To be a good ironmaster, you have to plan ahead. You need to know how much of all the raw ingredients you need to make good charcoal iron. You need to know how much iron you can safely transport to market. You need to know what your expenses might be before you know how much […]
This timeline incorporates various notable Centre Furnace, Centre County, national events to provide context. Period of Log Structure 1775—1783 Revolutionary War 1779 First schoolhouse in Centre County/Aaronsburg 1789—1797 George Washington, US President 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 […]
Pennsylvania’s important role in the Civil War cannot be denied. Over 360,000 soldiers, including 8,600 African Americans, fought for the preservation of the Union while valuable resources such as iron, steel, and agricultural products helped to sustain the effort. Those along the southernmost part of the Commonwealth had a direct view of war through battles, […]
An Alphabetical Look at Places and Spaces around Centre County A Aaronsburg (Haines) — Philadelphia land speculator Aaron Levy laid out the village of Aaronsburg in 1786. It was the earliest town in what would become Centre County, along its earliest road. Aaronsburg’s location near the geographic center of Pennsylvania probably prompted Levy to propose […]
By Douglas Macneal Located in the center of Pennsylvania, Centre County lies on a striking landscape overlaid with history. Rock and water shape the surface. The County is divided diagonally almost equally into two parts, bisected by the Allegheny Front: The northwestern half, the Allegheny Plateau, is a forested high plateau divided by deep valleys […]
Prepared by the Centre County Historical Society 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. […]
As high rises and other modern structures continue to replace or dominate historic buildings and districts in our area, what is left are memories and a few photos of early streetscapes that people have wisely documented or captured over the years. We owe thanks to Helen Breon Volz (1937-2015) for writing her memories of living […]
The Centre Furnace Mansion Kitchen Garden has been a favorite garden feature of the Mansion’s grounds. The garden’s hardscaping has been in need of repair and improvement. This need is now urgent after necessary damage to the garden occurred as a result of the first phase of the Mansion’s restoration work. Estimated at $10,000, our […]
Early photographs from the 1880s and 1890s show a garden in front of the Mansion, located near the steps that led guests from the circular driveway to the front staircase. It had become overgrown with, among many things, Lilies of the Valley and a menacing rosebush when Centre Furance Mansion gardener Margery Johnstone and her […]
A gift for the purchase and planting of approximately three dozen period lilacs was given to the Centre County Historical Society in 2005 to honor Laura Bower with her favorite flower. This rich collection, given in her memory by her son, Jeffrey M. Bower, has been named Laura’s Lilac Bower. Lilac varieties have been chosen […]