A modest number of these early 20th century metal surfaces, which were corrugated or stamped pattern, survive. Original slate roofs exist in more significant numbers. Perhaps half of these examples have been covered with a silver paint applied as a sealant and heat reflectant. Despite the results of contemporary maintenance, a large majority of buildings retain many other significant features, such as original windows, doors, porches, chimneys and rooflines. Other underlying characteristics, such as building scale, massing, setbacks and site location, remain intact as well. Overall, most of the common renovations, such as modern siding and inappropriate porch posts, are relatively superficial and reversible if desired. The Roaring Spring Historic District is locally significant in the areas of architecture, industry and social history as an excellent example of a paternally founded and managed paper-mill town in central Pennsylvania, one whose architecture reflects how the growth of a hometown, family-owned industry stimulated and, in many cases, directed the development patterns and architectural character of the community. As the first paper-mill town in Blair County, Roaring Spring played an important role in establishing a small regional paper industry.[7]  Only two other paper mills have operated in the immediate region: one in Tyrone, co-founded by D. M. Bare in 1878, and the other in Williamsburg started in 1905 by steel magnate Charles Schwab.[8]  The Borough of Roaring Spring and its paper mill were essentially the creation of one person, Daniel Mathias Bare (1834–1925). As the town's 50th year history noted: "To write a detailed account of the life and activities of Daniel Mathias Bare is practically equivalent to writing the industrial, and, to a very great extent, the institutional history of Roaring Spring. From the time he located here in 1864 until the time of his death he was pre-eminently the town's greatest leader, occupying the foremost ranks of those who promoted its industrial, commercial and religious enterprises."[9]  Based on Bare's leadership, a good geographical location and a plentiful supply of clean water, the town became a successful regional producer of paper and related products from 1867 onward. Architecturally, the commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential character of the town retains an integrity that accurately conveys the developmental evolution of the community between 1821 and 1944. Before 1868, Roaring Spring was called Spang's Mill, a hamlet in Taylor Township situated around a gristmill operated by George B. Spang.[10] 