Potter County Today

Coudersport has been named the 2025 Heritage Community of the Year by the Pa. Route 6 Alliance, based on a series of events and activities taking place under its Heritage Community Work Plan to make the town more vibrant. These range from downtown revitalization activities by a re-energized Chamber of Commerce, to festivals organized by volunteer organizations and charitable activities to support cancer patients and underprivileged citizens. “Coudersport is undertaking meaningful projects that show what we can achieve together,” said Candace Hillyard, executive director of the Pa. Route 6 Alliance. More information about the organization and the awards program can be found at paroute6.com. Shown from left during the presentation ceremony are Jill Grosch, representing Rep. Martin Causer; Tamara Bleggi, representing Sen. Cris Dush; Will Hunt, Potter County planning/community development director and Pa. Rt. 6 Alliance board secretary; Nancy Grupp, chair, Potter County Commissioners; Chamber of Commerce officers Shelley Butler and Caroline Powers; Danielle Stilson, Chamber member and Pa. Rt. 6 Alliance representative; and Pa. Rt. 6 Alliance representatives Dan Glotz, board chair, and Candace Hillyard, executive director.

A study has been launched to explore possible development sites in Potter, Cameron and Clearfield counties. Officials are creating an inventory of properties that were once used for industry or business but are now sitting empty or underused. Members of the project team will discuss details during a meeting of the Potter County Board of Commissioners, to be held at 11 am on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the F.W. Gunzburger County Office Building. The public is welcome.

Findings from the study will help to identify priority sites and recommendations for a Brownfields Coalition Assessment Project being administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Cameron County has been spearheading the regional project with partners coming aboard from all three of the designated counties. Consulting firms Montrose Environmental and Atlas Community Studios are heading the market study.

Austin Borough has been designated as a priority, due in part to the abandoned paper mill on borough-owned property north of town and sites on Main Street. Those details will be discussed, and public input solicited, during the Revitalize Potter County community engagement meeting on Oct. 8, tentatively scheduled for 6 pm at Austin Area School.

Each of the three counties has a dedicated engagement page on the project website, with four input opportunities:

• Interactive Mapping: Users can drop “markers” on the map to share ideas for developing underused or empty places.
• Survey: Respondents can share their perspectives on local challenges, needs, and priorities.
• Priority Voting: Citizens will help the planners to understand what reuse ideas matter most.
• Idea Wall: Users can share ideas about what businesses or attractions they want to see and vote on others.

To access the Potter County engagement page, click here:

https://involve.atlascostudios.com/market-study/potter

The Potter County Commissioners have approved a $10,000 grant to Crary Hose Company of Westfield to support a regional live-burn training center for volunteer firefighters. The money will come from the county’s Pa. Act 13 repository. Those funds are generated from a state “impact fee” on shale gas production. Portions of the revenue are allotted to counties, townships and boroughs. Local fire departments had encouraged the commissioners to support the center, which is being created on an eight-acre parcel which was previously used for a leather tannery. Shown during the check presentation ceremony, from left, are Mike Raber from Tri-Town Volunteer Fire Company of Ulysses, Commissioner Nancy Grupp, Crary Hose Fire Chief William Goltz, Commissioner Robert Rossman, Crary Hose Vice President Todd Streeter and Commissioner Paul Heimel.

More activities have fallen into place as Potter County continues an extended “America250” celebration, marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Spearheading activities are Potter County Historical Society (PCHS), represented by David Castano; and Allegewi Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, represented by Ilene Altenhein. Commissioner Paul Heimel is county liaison with the America250PA organization. Those interested in becoming involved should contact PCHS (814-274-4410) or DAR/Allegewi Chapter (814-274-9798). Colin Sheffer, projects and programming coordinator for America250PA, will be in Potter County on Tuesday, July 29, to discuss the many local activities that have been developed as part of this historic occasion, as detailed below:

• DAR/Allegewi Chapter members began the observance by placing displays in the PCHS Museum and the Eliot Ness Museum and placing wreaths at the sites of the 11 Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Potter County, and at the foot of the David Zeisberger monument at the courthouse square. Wreaths will remain in place through July 2026. DAR also hosted a memorial service at American Legion Post 192 pavilion and the Lymansville Cemetery in honor of the Revolutionary War soldiers.  A wreath was laid at the grave of soldier Roger Edgecomb. DAR activities will culminate with a rededication of the David Zeisberger monument and other activities at the courthouse square at 11 am on July 3, 2026.
• Bells Across Pennsylvania: To commemorate the Liberty Bell and spotlight its significance, PCHS will provide funding and materials for students at each of the six public school districts in Potter County to fashion bells with localized history themes. Art teachers at each school are being asked to coordinate the projects. The six bills are currently being crafted at The Carpenter’s Shop in Ulysses by Calvin Horning. They are 3’ by 3’ manufactured from native hardwoods. Each bell, as flat silhouettes, will be distributed by September 2025 to each school district along with a $200 stipend for each district for supplies. Bells will initially be displayed for public viewing at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum prior to being placed at each school.
• Liberty Tree Dedication: During the Revolutionary War, the Sons of Liberty often convened under the nation’s original Liberty Tree in Boston, to discuss their opposition to British rule in the colonies. This historic tree became a beacon of hope to colonists and a symbol of American freedom. Seedlings from an original Liberty Tree are being planted across the commonwealth. Goal is to have a certified Liberty Tree planted in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. PCHS, local Freemasons, Pa. Bureau of Forestry and the Potter County Conservation District will dedicate Potter County’s Liberty Tree at Denton Hill State Park at 1 pm on Saturday, Sept. 6. Local musicians will perform. PCHS will sponsor a reception at the lodge following the ceremony.
• Nurturing Our Next Generation: Goal is to help students in grades 4-8 to learn and practice the civic leadership and skills that will help them develop into responsible, ethical citizens. PCHS will provide guides with localized content for each school district to use during the 2025-26 school year. Pennsylvania Lumber Museum staffers Jennifer Haines and Josh Fox will host field trips customized to include content relevant to the boroughs and townships in each school district. Thirty guides featuring Potter County history will be distributed to each school district for classroom use.
• ‘Pa. Proud’ Service Member Spotlight: DAR, PCHS and local veterans service organizations are working on localized “spotlights” to memorialize selected Revolutionary War and Civil War veterans. A series of articles will be provided to the local media. Focus will be on the Revolutionary War soldiers connected to Potter County, prepared by DAR; and Civil War soldiers, provided by Ed Worman, Civil War historian for PCHS. The latter will focus particularly on those who were held as prisoners at Andersonville, Ga., Richmond, Va., and Salisbury, N.C. Spotlights will culminate with Memorial Day observances in 2026.
• Road to Pennsylvania: America250PA is promoting walking, running, biking or wheeling through races, organized walks/hikes or other events. In partnership with the DCNR and county partners, America250PA will also highlight and encourage visitation to state parks, county parks and local historic points of interests. Locally, PCHS is identifying trails with historical connections to railroading within Lyman Run, Denton Hill, Ole Bull and Sinnemahoning state parks. A hiking guide/brochure will be produced with local railroad photographs. Plans could expand to include scholastic cross-country teams, hiking clubs, running clubs and other potential partners.
• Americana Quilt Classes/American Legion Benefit: Oswayo Valley Senior Center is supporting America250 with quilting classes. Attendees can learn to design an Americana quilt and donate it to local American Legion posts. Classes, open to all ages, will be held from 2-4 pm on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month starting in September. All materials will be provided.
• Dedication of new Asylum Peters marker at Ayers Hill Cemetery, properly identifying him as an early pioneer settler in Potter County (1808). Still in its formative stages, this ambitious project by PCHS represents the spirit of the founding of America, the inherent contradiction of white supremacy and slavery in a nation dedicated to freedom and liberty, and related themes embodied by the life history of a Potter County pioneer. PCHS is purchasing a new marker and reaching out to partners to ensure a fitting memorial to Asylum Peters. Dedication ceremony is at 1 pm Saturday, Oct. 11, at Ayers Hill Cemetery. Music will be provided by vocalists rendering Antebellum period spiritual selections.
• America250 Apron Contest: Potter County Fair Board is holding a patriotic apron contest in conjunction with the 2025 fair, in conjunction with the Pa. State Assn. of County Fairs. Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners.
• American250 Parade: Organizers are planning a Potter County America250 Parade on July 3, 2026. Details will be announced. DAR/Allegewi Chapter and the Coudersport Rotary Club are working on the arrangements.
• Township/Borough Engagement: Summit, Harrison and Stewardship townships are the first Potter County municipalities to sign up through America250PA. For more information on how to sign up, township and boroughs can visit the website, america250pa.org or send email to info@america250pa.org.