Bald Eagle State Park is a 5,900-acre recreation and wildlife area in the Bald Eagle Valley of Centre County. It opened in 1971 and is known for its popular lake, which is surrounded by forests, wetlands, and fields. The park is named for the Lenape chief, Woapalanne, which means “bald eagle.” Chief Woapalanne lived in […]
Horace Ashenfelter was a Penn State graduate, Olympic gold medalist, and world record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania, native was a four-time All-American as a member of the Penn State track team and the two-mile NCAA national champion in 1949. Ashenfelter, then a field agent for the FBI, was the surprise winner […]
Norwood H. “Barney” Ewell thrilled track spectators from State College to London’s Wembley Stadium, where he won three medals at the 1948 Olympics. At Penn State, Ewell’s career inspired action on racial equity, leading students, faculty, and administrators to fight segregation in intercollegiate sports.
Colyer Lake, created in 1966 by damming Sinking Creek, gave Centre County residents more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors on the water and in the woods. The 77-acre impoundment in Potter Township has become a centerpiece for fishing, boating, hiking, and observing wildlife.
John T. Biggers was a muralist, educator, and Penn State alumnus who dedicated his work to establishing a sense of African American identity and pride through art. His murals, portraying rural Black laborers, can be seen at Penn State in the Burrowes Building and the Paul Robeson Center. Born on April 13, 1924, in Gastonia, […]
Black Moshannon State Park is a 3,394-acre park that conserves a unique natural environment surrounding Black Moshannon Lake. The park, was established in 1937 after the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a dam, log cabins, picnic pavilions, and trails.
The Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, built in 1805, is one of the county’s most historic landmarks. The courthouse has been transformed over the years with additions and renovations. The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Andrew G. Curtin statue stand in front of the building framing it from High Street.
The history of radio in Centre County has been shaped by technological developments, social change, and commercial interests. Radio is an intimate medium, and local stations are often the only stations available to listeners, even as they are shaped by distant economic trends and federal regulation.
A quest for natural resources shaped the development of Centre County’s rail network, beginning in 1859 when the Bellefonte and Snow Shoe Railroad began hauling coal and timber from the Mountaintop area to the Bald Eagle Valley.
The Neff Round Barn, popularly known simply as the Round Barn, is one of the most recognized agricultural structures in Centre County. Built in 1910 by Calvin R. Neff and Aaron Thomas, the barn is on State Route 45 about 2 miles from Old Fort in Potter Township. After his retirement as a school teacher […]