Local Historia

Revisiting one of the strangest and most unsettling afternoons in Centre County history By Dustin Elder All summer, our region has been inundated with some of the most extreme weather in recent memory. A record-setting July heat wave, powerful thunderstorms that drove Central Pennsylvania to a record number of year-to-date severe weather warnings, an alarming…

The Cadillac Building By Dustin Elder The community of Bellefonte, nestled in the Alleghenies for more than 200 years, has been a “city upon a hill” for many of America’s movements, innovations and industries. From its beginnings as a hub in the heart of the famed Juniata Iron region and its involvement in America’s largest…

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was an organization of Union Veterans who served and were honorably discharged from the Civil War (1861-1865).1 Starting in 1866, GAR members would meet at local posts to fellowship with their comrades and to serve their communities through “fraternity, charity, and loyalty.” The GAR also became a powerful…

Fred Waring’s journey from Central Pennsylvania to radio, television, and American culture In the era of snap orchestras, swing, and the Big Band, one personality rose from the industrial heart of Pennsylvania to captivate audiences across the country and “taught America how to sing”: Fred Waring. When he was born in Tyrone in 1900, Fred…

Its origins and golden days under the sun There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear…

Bill Jeffrey and the night American soccer stunned the world This summer, Americans will stop to soak in the most-watched sporting event on the planet: the FIFA World Cup. As hosts of the competition, and in an era that sees the U.S. Men’s National Team boasting more talent than ever before, the likes of Christian…

A local freedom seeker hunted by “Slave Catchers” in 1856 When the Underground Railroad comes to mind, people often think about freedom seekers in secret hideouts, traveling clandestinely in the night. While scenes such as these certainly occurred, many had to come out of hiding, “above ground,” along a journey of step migration to freedom.…

Early in my teaching career, I became obsessed with political drama TV shows. I would binge-watch episodes of “The West Wing” for hours, get lost in “House of Cards,” and thoroughly enjoy the more historical “John Adams” or the lighthearted “Veep.” These shows captured my imagination and offered a highly dramatized glimpse of the machine…