On the way to the Nittany Mall, I am sure most of us have seen the Centre Furnace by corner of East College Avenue and Porter Road. Not till recently did I know its historical significance. Our own Happy Valley sustained a large iron-making community in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The Centre County Historical Society located right opposite the Centre Furnace has celebrated the rich heritage of Centre County for 100 years. It is the oldest and largest of the county’s historical organizations.

In 1791 Samuel Miles and John Patton, two Revolutionary War officers from southeastern Pennsylvania, established the Centre Furnace Village in the iron-ore rich Nittany Valley. A self-sufficient community developed around the iron-making operation, with the furnace and ironmaster’s mansion at its center. Approximately fifty years later two local ironmasters, James Irvin and Moses Thompson, took over the ownership and operation. Thompson and his family became the mansion occupants, living there until 191.

The Centre Furnace Mansion, furnace stack, and surrounding eight acres constitute what remains of the Centre Furnace Village. This National Register site represents a small portion of the iron-making village once located here.

This year, the 10^th Annual Plant Celebration will take place at the Centre County Historical Society on Saturday, May 7^th. The day’s activities will include a plant sale of native and non-native plants that have been donated by local growers and grown in the new Centre Furnace Mansion cold frame. Garden enthusiasts will be able to choose from annuals, perennials, trees, herbs, shrubs and specialist wetland plants among many others. At noon, the festive Maypole dance will take place.

Maypole dancing is a traditional form of folk dance from Western Europe, especially England, Sweden, and Germany. Young children dance in a circle each holding a colored ribbon attached to a central pole, which can be over 10 feet high. Swaying and dancing with the ribbons to the live music, the children intertwined and plaited the ribbons either on to the pole itself or into a web around the pole. At the end, they retrace their steps exactly in order to unravel the ribbons.

The Centre County Historical Society also boasts an extensive museum, archival, and photographic collections. A few exhibits currently on display include “Hajjar Heritage: A Centre Region Treasure”, “Exhibit of Early American tools,” and “Centre County’s Iron Industry”. The tools were a gift to the Historical Society from the private collection of Penn State American Studies Professor, Richard W. Pencek.

The society provides a great way to reconnect with our roots through its events and exhibit. To learn more about the Centre County Historical Society visit them at http://centrecountyhistory.org/