Centre County Historical Society

TO PROMOTE AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF OUR COUNTY'S CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE AND THE NEED FOR ITS PRESERVATION.

1. THE CENTRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S (CCHS) HISTORIC PROPERTIES: CENTRE FURNACE MANSION AND THE BOOGERSBURG ONE-ROOM SCHOOL. THE COSTLY OPERATION, MAINTENANCE, PRESERVATION, AND OVERSIGHT OF THESE PROPERTIES IS CRITICAL FOR ALL OF THE SOCIETY'S EFFORTS.2. COMMUNICATION WITH MEMBERSHIP AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF CENTRE COUNTY THROUGH A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER, WEBSITE, SOCIAL MEDIA, THE ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HISTORY AND CULTURE, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND REGULAR VISITOR TOURS, HISTORY TALKS, EXHIBITIONS, AND EVENTS.3. PRESERVATION AND MAINTENANCE OF ARCHIVAL AND OBJECT COLLECTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS AND THE PUBLIC YEAR-ROUND.4. FOSTERING AND PARTNERING WITH LOCAL AND STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS TO PROMOTE AND ADVOCATE FOR CENTRE COUNTY HISTORY AND HISTORIC RESOURCES. FOSTERING AND PARTNERING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO MAINTAIN AND PROMOTE HISTORY AND CULTURE OF CENTRE COUNTY.THE CENTRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOCUSES FIRST AND FOREMOST ON MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING THE CENTRE FURNACE MANSION (ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES) AND SURROUNDING GROUNDS, ON WHICH STAND THE REMAINS OF THE CENTRE FURNACE "STACK." THE MANSION AND STACK COMPOSE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL SITE IN CENTRE COUNTY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:1. THEY COMMEMORATE THE BIRTH OF THE IRON INDUSTRY IN CENTRE COUNTY AND ENVIRONS. CENTRE FURNACE WENT INTO BLAST IN 1792, THE FIRST IRON FURNACE IN WHAT SOON AFTER BECAME CENTRE COUNTY (IN 1800) AND THE SECOND IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. CENTRE FURNACE WAS AN INSTANT SUCCESS, SPARKING A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL IRON FURNACES AND FORGES IN THE AREA. BY 1810, THE COUNTIES OF CENTRE, HUNTINGDON, AND BLAIR WERE PRODUCING MORE THAN HALF THE PIG IRON IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES.2. HALF A CENTURY LATER, CENTRE FURNACE MANSION BECAME THE BIRTHPLACE OF PENN STATE UNIVERSITY. ON JUNE 26, 1855, A COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE NEWLY CHARTERED FARMERS' HIGH SCHOOL OF PENNSYLVANIA VISITED THE SITE TO VIEW THE PROPOSAL OF 200 ACRES OF LAND OFFERED FREELY BY CENTRE FRUNACE INRONMASTER JAMES IRVIN. ON SEPTEMBER 12, 1855, AFTER VIEWING OTHER PROPOSED SITES AND AFTER MUCH DEBATE, THE TRUSTEES APPROVED THE MOTION OF TRUSTEE PRESIDENT FREDERCK WATTS TO ACCEPT THE CENTRE COUNTY SITE. THE FARMERS' HIGH SCHOOL OPENED FOR COLLEGIATE INSTRUCTION IN 1859 AND TODAY HAS GROWN INTO THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, RANKED AMONG THE TOP 100 GLOBAL RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES.THE CENTRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY ALSO OWNS AND MAINTAINS THE NEARBY BOOGERSBURG SCHOOL, BUILT IN 1875 BY FORMER CENTRE FURNACE IRONMASTER MOSES THOMPSON FOR THE BENEFIT OF LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN. IN THE 1870S, MORE THAN 180 ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSES COULD BE FOUND IN CENTRE COUNTY. THE BOOGERSBURG SCHOOL IS THE ONLY ONE THAT SURVIVED. IT IS NOW USED AS A HISTORICAL ATTRACTION AND VISITED BY MANY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSES DURING THE SPRING. THE FACILITY IS NEXT ON THE CCHS AGENDA FOR UPGRADING AND RENOVATING, A PROCESS FOR WHICH CCHS WILL SEEK FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM A LOCAL FOUNDATION.FOR CENTRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, MAINTAINING THESE TWO HISTORIC SITES IS A MORAL IMPERATIVE, BUT ONE REQUIRING MUCH ATTENTION AND EXPENSE. SINCE THE MANSION WAS FIRST ACQUIRED BY THE SOCIETY IN 1978, MORE THAN 250,000 VISITORS HAVE PASSED THROUGH ITS DOORS.OF COURSE, THE SOCIETY OFFERS MANY OTHER PROGRAMS, EVENTS, AND FEATURES. THESE INCLUDE A 20-PAGE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER, WITH ARTICLES OF LOCAL HISTORICAL INTEREST AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONAL NEWS; LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS BY AUTHORS AND EXPERTS ON A VARIETY OF HISTORICAL TOPICS; GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL TOURS OF THE FACILITIES; ADVOCACY INITIATIVES AIMED AT PRESERVING LOCAL HISTORICAL HOUSES AND BUILDINGS FROM THE WRECKING BALL, AS WELL AS FARMLAND AND RURAL AREAS THAT NEED PROTECTION FROM EVER-ENCROACHING DEVELOPMENT; AND PROMOTION OF ALL THINGS HISTORICAL RELATED TO CENTRE COUNTY, INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR, AND PARTNERSHIP WITH, OTHER LOCAL HISTORICAL ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENTS.THE CENTRE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PUNCHES WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT, COMPARED TO SOME OF ITS LARGER COUNTERPARTS IN OLDER AND MORE HEAVILY POPULATED AREAS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. WITH ONLY TWO PROFESSIONAL STAFF, A WORKING VOLUNTEER BOARD OF GOVERNORS, AN ACTIVE DOCENT COMMITTEE AND GARDEN COMMITTEE, AND MANY VOLUNTEERS AND SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS THAT LEND A HAND, CCHS SERVES A MEMBERSHIP OF 890 AND LARGER COMMUNITY INTEREST TOTALING 2,000+ (THE EMAIL LISTSERV) AND THOUSANDS MORE IN A GROWING COUNTY OF 158,000 (ACCORDING TO THE 2020 U.S. CENSUS). CCHS PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE FAST-GROWING TOURISM INDUSTRY IN CENTRE COUNTY AND SEEKS TO BROADEN ITS PROGRAMS AND IMPACT IN THE DECADE AHEAD.