A rocky ledge along the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River in Juniata Township is known as Salt Rock. There, in an archaeological dig in 1961, the partial skeleton a man who lived approximately six thousand years ago was discovered. When they were discovered, the skull and lower leg bone were proclaimed to be the oldest such skeletal remains found in Pennsylvania to that date. The bones were determined to belong to a male between twenty-five and thirty years of age.
Located near the body of the man, the remains of a newborn infant were found. Both burials were near evidence of a rudimentary fireplace. Existing in the Archaic period, individuals, including the adult found here, did not produce pottery, nor did they engage in farming. Hunting and gathering were the primary means for obtaining sustenance.
