No history of Bedford County would be complete without mentioning two men who, while not engaging in archaeology professionally, made many discoveries of importance in Bedford County. 'Major' Simon M. Lutz (with Albert S. Ritchey) was a driving force behind the starting of an historical society in 1937.30 Simon was born on 22 October 1872 and lived in Bedford County until his death on 12 July 1956. He was instrumental in the project to erect a monument to Queen Aliquippa.
Rollen Duffy is the other individual who was an avid hunter of evidence of the Amerindian presence in Bedford County. R. F. Duffy (or Sunny as he was known in later years) found approximately 8,000 items. Over half of the items were arrowheads and about one thousand of the remainder were bone artifacts. R.F.'s prize possession was a bone fish hook. R. F. began to hunt for Amerindian artifacts in 1932. He was walking in the woods near his home and found an arrowhead. Duffy initially maintained his collection at his home. He then, in May 1952, pulled his collection out of storage and established the Algonkin Gap Museum on the summit of Rays Hill mountain. It was established in Bill's Place, a restaurant and remained there from 1953 to 1957. The museum was later moved to Pensil Hollow. Rollen's son, James Duffy began construction of a building to house the museum in 1957. In the summer of that year, the museum was opened. In 1958 an extension was built to house a gift shop. In 1965 an addition of a second floor to the building provided a place for R. F. and his wife to live. The museum was closed in 1979 due to R. F.'s failing health.
Included in the Duffy collection were the bones of nine Amerindians. Research suggested that the skeletons were of all one family. Iroquois weapons unearthed with the skeletons suggested that the nine individuals might have been murdered by the rival tribe.
In 1946, Rollen's son, John, joined him in hunting artifacts. By that time, R. F. Duffy was having difficulty in digging because of arthritis in his hands. With John's help, they located over 5,000 'good Indian relics'and about 15,000 pottery sherds or fragments, bones etc.
After quitting archaeology, 'Sunny' Duffy took up painting. He concentrated mainly on wildlife subjects.
The John E. Duffy Collection of Indian Artifacts was donated in 2016 to the Bedford County Historical Society, and it remains on exhibit at the Historical Society to the present day. The exhibit was curated and set up by Larry D. Smith and Kim Pepple.
