Welcome to the Centre County Encyclopedia of History & Culture, an online resource sponsored by the Centre County Historical Society.
With summer underway, we are featuring articles about Agriculture and the Grange Encampment & Fair. The county’s agricultural history is geographically bifurcated, with the Allegheny Front dividing the fertile Ridge and Valley region from the agriculturally less well-endowed Allegheny Plateau. Generations of county families have been attending the Grange Fair in Centre Hall, many camping in the iconic canvas tents.
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The county’s agricultural history is geographically bifurcated. The Allegheny Front divides the fertile Ridge and Valley region from the agriculturally less well-endowed Allegheny Plateau. On the plateau, diversified small-scale farming and industrial work intermingled, while in the valleys, there was a more agricultural economy.
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The Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, known popularly as the Grange Fair, is a nine-day tenting fair held each summer at Grange Park in Centre Hall. It is the last remaining tenting fair held in the U.S. Generations of local families have been attending the fair, many camping in the iconic canvas tents.
Learn More>>The Boalsburg Heritage Museum preserves the history of the Centre County village known for the Boal Mansion, Pennsylvania Military Museum, and Memorial Day celebration. The museum is in the Boalsburg historic district that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Learn More>>Limestone has played an essential role in Centre County’s economic history. Widely used for both industrial and agricultural purposes, limestone has been mined in the county for more than 200 years.
Learn More>>Millheim is a historic Centre County community that for more than 150 years was the industrial center of Penns Valley. Its history has been shaped by Elk Creek, which provided power to the mills that gave the borough its name.
Learn More>>University Baptist & Brethren Church, founded in 1922, was the first Baptist church established in State College. Originally founded as University Baptist Church, it affiliated with the Church of the Brethren in 1968.
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