Armstrong County Pennsylvania

Group seeks $800000 for Kittanning revitalization project

Within a month, a campaign to raise $800,000 will likely begin, said officials in charge of creating and implementing a revitalization plan for Kittanning's business district at a public meeting Thursday night.

While the typical big donors in the community will be asked to contribute, county residents interested in "sprucing up the county seat" can supplement the $1 million goal.

"It is a huge undertaking," said Mindy Knappenberger, director of the Armstrong County Community Foundation which will be in charge of the campaign. "It doesn't just affect people in Kittanning, it affects all of us and the region."

A second public meeting held last night during the idea-gathering process for the planned revitalization involved showing about 20 county residents and community leaders two plans to beautify Kittanning's business district. The county's Industrial Development Council will have the final say on which ideas make the cut for the project that will be funded by at least $2 million.

The organization has been seeking ideas from the public since a first meeting in March when discussions included sidewalk improvements, planters with shrubs or flowers, old-fashioned lamp posts and burying or otherwise moving the utilities on Market Street to eliminate wires and telephone poles.

One million dollars of the funding is a state grant that must be matched by other funding streams before it is released for use. The money can only be used for physical improvement of public property.

Of the $1 million match, $200,000 has been committed by Rosebud Mining Co., headquartered in Kittanning, and $1,000 by Downtown Kittanning Inc., a group of business owners, said county economic director Mike Coonley.

"As of right now, we're $800,000 short," he said. "We haven't really began to start the fundraising efforts yet."

"We cannot use the state's money unless we have the million dollars," he said, adding that "it's gotta be more than the 'big fish'" to donate to the endeavor.

Two concepts were presented during last night's public meeting based on ideas shared at the March gathering. Officials are hoping the planned revitalization is an incentive to spark further development and interest in the borough.

"This project is really supposed to be a catalyst," said Maureen Ford, independent consultant retained for project management. "It's supposed to be the start of something. We want people to get energized over it. It's a beginning.

CLAUDIA'S GENEALOGY BLOG: SPECULATIONS ABOUT OLIVE BOWSER

I am grasping at straws here.   Since I can find no records of the early life of Olive Bowser I have formulated some ideas to pursue.

It is know and documented (death certificate and obit) that her birthday was 4 October 1874 in Armstrong County PA.   Her parents  are listed as Jacob and Mary (UNK) Bowser of Armstrong County PA.

Also listed are “several brothers and sisters”  but no names are listed.   I still want to go and see if there are cemetery records and return to the Armstrong County Genealogy Library.

In Armstrong County there was listed an Olive M Bowser b. 1875 in Armstrong County, she was the daughter of Felix and Mary Bowser.  I later found the death and picture of her tombstone and she had died in 1885.  In the 1880 census I find Maud Bowser b. 1874 with parents of Jacob and Mary Bowser living in Armstrong County.

My Olive disappears until the 1900 census living in Pittsburgh with Robert Stephens.  The couple have three children at this time.  

A while back I received a copy of Robert Stephens Civil War Pension Record.   I did not post much about it at the time because of something I had found.  My husband and his brother told me that I could post the information because all the people involved have all died long ago.

Robert was married 9 May 1868 to Sarah Wright (b. Franklin Township PA) in Allegheny City PA. They had four children, Rachurl  (Rachel?), Robert, William and Rudy.   In 1890 Robert is living alone in the “Morgan House” in Allegheny City PA.

In 1914 Olive filed for his accrued pension.  In that statement it said that she was married under the name of Olive Bowser at Allegheny City (Allegheny County PA) in 1893 by “no ceremony.”

Olive had not been married before and the “soldier had been married and application made for divorce in 1893 from 1st wife but never carried through”  First wife (Sarah Wright) died 19 December 1910.  

In the 1900 census they stated that they had been married since 1891 and have three children at this time.   Olive was probably about sixteen when she and Robert met and were together until he died in 1913.   They were never legally married,  in an affidavit filed after his death she stated that she could neither read or write and she thought he had divorced and they were married until someone read his papers she found after his death.

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, a collection of topical and family sketches

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, her people past and present, embracing a history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families

Armstrong County, Pennsylvania