Centre County Historical Society

02/28/2025

Here we go! The strong little snowdrops kick off the garden blooms each year in late winter.

02/26/2025

The Penn State Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery is home to a vast collection of earth materials, scientific instruments, and industrial artwork that highlights the history of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and Pennsylvania’s extractive industries. Exhibits include school-spirited blue and white minerals, historic mining lamps, a geologic relief map of Pennsylvania, and the personal laboratory equipment of Evan Pugh, Penn State’s first president.

The collections that form the basis of the museum were established in 1859 when the Pennsylvania legislature donated a quarter of the state’s mineralogical and geological collection to Penn State, then the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania. The collection had been assembled by Henry Darwin Parker during the first and second Pennsylvania Geological Surveys that mapped the geological make-up of the region, conducted from 1836-1858 and 1874-1895.

After seventy-five years in the Steidle Building, the museum and gallery were relocated in 2004, to its current location, the Deike Building, also home to the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. In April 2024, the museum unveiled renovated space with a brighter, more welcoming environment.

Read more about the Penn State Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery via the Centre County Encyclopedia of History and Culture at https://centrehistory.org/article/earth-mineral-sciences-museum.

02/24/2025

02/20/2025

We're at Penn State Founder's Day at the HUB today ☺️🎈

02/20/2025

From Linn's History of Centre and Clinton Counties: At February sessions of 1790 of the Quarter Sessions of Northumberland County, Abraham Piatt presented a petition, whereon the court decreed, as recited, "with the consent of the inhabitants of that part of Potter township remaining in Northumberland County," that the name of Potter theretofore given the division remaining in Northumberland County should be abolished, and ordered that hereafter it shall be known by the name of Hanes. This was a compliment to Reuben Haines (brewer), of Philadelphia, who owned large bodies of land in the township.

View this map in detail at tinyurl.com/282udk5e

02/19/2025

Hugh Jesse Arnelle was a two-sport star at Penn State, a distinguished corporate lawyer, and the first Black trustee of the university.

In 1954, Arnelle was elected Penn State’s first Black student body president, drawing nearly 75 percent of the vote, and he worked to promote racial justice on campus. After graduating in 1955 with a degree in political science, he was selected in the tenth round of the National Football League draft by the Los Angeles Rams. He chose to pursue basketball professionally instead.

In a speech titled “I Love This Penn State – But Freedom Is Dearer to Me,” Arnelle said the university “must become a principal player on the field of social and educational change” by recruiting more Black students, faculty, and staff.

Arnelle joined Penn State’s Board of Trustees as its first Black member, and in 1996 he was elected the first Black chair of the board. He served on the board for 45 years, becoming a trustee emeritus in 2014. Arnelle received Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. He died in 2020 at the age of 86.

Read more via the Centre County Encyclopedia of History and Culture at https://centrehistory.org/article/jesse-arnelle/

02/18/2025

From CCHS Mansion Notes - January 1985

Restoration/renovation of the Mansion’s ground level is progressing rapidly with heating, plumbing, and electrical systems now in. The walls are receiving a coat of plaster, trim is being patched - or matched when necessary, and wide plank flooring will be installed shortly.

The grand opening ceremonies for the Hearth Meeting Room, the Centre Furnace Mansion’s original kitchen, will be held in March.

02/16/2025

The first classes at Penn State were held on February 16, 1859. The 69 students enrolled in the course of studies were preparing for careers in agricultural sciences. The students graduated in 1861.

"Penn State's First Students"
Their clothes perchance no tailor made.
Nor barber cut their hair,
Nor were their hands so soft and white,
Nor faces lily fair.

But in those days so long gone by,
Your grandfather and mine
Were lads with aspirations high,
Keen minds, and manners fine.

Their hands were rough with honest toil,
Nor did they shrink from work,
They won their living from the soil,
No duty did they shirk.

Those boys of seventy years ago
Were much like boys today,
Some good, some bad, some fast, some slow,
And some who loved to play.

From "Poems" by Susan L. Harlacher of Half Moon Valley
CCHS 2018.06.01

02/14/2025

Can you list all of the townships in Centre County today? Did you know that when Centre County was formed in 1800 it also included the townships of Bald Eagle and Lamar? These areas were part of Centre County until the boundary changes in 1819.

From Linn's History of Centre and Clinton Counties:
"The western and northern boundaries, being Moshannon Creek and the river down to Quinn's Run the boundary runs south to the mouth of Fishing Creek, and thence southeasterly along the old Lamar township line to the corner of Miles township, which, judging from the present maps, was somewhat
"A change in the northern boundary resulted from an act passed March 27, 1819, providing that from and after the 1st of May next all that part of the township of Bald Eagle beginning at the river opposite the mouth of Quinn's Run; thence along the division line of the counties of Centre and Lycoming one mile..."

View this map 1816 Whiteside map athttps://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-534WhitesideMaps/r017_0534_0000_3352_CentreCounty.pdf

02/14/2025

Born February 14, 1841, Elizabeth McFarlane Thompson was about 1 year old when her parents Moses and Mary Thompson moved into the ironmaster's house at Centre Furnace. Elizabeth was married on October 27, 1875 to John Hamilton, a Civil War veteran who was heavily involved in the Agricultural College (now Penn State). Their farm, the Highlands, was in the area of State College that is now named for the Hamilton farm. Their home still stands at 229 Locust Lane, however it was heavily remodeled in the 1920s.

Thanks to research being done by Bill Blair, we will have more about Elizabeth and John to share later this year :) Stay tuned!

Photo: Elizabeth with daughter Anne.
CCHS Thompson and Related Family Collection 2017.19.01

02/13/2025

Centre County was created on February 13, 1800, from parts of Huntingdon, Lycoming, Mifflin, and Northumberland counties.
1790—1791 Samuel Miles and John Patton acquired fifty-three land warrants covering over 16,000 acres to begin the Centre Furnace charcoal iron operation.
1791 Colonels Samuel Miles and John Patton built Centre Furnace and we believe the first home, likely a two story log home, on the site. Patton was the resident iron master and Miles lived in Philadelphia.
1792 Centre Furnace put into blast, first charcoal ironmaking operation in what is now Centre County
1799 Centre Furnace Post Office starts
1800 Centre County is established and named after Centre Furnace

02/13/2025

BELLEFONTE — Centre County is marking a monumental milestone today, celebrating its 225th anniversary. Formed on Feb. 13, 1800, by Act 2092 of the Pennsylvania legislature from parts of Huntingdon, Lycoming, Mifflin and Northumberland Counties, the region has evolved from a frontier settlement to ...

02/12/2025

02/12/2025

Butter and egg sales don't stop even when the roads are covered in snow! 1908 photo captioned "Uncle Jim Patton and outfit." Port Matilda, Worth Township.

02/10/2025

High school driver's education in America traces its origins to Pennsylvania, where the State College Area School District pioneered the first formal program in 1935. Spearheaded by Penn State industrial engineering professor Amos E. Neyhart, the course combined classroom instruction with hands-on driving practice. Neyhart, motivated by concerns over reckless driving—particularly after a drunk driver struck his parked car—believed that traffic accidents stemmed from inadequate driver training. Determined to improve road safety, he personally taught students at State College Area High School using his own 1929 Graham-Paige vehicle, laying the foundation for structured driver education nationwide. To ensure safety during lessons, dual-control cars were introduced, allowing instructors to intervene if students lost control; one such vehicle (pictured here), co-sponsored by the American Automobile Association and Pontiac, provided added security for novice drivers.

02/06/2025

CCHS 2025 Membership renewal letters were mailed in early January. Don't forget to send back your membership remittance envelope!
Membership starts at just $35 for individuals and $50 for families. In return, you’ll receive our quarterly publication Mansion Notes; a 10% discount on CCHS publications; advance notice of programs and news by email; and discounts on special event admission fees.
OR
Increase your impact by becoming a Sustaining Member (which includes your entire household) through an ongoing monthly contribution of $25 per month.

We need you as a member to help us move forward. With your support, we can keep Centre County’s history alive, relevant, inclusive, and accessible to the entire community.
For full details or to renew online visit https://centrehistory.org/join-support/become-a-member.

02/04/2025

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions on the last post. I have another one that I need your help with!
This is a 1949 aerial of Bellefonte, I marked the location of the current high school and Bishop Street. This would be between today's Hughes and Hamilton Streets. The Bellefonte Academy pool (which closed in 1945) was the narrow light colored strip between the portion I'm curious about and Bishop St.
The area in question is highlighted in yellow, which had been the Bellefonte Academy athletic fields. What was it being used for at this period in time (1949)? By 1957 that area was developed into much of what it looks like today.

02/01/2025

Save the Date!
The 30th annual Plant Celebration and Garden Sale will be held on Saturday, May 17 at the Centre Furnace Mansion!

Past vendors, I'll be in touch soon!
If you are interested in being a vendor or for more information, please reach out to [email protected].

https://centrehistory.org/events/plant-celebration/