Armstrong County’s history reflects the individuals who shaped western Pennsylvania. Below are selected highlights representing the people who define our shared heritage.
Faces of Armstrong County
The individuals who shaped Armstrong County’s political, cultural, and industrial legacy.
Captain Jacobs
c.1720- September 8, 1756
Tewea, known by his English name Captain Jacobs (died September 8, 1756), was a Lenape chief who allied with French forces during the French and Indian War, leading warriors in raids against British colonial settlements along Pennsylvania's frontiers.
His village at Kittanning served as a base for such operations, including the destructive 1756 attack on Fort Granville, where defenders were killed or captured and structures burned after gunpowder stores ignited.
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John B. Ford
1811-1903​
John B. Ford was an American industrialist and co-founder of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (PPG), which established its Ford City Works plant in 1887. Under his leadership, the company became one of the largest and most productive plate glass manufacturers in the world.Ford’s vision transformed a small riverside community along the Allegheny River into the thriving company town of Ford City.
At its peak, the plant employed thousands of workers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, shaping the economic, cultural, and industrial landscape of Armstrong County for more than a century.His legacy endures through the community that bears his name and the lasting impact of the glass industry in western Pennsylvania.
Nellie Bly
1864-1922
Born Elizabeth Cochran in 1864 in what is now Armstrong County, Nellie Bly became one of America’s most influential investigative journalists. Writing under her pen name, she exposed corruption, fought for women’s rights, and gained international fame for her daring undercover reporting, including her groundbreaking investigation of conditions inside a mental asylum.
Bly later circled the globe in 72 days, turning journalism into adventure and proving that determination and courage could redefine a woman’s role in society.
William Freame Johnston
1808-1872
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​11th Governor of Pennsylvania
William Freame Johnston’s career was deeply connected to Armstrong County. In 1829, at age twenty-one, he became District Attorney of Armstrong County, beginning his public service in Kittanning.
He rose through the Pennsylvania General Assembly and State Senate before assuming the governorship in 1848. During his administration, Johnston initiated the preservation of Pennsylvania’s colonial records—an effort that protected invaluable documents now preserved within the Pennsylvania State Archives.
After leaving office, Johnston returned to Kittanning, where he invested in iron manufacturing, salt production, early petroleum refining, and served as President of the Allegheny Valley Railroad, strengthening Armstrong County’s industrial growth.
Civil War–era correspondence written from Kittanning reflects his support for Union preservation and the Emancipation Proclamation. Johnston’s legacy connects Armstrong County to both Pennsylvania’s political leadership and its industrial development