Updates From the Centre County Historical Society

The Spring Creek Canyon program will air on C-NET Channel 7 at the following times:

Spring Creek Canyon: An Early History (March 30, 2008)

• Wednesday, April 23 - 8:30 p.m.
• Friday, April 25 - 9:00 a.m. & 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 29 - 12:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 30 - 9:00 p.m.

Centre County is currently working on a Countywide Recreation and Greenway Plan. Please attend this informational Public Meeting to learn about the Recreation and Greenway Plan.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Sundman Hall (Banquet Room)
The American Philatelic Center
100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte, PA 16823
Download flyer

Pennsylvania's Greenways Program was launched in August 2001 with the completion of a statewide greenways action plan, "Pennsylvania's Greenways - An Action Plan for Creating Connections." The governor amended Executive Order 1998-3 identifying the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) as the lead agency responsible for Action Plan implementation. The state has funded (with matching monies) approximately forty committed, ongoing, and completed plans throughout the Commonwealth. Greenways will become one of the Commonwealth's most powerful tools to achieve sustainable growth and livable communities.

Centre County, following this direction and with funding from the DCNR and the Centre County Board of Commissioners, is prepared to develop its first Countywide Greenway & Recreation Plan.

The Centre County Planning and Community Development Office, serving as the lead agency on this document, intends for this plan to provide the Centre County municipalities with guidance on implementation of their own greenway and recreational facilities. As with any comprehensive planning document, public participation during the plan development process is imperative. A Greenway Steering Committee has been developed and had an initial kick-off meeting. Other input will be derived from several public meetings, key person interviews, and random sample surveys.

For more information about the Centre County Recreation and Greenway Plan:
Centre County Recreation & Greenway Plan Newsletter
Centre County Planning and Community Development Office Website

Welcome to the new Centre County Historical Society website! We hope you like it, and welcome any feedback that you may have. We hope that you find the site more informative and easier to navigate. We also would love to hear from our visitors what things you would like to see on this site. Please check this page often for historical Society news and updates.

This Growing Greener project, funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, has been developed to help in the restoration and protection of the Thompson Run sub-basin of the Spring Creek Watershed. Reintroduced to the landscape of this historic Centre Furnace site is a meandering course of a partly restored, partly simulated Thompson Run. It has been designed to help tell the story of Centre Furnace and its relationship to Spring Creek, while better handling and slowing down stormwater runoff. Archaeological remains of some of the buildings that were once part of this iron furnace operation still can be seen.

Charcoal iron manufacturing at Centre Furnace figured significantly in the life of the Spring Creek Watershed. Excellent quality iron ore - central Pennsylvania's "gold" - was discovered near here in the late 1700s. It brought settlement, wealth, and political clout to the area, and an industrial center that drove and supported community development for decades.

Though times have changed, the roots of today's land use patterns lie in local history. Centre Furnace represents the beginnings of early settlement, early industry, and of The Pennsylvania State University. It also represents the beginnings of the area's agricultural economy. Penn State, in turn, represents the beginnings of another enterprise, education, and with it the growth and development of State College and Centre County.