Three interesting small communities sit snugly along a short, narrow stretch of Bald Eagle Valley, with the Allegheny Front on one side and Bald Eagle Mountain and Bald Eagle Creek on the other, along U.S. Route 220 Alternate.
Unionville, technically a very small borough, is some 12 crooked miles or so due north of State College, equidistant from the village of Julian, just a few miles west, and the village of Wingate, a few miles in the other direction.
Unionville was laid out in the 1850s because that spot had become a major stop along the Philadelphia and Erie Turnpike, according to Mayor Angelica “Mimi” Wutz, who added that 19th-century folk would stay overnight there when they came off of the Allegheny Front.
“Unionville grew up at that time to have a hotel and a livery stable,” said Wutz, “then businesses grew up. There were two stores, a mill that became a major stop when the railroad came through. There was also a lot of lumbering going on, as well as apple orchards.”
Eventually, Unionville achieved borough status in order to distinguish itself as a separate entity within Union Township. It is, as Wutz, put it, “the donut hole in the Union Township donut” — which is to say that it’s located centrally within the township and surrounded by it.
The busy crossroads development that occurred in earlier centuries was at Allegheny Street, also called Rattlesnake Pike and Route 504, where it intersects what is now Highway 220 Alternate, or Old Highway 220. But there really aren’t any business there anymore, or for that matter anywhere in Unionville, other than perhaps a few casual work-from-home operations. The community does have a couple of churches.
Unionville is small in physical size and in population, with about 290 people. Surprisingly, for such a tiny borough, there are two mailing addresses for the Unionville area — one for Unionville and the other with a Fleming designation, which is the community’s post office. The reason for that is historical — when Unionville achieved borough status, there was already a Unionville post office elsewhere.
Wutz has owned a home in Unionville since 1979, left for a while, came back in 1998 and has been mayor since the following year. There are four primary public gathering spots in the community, according to Wutz — the post office, the Unionville Grange, Unionville Park and two churches.
“The post office sort of lends its old world charm as a gathering spot,” said Wutz. “The Grange has monthly dinners. The Unionville Park has a playground, tennis courts, a soccer field and a baseball/softball field. Little League action takes place there and we do a lot with Bald Eagle Youth soccer. The churches are also community gathering spots.”
Wutz also mentioned that the nearby stretch of Eagle Creek gets very busy during fishing season.
“At the beginning of fishing season, there are cars lining the road by the bridge that comes into Unionville, from Bald Eagle Mountain down the creek into Unionville Park. People are shoulder-to-shoulder.”
The Unionville Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with nearly 200 buildings in the borough as qualifying properties. More than half are homes, along with a good number of outbuildings and two barns. According to the Unionville (Fleming) Historic District nomination document, “The district in general is an excellent example of a village environment which retains the essential characteristics of the 19th century small town.”
“It’s a diverse community, socially, economically and in terms of education,” saidd Wutz. “It’s a rural community and there’s a core group of people, some of whom are third generation, who form a real anchor for the town.
“It’s not entirely transient like some area communities might be. People care about each other. If you don’t see someone for awhile, you want to know that they’re OK. But there is a respect for privacy, too. And, it’s a very safe place.”
Julian — which, despite its spelling, locals pronounce “Julie Ann” — is just a few miles farther east down U.S. Route 220 Alternate from Unionville. Though smaller — with a population of about 150 — it has several businesses, including the acclaimed Grandview Hollow Pottery operation, which ships all over the country, a couple of used car dealerships and a post office.
Julian also has a unique business known as One Ridge Soaring Gliderport. It has a Julian address and much of its property located in the village, though it extends beyond it. It isn’t an exaggeration to call the operation, an FAA-approved public-use glider port, world-renowned for its ridge, thermal and wave soaring. More than a half-dozen world records, as well as dozens of national records, have been set for powerless flight originating from there.
The Huston Township Community Center is in a former school building right in the center of Julian at the intersection of Allegheny and Julian streets. All meetings for the various Huston Township municipal bodies, as well as other meetings by Huston area residents and the occasional wedding reception, take place in the small building, which has a kitchen. Huston Township Community Park (sometimes called Julian Community Park) is located behind the center and offers a playground and ballpark.
The tiny village of Wingate, in Boggs Township, is a few miles west of Unionville and about 8 miles from Julian. Though technically a village, it is essentially a small community, with Wingate Elementary School, Bald Eagle High School and a handful of businesses including Jabco Auto Sales, a Sheetz, S&R Repairs, Towing & Recovery, Brother’s Pizza and the Mountain Valley Diner. Though some have a Bellefonte address, they are all within shouting distance of each other.
