Year Established: 1814
Today home to the Centre County Library and Historical Society, this historic residence reflects Bellefonte’s deep ties to both the iron industry and the growth of early banking.
Ironmaster Legacy
The house was originally built for Captain Joseph Miles, co-founder of Milesburg and an influential figure in Centre County’s early development. In addition to founding the Centre Furnace Iron Works, Miles was a founding stockholder, teller, and bookkeeper of the Centre Bank of Pennsylvania—located just across the street. He sold the house in 1830 to William Wilson Potter, a distinguished lawyer and U.S. Congressman.
Architectural & Civic Significance
After Potter’s sudden death in 1839, his widow invited her niece, Lucy Alexander, and her husband, Edward Humes, to live in the home. Edward Humes went on to establish the private banking firm Humes, McAllister, Hale & Company, which eventually merged into the First National Bank of Bellefonte. Their son, William Potter Humes, continued the family’s banking legacy for decades.
In the early 20th century, the last surviving Humes resident, Anna Elmira Humes, modernized the property—moving the entire house several feet back from the street, enlarging it, and adding Victorian architectural elements. Upon her death, she bequeathed the home to serve as a public library. In 1938, the Library Association of Centre County officially took title to the building, ensuring it would remain a civic landmark.
