Jack Maguire

Saltsburg, Pennsylvania is a small town with a history as rich as any in the Alle-Kiski Valley. In Saltsburg there are a few people who have made it their business to make others more aware of their local history, and to take pride in their community. Jack Maguire is one of those people. A life-long resident, Jack has taken a very active role in the Saltsburg community, and in the preservation of its history. In the early 1970s, the borough purchased the railroad right-of-way that ran through the town, over the strip where the canal had once existed. Rather than sell the land bit by bit to the adjacent property owners, Jack, among others, decided to make it into a local park.

Canal Park, now complete, is managed by none other by Jack himself. What the park is today is the fruit of nearly 30 years of labor. But to get it there was not easy. As the chairman of the project, one of Jack's initial tasks was to find funding for the park's construction. At about that time, the first canal days (now a well-attended annual event) was held. Local businesses and organizations helped to raise funds during that event. Major funding for the project was so difficult to come by, however, that the first stage of the project was done entirely by volunteer labor.

It got finished, though, and thanks to the labors of Jack and those who worked with him, Canal Park now stands as a great example of the devotion of that community. After serving in borough council for three and a half years, followed by two years as the first borough manager, Jack is still working hard for the town as the manager of Canal Park.

He has, indeed, a track record of working hard. Since obtaining his degree in civil engineering (during and following a 30-year career with PennDOT), Jack has used his knowledge to help in several local construction projects, including Canal Park itself and the additions to the Saltsburg Museum, another icon of Saltsburg history in which Jack has played an active role. He is currently working as a member of the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy to complete a local section of the West Penn Trail that will connect the trail to Saltsburg.

Jack feels that his fascination with Saltsburg's history is rooted in the fact that so much of his family's history is found in and around Saltsburg. On his mother's side, in fact, he is a fifth-generation native of the town. That fascination has also formed a dedication to the town's history and to the town itself which is made evident by all that he has helped to bring about in the community.