CENTRE COUNTY — Every community has its stories. Some are passed down at kitchen tables and fire halls, whispered with a knowing glance. Others sit buried in police files, growing colder as the years stretch on.
And then there are the tales that drift somewhere between the two — half history, half haunting, but all very much part of the place we call home.
That’s where Centre Curious comes in.
This new column will explore Centre County’s cold cases, unsolved mysteries and local legends. Some stories will be tragic, rooted in real lives lost and families left without answers. Others will take us into the realm of folklore — ghosts, strange lights and eerie encounters. Together, they form a hidden history of Centre County that deserves a deeper look.
One of the first stops will be the Pattee Library at Penn State, where in 1969, graduate student Betsy Aardsma was murdered in the stacks. Her case remains unsolved, a shadow in the middle of campus that has lingered for more than half a century. We’ll revisit that day, what investigators know and why no one has ever been brought to justice.
We’ll also look at the disappearance of Penn State student Cindy Song, who vanished after a Halloween party in 2001. Despite national coverage and suspected links to a serial killer, her case remains open and unresolved.
Not every mystery is as well-known. In 1976, 19-year-old Barbara Sherry of Snow Shoe was found murdered along a logging road. Her story has faded from memory, but in Centre Curious we’ll bring it back into the light.
The column will also dive into Centre County’s folklore. From the legend of the Axeman of Centre Hall to ghost stories tied to Curtin Village, these tales linger at the edges of our history. Some are cautionary, some unexplainable, but all have been told and retold for generations.
Why tell these stories now? Because mysteries have a way of shaping communities, whether they’re rooted in tragedy or folklore. They spark conversation, stir memory and sometimes bring forward voices that haven’t been heard in years. They also remind us that history isn’t just about what’s written in books. Sometimes it’s about the questions we still ask and the answers we’re still searching for.
Each installment of Centre Curious will focus on a single story. Sometimes the journey will lead us to courthouse files and yellowed newspaper clippings. Other times, it will take us to old buildings after dark or down roads where headlights once caught something strange. Along the way, the goal is simple: to explore the unanswered and the unexplained in Centre County.
Because in the end, curiosity is what keeps these stories alive.
