Pennsylvania: Preserving Local History
Noted historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Arthur M. Schlesinger once observed, “A nation denied a conception of its past will be disabled in dealing with its present and future.” In Armstrong County, the Kit-Han-Ne Questers are helping make sure that history is not lost.
One of the chapter’s newest preservation efforts is the microfilming of paper volumes of the Leader Times from the 1930s. Stored in the newspaper’s basement archives on North Grant Street, the fragile newspapers are vulnerable to yellowing, brittleness and even vandalism. With only one copy of many issues in existence, preserving their information has become especially important.
Working with Connie Mateer, librarian of the Mildred Lankerd-Thomas Genealogical Library, and Superior Rekord Images, Inc., of New Kensington, the Questers are helping transfer the newspapers to microfilm, creating a more secure and accessible record of Armstrong County’s past.
The project was part of a much larger preservation legacy for Kit-Han-Ne Chapter #408. Founded in 1969.
The chapter previously helped preserve local newspapers, funding the copying of microfilmed issues of the Armstrong Democrat and Farmers and Mechanics Advertiser. In 2003, the Questers purchased a microfilm reader for the genealogical library. Today, the library holds newspapers on film dating from 1872 to 1914.
Other projects have included assistance with the McKean House, home of the Armstrong County Historical Museum and Genealogical Society. Questers helped fund repairs to its front porch roof, revealing a beautiful fan-shaped beveled-glass window, and helped repair a stained-glass window.
The chapter also played an important role in preserving the Old Stone Tavern in Worthington, a former stagecoach stop and Underground Railroad station. Members supplied period furnishings, dressed in period clothing and conducted tours from 1975 to 1985. The chapter also helped secure the building’s designation as a Pennsylvania Historical Landmark.
Even more recently, the Questers preserved a piece of Kittanning’s cinematic history. When the town became a filming location for The Mothman Prophecies in 2001, chapter members collected and framed photographs from the production along with three original set-design blueprints. The collection remains on display at Theresa’s Family Restaurant on Market Street.
Funding these projects has always been central to the chapter’s mission. Proceeds from fund-raisers, along with Pennsylvania and International Questers grants, have supported projects such as the replacement of balcony seats at The Casino Theater in Vandergrift.
The chapter’s name itself reflects the history it works to preserve. Long before European settlement, a Delaware Indian village called Kit-Han-Ne stood where Kittanning is today. The village was destroyed in 1756 by Col. John Armstrong during the French and Indian War. Armstrong later gave his name to the county, while Kittanning derives its name from the earlier Kit-Han-Ne.
For more than half a century, the Kit-Han-Ne Questers have honored that layered history by preserving newspapers, buildings, artifacts and memories. Their latest project ensures that the stories recorded in yesterday’s fragile newsprint can continue to inform generations to come.
