Help Bring History Back To Armstrong County

The Armstrong County Historical Museum & Genealogical Society is looking for donors to help preserve an important piece of Armstrong County History. Their organization recently acquired the bell that hung in the clock/bell tower above James McCullough Jr. Hardware from 1906 to 1948 on Market Street, in downtown Kittanning, PA.

This bell was cast at America's oldest bell foundry, McShane Bell Foundry, in Baltimore 1906 and rang high over the streets of Kittanning until 1948 when the tower that housed it was deemed no longer safe. It was privately acquired by Art Campbell and then auctioned off in 2006, leaving the local area. Fortunately, the bell was featured in a recent episode of American Pickers on the History Channel, where Mike Wolfe and his brother Robbie came across it during a pick in Ohio. After seeing the episode, the museum was able to successfully negotiate the return of this important local artifact. You can see the bell's appearance beginning around the 4:26 mark of Season 22, Episode 14, titled "Picking Nirvana". Mr. McCullough was a very successful business man in Kittanning and his hardware store later became the G.C. Murphy Co.

Your donation will go directly towards acquisition costs of the bell, as well as the cost to erect a proper stand for display in the Museum yard, where it can be enjoyed and appreciated by the local community.

Thank you for your consideration.