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A Bellwood-Antis freshman is in the midst of becoming a published author.

Kevin Stiver is writing a book called Glen White, PA: The Town that was Forgotten in the Alleghenies, which is about a forgotten town near the Horseshoe Curve, outside of Altoona. 

His book will be published by the Blair County Geneology Society.

Glen White is located approximately two miles beyond the Horseshoe Curve, and was a mining town that had a long history in the coke and coal industry. When the town was flourishing, it had a population of about two hundred fifty people.

Kevin was inspired by his grandfather and his own curiosity to dig deeper into the history of this town and write this book. 

“When first traveling on the road and seeing the remains of the coke ovens, a structure used for making a steel mill product, my pap encouraged me to do more research,” he said.

He aims for this book to reach younger generations to “let them know that this town was there, before it is forgotten forever.”

Throughout his writing process, Kevin has investigated, researched, and even restarted his book a couple of times. His favorite aspect has been going to the town of Glen White in person and speaking to a town native: 92-year-old, Leno Degol. 

“[Leno] had lots of stories to tell, and provided a map that he had drawn which was helpful in this process of making the book,” Kevin recalled. 

He is currently in the phase of reading through archives and transferring that information into the book, along with inserting pictures. 

Kevin urges readers to learn about and remember the town above the Horseshoe Curve.

“…the road above the Horseshoe Curve once was a booming operation of coke and coal,” Kevin said, and stresses that there is an “important history that this place had for this county and country.”