The Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County showcases the work of artists from Centre County and around the world. It also hosts regular art classes.The museum is in the Linn House, which was built in 1810 by Philip Benner and is in the Bellefonte National Register of Historic Places District.
Calvin H. Waller is considered the first Black graduate of Penn State. The native of Macon, Georgia, graduated in 1905 with a bachelor of science degree in agriculture. At the time, relatively few black students enrolled at state colleges and no official records indicated the racial identities of students during the time Waller was enrolled. […]
James Addams Beaver was a widely known attorney, a Civil War officer, and the governor of Pennsylvania from 1887-1891. He also played a leading role in Penn State’s early decades and served as interim president for two years; today, the football stadium bears his name. Beaver was born on October 21, 1837, in Millerstown, Perry […]
The Cold Stream Dam is a popular recreation spot on State Route 322 in Philipsburg. Throughout its history, the dam has suffered mishaps, most notably in 1936, when it broke and water flooded the downtown. However, the dam has survived to remain an important local resource.
The Penn State Blue Band is the university’s marching band that performs at football games and other major events. The band, which is comprised of more than 300 members, is open to all students at the University Park campus.
Penn State fielded its first organized football team in 1887 — just 11 years after the rules of the sport were established — and has had a team ever since. The program has been among the most successful in the country, winning national championships in 1982 and 1986.
The Pennsylvania Match Company, founded in Bellefonte in 1899, grew to become one of the largest match producers before a reduced consumer demand for matches led to its closing. Known locally as the “Match Factory,” the sprawling brick complex is now owned by the American Philatelic Society.
Moses Thompson was the last ironmaster of Centre Furnace. He was a banker, an investor in canals, turnpikes and railroads, and at his death in 1891 the largest landowner in Centre County. His economic and political influence helped bring the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, the future Penn State, to Centre County, and he was […]
The Union Church, better known as the “Old Mud Church,” is a Philipsburg landmark on Presqueisle Street that initially served as the town’s first schoolhouse and place of worship for all denominations. The cemetery’s more than 500 graves include those of a Revolutionary War veteran and thirteen veterans of the Civil War.
The Brockerhoff House is one of the architectural landmarks in Bellefonte, exemplifying the prosperity of the borough in the 19th century. The imposing four-story structure, which incorporates the Italianate, Queen Anne, and Second Empire architectural styles, encompasses a full block on Allegheny Street.