Those Who Came Before – The Archaeology of Centre County’s Native Americans, explored the rich history of the people who lived in Central Pennsylvania for thousands of years before Euro Americans arrived. This exhibit was presented in 2011 by the Centre County Historical Society, the Bald Eagle Archaeological Society, and the Matson Museum of Anthropology […]
Documenting the Role of Women in Local History – The Her Stories project began in 2000 when the State College Branch of AAUW provided funding for research to learn more about the role of women in the development of Centre County.
DATE: November 29, 2021 The Board of Governors of the Centre County Historical Society has recently elected Roger L. Williams of State College as president and Robert B. Hazelton of Port Matilda as vice president. Williams has served on the CCHS Board since 2017, chairing the membership committee and serving on the development committee. Professionally, […]
State College, PA – The Centre County Historical Society has launched the Centre County Encyclopedia of History & Culture (centrehistory.org/encyclopedia). The online encyclopedia provides an authoritative look at the county’s past. The more than 100 initial entries present the county’s history and culture, in all its variety, through topics and themes. The encyclopedia is an […]
Objects like samplers and fraktur often hold important historical context and family history. Examples in the exhibition are from Centre County, and more broadly Central PA for the most part.
Early Housing The Victorian Age Early Twentieth Century Architecture Bibliography View the PDF Centre County was, for the first half century or so of its history, cut off from more populated areas of Pennsylvania by the “Endless Mountains,” the long folded Appalachians that can be seen from nearly every point in the County. Because this […]
Centre County’s iron industry began with the building of Centre Furnace in 1791 – only the second charcoal iron furnace in the area known as the Juniata Iron Region. The region had been scouted for its raw materials potential, and entrepreneurs found everything they needed in central Pennsylvania. They came looking for the success and […]
In 2001, Elizabeth Cannon of State College donated her collection of 844 picture postcards to the Centre County Historical Society, dating from 1900 to 1965, from all the towns and villages of Centre County. CCHS archives volunteer, Monty Christiansen, spent nearly three years cataloging this collection uncovering fascinating county history disclosed on both sides of […]
Congratulations Schlow Library for 60 years of continued service to the State College community. This is a compilation of photos of downtown State College in the 1950s-60s.
Congratulations to the 2020 recipients of the John H. Ziegler Historic Preservation Awards of the Centre County Historical Society! Since 1988, through the John H. Ziegler Annual Historic Preservation Awards, CCHS honors members and organizations who have contributed in some way to the preservation of Centre County History. Learn more!