News and Events

"State College: from Rural Roots to Happy Valley," an exhibition from the Penn State University Archives, is on display September 14–December 31, 2009, in The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library. (right: image from the Penn State University Archives: 103 S. Allen Street, April 1978)

The 1971 State College Guidebook, reported 
    “State College is Our Town. That is why we are attached to
     it…Home is not merely the house…he calls his own; it is
    also the town in which he lives – his friends and neighbors,
    his work, his church and all the other community associations
    and interests that make up the sum of his daily life.”

Before the incorporation of State College Borough, there was Centre Furnace, an iron plantation settled in 1789 by Cols. John Patton and Samuel Miles. It was at the Centre Furnace Mansion in 1855 that ironmasters James Irvin and Moses Thompson hosted a dinner party where the final decision was made to locate ‘The Farmers High School,’ now Penn State, in Centre County. The first students arrived in February 1859, and their counterparts continue coming to State College every year.

In 1896, State College was officially incorporated. It is now recognized as Centre County’s largest borough. Today, State College’s permanent population of 39,000+ can proudly claim a heritage tied closely to Penn State University academics and athletics, the annual Central Pennsylvania Arts Festival, Fourth Fest Fireworks, and much, much more. For all the permanent and temporary residents of the area, State College has grown from its own rural roots to our own Happy Valley.

This exhibition, focused on the history, community, neighborhoods, businesses, organizations, entertainment, culture, and life in State College, Pennsylvania, utilizes archival photographs, publications, postcards, brochures, news clippings and media guides to tell the many and varied stories that make State College a unique hometown experience.

Fall semester hours are Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Fri., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. During University breaks, please call ahead to confirm times.

For more information, 814-863-3791, jxe2@psu.edu.