunnel.

One pound (0.45 kg) of explosive powder wrapped in paper was pushed into each hole, tamped down, punctured with a sharp needle, and a fuse added.

On December 21, 1832, the workmen broke through the final barrier and connected the two ends of the tunnel.

[5] The ends of the Staple Bend Tunnel were lined with cut stone for safety.

Rock and dirt might fall due to rain or other weather, or from the effects of the Portage Railroad going through the tunnel.

[5] In 1907, Henry Storey wrote that the east entrance facade of the tunnel had been removed for building purposes.

Rock bolts, shoring posts, and other reinforcements were added as well as a thin mortar between the historic blocks.