While the Alle-Kiski Valley is rich with Civil War connections, Apollo stands out given the high percentage of men from the area who fought in the war, according to local historian Ray Rusz.
Rusz, of North Apollo, was among a group of area residents who recently provided Pittsburgh-area Civil War buffs a tour of the town and presentations on the town’s connections to the war.
A total of 107 Civil War soldiers are buried in the Apollo and Riverview cemeteries, including Gen. Samuel Jackson, whose contributions to the war and his hometown loom large, Rusz said.
Additionally, there are 55 Civil War soldiers buried in nearby Spring Church in Kiski Township.
Only a portion of those Civil War veterans died in the war. Most went on to live in the area following their military service, Rusz said.
“What makes this so interesting is that the population of Apollo in 1860 was 449,” he said.
The population of the surrounding area was about 2,000, Rusz said, adding, “Roughly about half of the population of Apollo and a quarter of residents from surrounding areas voluntarily served in the Civil War.”
Rusz and others have worked to preserve the stories of the men who served.
The youngest Civil War soldier from the Apollo area was only 15 years old, Rusz said.
“Sylvester Hildebrand climbed out of his bedroom window from the second floor at night to join the soldiers and fudged his age,” he said.
Hildebrand returned home safely and raised a family.
Jackson is the town’s most towering figure who served in the Civil War. He has two mausoleums — a newer one replaced the original mausoleum which was built along a dirt road that eventually closed.
Jackson’s stately mansion still graces Terrace Avenue and was recently bought by one of his descendants. The Pittsburgh group toured the mansion and heard stories about the general. Retired Army Captain Robert E. Jackson, a descendent of Gen. Jackson, provided the visiting Pittsburgh group with the tour of the Jackson mansion, which he now owns.
Gen. Jackson was a strong leader who rose to the rank of colonel during the Civil War and was placed in charge of the reserves, Rusz said. He led soldiers into battle for seminal clashes at Gettysburg and Antietam in Maryland.
“After the war, the general was instrumental in making Apollo,” Rusz said.
He founded the Apollo Trust Bank company and helped start Apollo Steel, Rusz said. Even with numerous accomplishments, Jackson was known as a humble man.
Jackson also was the grandfather of the actor Jimmy Stewart, who grew up in nearby Indiana County. A proclamation by former Apollo Mayor Debra L. Kerr in the early 1980s made Stewart an honorary citizen of the borough.