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Daniel Johnson Morrell, circa 1870.
Credit: Library of Congress
In 1855, Daniel J. Morrell moved to Johnstown and became general manager of the Cambria Iron Company. Under his direction, Cambria became the nation's first iron mill to shift from the production of iron to steel rails, using the Bessemer process. As the mills grew, so did Johnstown, which Morrell transformed into a classic company town. A two-term Congressman (1867-1871), Morrell died in 1885.