The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international organization that promotes abstinence from alcohol and also campaigns for other social causes. The organization was active in Centre County for decades with chapters across the county.
The Soldiers’ Orphan Schools provided education for children in Pennsylvania beginning during the Civil War and continuing until 2009. Established by Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin of Bellefonte, one of the schools operated in Centre County for four years.
John Hamilton was one of the most influential leaders in the early history of Penn State and State College. He served in numerous roles with the new college, was a member of the borough council, and built a home that started the Highlands Historic District.
William Fisher Packer, a native of Howard Township, served as governor of Pennsylvania during the turbulent years before the Civil War. He also served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing Centre County and nearby counties.
Jail Hill is the area near the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte where at least three 19th century jails were constructed starting in 1800, the same year the county was established. The first “prison houses” or “common goals,” as they were sometimes known, were built on East High Street.
Andrew Gregg was an early landowner in Penns Valley who became an important politician, representing the middle portion of the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and Pennsylvania as a United States senator.
James Irvin was the ironmaster of Centre Furnace and the benefactor whose gift of 200 acres led to the establishment in Centre County of the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania, the future Penn State University.
The Alpha Fire Company is the volunteer company that serves State College, Penn State, and the surrounding townships. The company was founded in 1899 as the Union Fire Company. A year later, the name was changed to Alpha Fire Company.
Peter Gray Meek was the controversial editor of the Democratic Watchman for more than fifty years. He was widely known for his editorials opposing the Civil War, which led to his arrest several times.
Centre County is comprised of twenty-five townships and ten boroughs that provide local government for residents. The number of boroughs and townships has grown and changed since the county’s founding in 1801.
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