University House is the former home of Penn State’s presidents and their families that is now part of the university’s Hintz Family Alumni Center. The two-story home is located on the south end of the Penn State campus, between Pollock Road and College Avenue. It was originally built for university President Evan Pugh, who died […]
Spring Creek Canyon is an 1,800-acre recreation area in Benner Township popular for fly-fishing, hiking, bicycling, and hunting. The six miles of trout stream within its boundaries are a destination for fishermen from around the world.
State Correctional Institution-Rockview is a century-old penitentiary on State Route 26. Its designation as the site of executions and its more than 70 years as a prison farm have established its place in Pennsylvania’s penal history.
Edwin Erle Sparks, Penn State’s eighth president, served from 1908 to 1920. Using his skills in outreach, he took advantage of the public’s growing appreciation for the value of Penn State programs to build the college’s popularity to levels never achieved before. Sparks was born in Newark, Ohio, in 1860 and earned a B.A. in […]
Meyer Dairy, established in 1887, is the oldest continuously operated retail dairy in Centre County. The dairy store on South Atherton Street in Harris Township is particularly beloved for its milk, which is still sold in glass bottles.
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a government jobs program, conceived during the Great Depression, that put thousands of unemployed men to work primarily in state and national parks and forests, including four sites in Centre County.
Mildred Settle Bunton was the first female student of color admitted to Penn State and the first to graduate from the university. She enrolled in 1929 as a transfer from the University of New Orleans and graduated in 1932 with a degree in home economics.
The Recreation Building, better known as Rec Hall, is a multi-purpose indoor athletic facility that has been the historic home of several Penn State athletic teams. The building, constructed of red brick with limestone trim, was designed by architect Charles Z. Klauder and completed in 1928 at a cost of $527,260. It formally opened in […]
Eagle Ironworks was one of Centre County’s major family enterprises for a century and the last cold-blast charcoal iron establishment to close in Pennsylvania. Roland Curtin and Moses Boggs built Eagle Forge along the Bald Eagle Creek downstream from Milesburg in 1810. Though the men had no experience in iron making, all the essential raw […]
Class gifts are philanthropic donations given by graduating Penn State classes that have made a significant impact on the university, including some of the most beloved and recognize landmarks. The mission of the annual Class Gift Campaign is to promote a philanthropic spirit among graduating students.