On Saturday, July 29, 2023, a group of AAHS members were given a behind the scenes look at the Rebecca Hadden Stone House Museum and the Old Saltsburg Mill. Jack Maguire, along with Chuck Colton, provided the tour to Denise Flickinger, Alan Morgan, Sherry Miller, Sue Casella, Bonnie Kautz, and Bob & Becky Kane. Sue Casella & Denise Flickinger took the following photos.

Following the tour, the group had lunch at the Point Street Tavern. A good time was had by all.

The kids from Grandma’s House have visited the WCTU Building/Museum twice this summer along with their trips to the Drake Log Cabin. We are thrilled to have them take an interest in Apollo’s history. The most exciting fact for them was that Apollo,PA is spelled the same forward & backwards! (palindrome!!) Thanks to Wendy Minik & Sue Ott for hosting their visits!

If your group is interested in a personal tour, please contact us at 724-478-2899 or email apollopahistory@gmail.com. Thanks!

The kids from Grandma’s House visited the Drake Log Cabin twice this summer. They especially enjoyed seeing the renovated spring house & the new outhouse. Several offered to “christen” it for us! We sure enjoyed having them. Thanks to Denise Flickinger & Sue Ott for hosting the tours.

If your group is interested in a personal tour of the cabin or the WCTU Building/Museum, please contact us at 724-478-2899 or email at apollopahistory@gmail.com. We’d love to have you!

On Saturday, June 17, 2023, a group of notable citizens from our great town on Apollo visited the Drake Log Cabin. As our audience ate pizza donated by Apollo’s Fox’s Pizza Den and veggie trays donated by Naser’s Foods and Held’s Shop ‘n Save, the reenactors gave a monologue of their contributions to Apollo. A great time was had by all. Below are some photos taken by Bill Kerr of our event.

Test your knowledge of Apollo’ s famous citizen Nellie Bly with the questions below!

The Apollo Area Historical Society is excited about our new t-shirt that has been delivered and is ready for sale! The price is $12 for Adult sizes Small through 1X and $15 for 2X and $16 for 3X and up. Shipping is $8 for the first shirt and $2 for each other shirt. Call 724-478-2899 or contact us here or at apollopahistory@gmail.com for more information. The shirts will be for sale at our WCTU Building/Museum beginning Saturday, April 1 and every Saturday & Wednesday, 11-2 during museum hours. Children’s sizes can be special ordered.

We invited Santa Claus to visit Drake’s Log Cabin again this year. We had such a good time with the families that stopped by. Hope you enjoy our montage of pictures. Thanks to all the AAHS members who were able to help out in so many ways. The treat bags were filled with donations from the following: Sherry Miller, Sue Casella, Becky Kane, Jessi Casella, Denise Flickinger, Bill Miller, Bonnie Kautz, Debbie Bash, Debbie Flickinger, Sue Ott, and the Apollo Lions. Thanks also to the Leo Club students who volunteered their time to help with the kids as they visited. They were truly Santa’s Helpers!

The Apollo Area Historical Society held its monthly meeting on December 8, 2022 at the wonderful Jackson Mansion on Terrace Avenue. We were invited to hold our meeting there by Rob Jackson, the owner. Rob is a descendent of General Samuel Jackson who had the house built in 1883. You can learn more about the house by clicking here.

After our meeting, we were given a tour of the mansion by Bill Kerr. He took the photos in this article. We ended the enjoyable evening with cookies and cider. What a treasure we have right here in Apollo!

On Saturday, September 18, 2021, the Apollo Area Historical Society celebrated our 50th+1 Anniversary with a Banquet at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Apollo.  The dinner, catered by Tommy’s Catering, was delicious, as was the beautiful sheet cake donated by Held’s Shop ’n Save.  Pastor Phil Ramstad of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church gave both the invocation and benediction for the event. Bill Kerr, as master of ceremonies, gave a powerpoint presentation with highlights from the past 50 years, beginning with the restoration of the Drake Log Cabin and continuing through our programs, guest speakers, bus trips, W.C.T.U. restoration and displays, and so much more.  The Apollo Area Historical Society honored Tony and Rhonda Difillipo with a certificate thanking them for their many years of helping the society while owning Wyble’s Drug Store.  Tom Toland presented the Society with an “Heart Of A Lion” plaque and a proclamation was read by Apollo Mayor Cindee Virostek, congratulating the AAHS for our 50 years of service to the community.  Proclamations were also received from the Armstrong County Board of Commissioners, State Senator Joe Pittman, and State Rep. Jason Silvis. A great time was had by all.  Following are photos taken by Bill Kerr throughout the evening.

The date was March 30, 1961, a few short days before Easter Sunday.  Many folks were attending Maundy Thursday services. Most stores were closed for the evening.

The fire started in the rear of Sheplers Market which sat along Warren Avenue.  We lived in an apartment above the store & stockroom.  The occupants of the building were unaware of any danger.  We did not hear sirens, fire trucks or any of the noise that goes along with fighting a fire.

Many folks refer to the fire as the “bank fire” when in reality, the bank was just the largest building involved in the disaster.

I was sitting in our living room watching TV, along with my sister and mother.  My sister said it was an episode of “My Three Sons”. My younger brother was asleep in his crib.  My brother Tom was at camp with friends.

As we watched our show, my mother said she smelled smoke.  She asked us to go to the kitchen to see if our neighbor, Dorothy, who’d been over earlier, had left a cigarette burning. She had not. My mother decided to check for herself. Not finding anything in our apartment, she opened the door to see if the neighbor was burning something. That was when she realized our apartment building was on fire.

She immediately pounded on Dorothy’s door to alert her to get her children to safety.  She had 4 children, and like my mother, was raising them on her own.  Dorothy was crying over losing her belongings and my mother, not being a patient person, yelled at her to forget all that & worry about their lives.

The building housed 4 apartments.  Our two families occupied the 2 front apartments closest to the inside set of steps.  The other 2 apartments were unoccupied and at the other end of the hall was the door leading to the outside set of wooden steps.

My sister, being the oldest of all the kids, helped Dorothy by taking one of her sons. The oldest daughter took her brother and Dorothy took her other daughter.  My mother gathered up my brother and wrapped him in a bedspread. She told me to hold on to her and to not let go, no matter what.

She directed everyone to follow her and it was hard to see because the hallway was smoke filled.  We proceeded to the inside steps, which led to the alley known as Hildebrande Way. There were flames coming up through the steps! My mother told everyone to turn around and make their way to the end of the hall to the door leading to the outside steps. Finally! We could see and breathe again.

I can remember seeing many folks standing below watching the fire. I was barefoot and none of us had coats on. A man picked me up because I had no shoes. My mother was never one to mince words, and did ask why nobody thought to come in and warn the families.

According to my mother, it was a mere 5 minutes after we got out that all interior floors collapsed into the ruins.  We lost everything we owned, but we had our lives, thanks to my mother’s quick thinking and her level-headedness.

I remember walking out of our kitchen, seeing my mom’s purse hanging on the handle of the old refrigerator door.  But she had told me not to let go of her, no matter what. So I did not grab it, even though I wondered to myself if I should.

I remember we had new Easter outfits that we never got to wear; and how our apartment was set up. I remember going across Warren Avenue to Harry’s Place, probably for penny candy. I remember the opening of the new Apollo Trust. They had little souvenirs as you walked in to tour the grand new building.

What I don’t remember is the tearing down of the remains of the fire. I don’t remember if the buildings had wear & tear on them and weren’t pretty. They were an integral part of my hometown, my childhood ‘stomping’ grounds, such as they could be for a 1st grader.

I am thankful for all the pictures of that half block and the pictures of the fire being fought. I did not get to see that part of it since we were hustled away from it and taken to my aunt and uncle’s house on McKinstry Hill.  We had a great view of a huge orange ball of flame that would forever change lives.

This fire changed the landscape of the little town of Apollo. It started with the building of the new Apollo Trust that took up the half block that once housed a supermarket and various other shops. Our town was now on a new path. Years later it was decided to go with urban renewal grants and the Plaza was planned. The rest is history.

I loved the look of our little town, the main street charm. So I can’t help but wonder ‘what if’? Would we have kept our main street and been like so many other little towns that have old, but oh, so charming buildings?