Nellie Bly, whose real name was Elizabeth Cochran, was born in Cochran's Mills but grew up in Apollo, PA. She lived in her father's home in Apollo from the age of 5 until she left to attend Indiana Normal School (now Indiana University of PA) at the age of 15. That house still stands on Terrace Ave. in Apollo.
The world watched as Nellie Bly traveled around the world in 72 days, breaking the current world record. As a reporter for the New York World, she became one of the world's first investigative reporters, posing as a mental patient and reporting on the state of Mental Hospitals. Great reforms in the treatment of the mentally ill resulted from her courageous efforts.
In July of 1995, a historical marker was placed and dedicated in front of the house on Terrace Avenue. There is also a modest display inside the Apollo Historical Museum at the W.C.T.U. Building on 2nd Street in Apollo.
