Kevin Stiver and his grandfather, Ray, look over the draft of Kevin’s upcoming book, “Glen White, PA: The Town that was Forgotten in the Alleghenies” at Ray’s home in Altoona. Mirror photo by Nate Powles

History is often a subject that is safeguarded and researched by older generations and passed down through the years, especially when it comes to local history.

For Kevin Stiver, however, Blair County history has been a passion for most of his 14 years. He is particularly interested in the lost town of Glen White.

Glen White was a town within the current limits of Altoona. It stood roughly a mile from the Horseshoe Curve.

The town was built around and owned by the coal and coke company bearing the same name.

Its inhabitants were all employees of the company and worked in the mines and with the coke ovens.

The fruits of their labor were then shipped by train to Pittsburgh and Johnstown.

Kevin was first introduced to area history and Glen White by his grandfather, Ray Stiver. Ray said he was always interested in local history and was eager to share his knowledge and research with his grandson. He and Kevin take regular trips to where the town once stood.

“Local schools don’t teach a lot of local history anymore,” Ray said.

In an effort to educate people who might not know much about county history, Kevin started a Facebook page called Altoona Pennsylvania History in November 2020. As of this article, the page has more than 4,000 followers.

Over the years, Kevin has amassed a collection of historical objects, including postcards, newspaper clippings, photos and even rusty pots and various other items he found scouring the land where Glen White stood.

Whenever the Bellwood-Antis freshman makes a post related to Glen White, he said he gets a good amount of feedback and interaction through comments and messages.

As he continued to receive more information from people whose parents or other relatives lived in Glen White, Kevin decided to start working on a short book compiling the research and images he has garnered on the town. He started the process in August and plans to have the book published this spring.

Kevin said it wasn’t easy getting all the information, mostly because the majority of people who lived in the town have died. But he did have a few sources from whom he was able to gather enough stories to create a timeline of the town’s rise and fall.

“You just have to look for people,” Kevin said when asked how he tracked down some of his sources.

His grandfather agreed, saying it won’t be long until that entire generation is gone.

“Once these few people that are left are gone, you’re not going to be able to get any information,” Ray said.

Long gone

According to Ray and Kevin, Glen White had financial issues in the 1930s and ’40s. The company was unable to repay a loan in the ’40s and the land was repossessed, leading to the closing of the coal and coke company. There had also been issues with water pollution in the stream that led to the Altoona reservoir. What’s now the Altoona Water Authority ended up purchasing the land.

“People still lived there after the mine closed,” Ray said. They only moved when the city started tearing down buildings throughout the town.

According to Ray, the residents of Glen White had a difficult life. The entire town was owned by the company and the little money the workers earned was funneled back into the company through its stores.

“You basically owed your soul to the company,” Kevin said.

One of Kevin’s primary sources was Jim Snyder at the Blair County Genealogical Society. Snyder had done his own research of Glen White, so he had accumulated roughly 400 newspapers — the earliest of which date back to the 1870s — that he gave to Kevin.

Snyder said he was happy to see someone as young as Kevin be so invested in local history. He said it was “enormous” that someone his age is helping keep history alive.

“He seems to be a very energetic historian,” Snyder said.

Kevin said he would not be as far along with his book as he is without Snyder’s help. Snyder said he also runs a few history pages on Facebook, so it was a mutual interest that brought them together.

The genealogical society will be publishing and printing Kevin’s book when he finishes in the coming months. Ray said Kevin was initially thinking of only printing 100 books for the first batch, but with how much interest there has been since he announced the book on his Facebook page, Ray said he will likely need to print 200.

Still a student

Although local history is not well-known or taught in-depth in schools, Kevin has received encouragement and praise from some of his teachers.

According to Bellwood-Antis High School social studies teacher Matthew McNaul, Kevin is a bright, hardworking student who always contributes to class discussions.

“He can easily make connections with history when we’re talking about current events,” McNaul said.

McNaul said Kevin’s historical knowledge is impressive for anyone, let alone a ninth grade student. He said Kevin always pays attention to details and absorbs all the information he learns in class.

Kevin’s research and work has never been a distraction in class or school, according to McNaul. He is still an “awesome” student and puts plenty of time and effort into his work.

Kevin plans to continue researching Glen White after the publication of his book and hopes that it will encourage other young people to become interested in their local history and help preserve it. He said without any preservation efforts, there will be little to no trace of the coke ovens in Glen White, as they have already started to degrade. Ray said he hopes to speak to the city to try and make the area more accessible to visitors since it’s a big part of local history.

“Local history isn’t being preserved well,” Kevin said.

Mirror Staff Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.