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 Centre County Library, founded in 1939, serves readers with four locations and a bookmobile. The creation of what is now a county library system began with the generosity of Bellefonte resident, Ann Elmira Humes,who agreed to donate her home, the historic Miles-Humes House, for a public library.
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.
Aaronsburg Story was pageant and panel in aftermath of World War II that garnered worldwide attention with message that people of all backgrounds should accept one another despite their differences.
The Glennland Building was State College’s tallest building for more than forty years, known for its popular apartments and indoor pool. The building is now a boutique hotel. Located at the corner of Beaver Avenue and Pugh Street, the Glennland was built in 1933 by local businessman O.W. Houts and physician Grover Glenn, for whom […]
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.