Historic Bellefonte Victorian Homes Tour

Historic Bellefonte is one of the best preserved historic towns to be found anywhere in the United States. The pride and loving care that residents bestow on their properties and the degree to which the whole town has been preserved, becomes very apparent in the pristine streets, well-kept landscaping and perfectly detailed and painted residences. This level of care and thoughtfulness regarding preservation is most ap-parent in the opulent Victorian homes that were originally a reflection of the enormous wealth amassed by the ironmasters and their familiars, manufacturers who lived in town and the lawyers, bankers, physicians and other professionals who served their needs. Today, these properties are residents cherished family homes, many of which who have lived here since birth and are descendants of the pioneers and ironmas-ters who settled here over 200 years ago.

The tour of Victorian era homes will take you past nearly 60 structures built between 1850 and 1900. You will be able to tour three of the homes which are now Bed and Breakfasts, to admire the interior detailing up close and personal.

Victorian homes in Bellefonte fall primarily into seven architectural styles, most popular in the United States in the following periods:

1850 to today Georgian Revival: structures based on the Palladian principles of well proportioned, grand architecture, with gambrel, gabbled or hip roofs and classical detailing that still inspires architecture today

1840 1885 Italianate: the most popular grand home design in the United States during these years, with decorative bracketing and towers

1840 1880 Gothic Revival: influenced by medieval Gothic architecture

1855 1885 Second Empire: brought over from France after the second reign of Napoleon. Famous for its mansard roofs

1855 1890 Stick Style: a sister of Queen Anne architecture, with straight lines and balloon framing

1870 1910 Folk Victorian: decorative construction that included Carpenter Gothic, Italianate and Federal elements

1880 1910 Queen Anne: lavishly decorated with wood detailing and often painted in multiple colors

Rather than concentrating on the architectural styles of each of the homes you will be viewing, we have chosen instead, to tell the stories of the residents who built and lived in the homes, to make the story of this wonderful Victorian town most interesting.

Tour Stops

Tour Stop 1 – The Linn House / Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County

Year Established
1810

Address and Location
The Linn House / Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County
133 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

The Linn House was built by General Philip Benner, the pioneer ironmaster of Centre County, for Judge Jonathan Walker to convince him to stay in frontier Bellefonte when he had many other offers for Federal court positions. The property now houses the Bellefonte Art Museum of Centre County. The structure was also home to Judge Charles Houston, Pennsylvania Governor James Beaver, as a young man, and historian John Blair Linn, author of Linns History of Centre and Clinton Counties, who moved into the house when he married Bennes granddaughter. The quality of the Trenton limestone, only one of the excellent building materials found in the Bellefonte area, gave rise to a major industry that has sustained to today. The interior elements of the house have been preserved as much as possible to display the authentic Georgian architecture of the period.

Tour Stop 2 – Miles-Potter-Humes House / Centre County Library and Historical Museum

Year Established
1814, Enlarged and Victorian elements added 1895

Address and Location
Miles-Potter-Humes House / Centre County Library and Historical Museum
203 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

Captain Joseph Miles, ironmaster, co-founder of Milesburg, and founding stockholder, teller and bookkeeper of the Centre Bank of Pennsylvania, constructed this home diagonally across from the bank he organized. Captain Miles sold the house to William Wilson Potter, a distinguished lawyer and US Congressmen, in 1830. Upon Potters sudden death, his widow invited her niece, Lucy Alex-ander Humes and her husband to make their home with her. Humes later founded the private banking firm of Humes, McAllister, Hale & Co, which ultimately became the First National Bank of Belle-fonte. Their son, William Potter Humes continued with First National Bank for 36 years. The last Humes survivor bequeathed the house for purposes of a community library. In 1938, the Library Association of Centre County was given title to the building.

Tour Stop 3 – Joseph Ceader House

Year Established
1899

Address and Location
Joseph Ceader House
214 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The property on which the Ceader house was constructed originally belonged to prominent local attorney James Hale, whose law office stood at the front of the plot. This 1899 house is likely the only remaining building in Bellefonte associated with the Ceader family, who for many years operated a very successful bakery and confectionery at 26 South Allegheny Street. Advertisements indicated they later adding catering and ice cream to the operation. During the 1970s, the property became the residence of Dr. Paul Corman and the office of his medical practice, Family Health Services. The 1899 carriage house at the back of the property has been converted into a private dwelling.

Tour Stop 4 – James T. Hale House

 

Year Established
1843, Enlarged and Queen Anne elements added in the late 1800s

Address and Location
James T. Hale House
222 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

James Tracy Hale, who came to Bellefonte to study law with his uncle, later married Jane Houston, daughter of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice. He served as a US Representative from Pennsylvania as a Republican in the 36th and 37th Congresses and as an Independent in the 38th Con-gress, spanning the years, 1859-1865. He also served as President Judge of both Clinton and Clearfield counties and practiced as an attorney in Bellefonte. In addition to his illustrious law and Congressional career, Hale was involved in both the timber and railroad industries, and a prominent member of the Bellefonte community.

Tour Stop 5 – Sarah Gephart Munson House

Year Established
1891

Address and Location
Sarah Gephart Munson House
227 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

Bellefonte lawyer, John W. Gephart, owned this property when he reopened the Valentine Furnace in 1891, serving as President of the Valentine Iron Company and General Manager of the railroad that transported iron to the furnace. After successfully negotiating a plan to reopen the Valentine Furnace, Gephart spent nearly five years fighting the high costs of shipping on the railroad and re-signed as President of Valentine Iron when he was unable to successfully settle the dispute. Not to be defeated, he formed the Bellefonte Furnace Company in 1899, which restarted the Valentine Furnace in 1900. Sarah Gephart was the daughter of J. P, Gephart and the wife of Lorenzo Mun-son who was Gepharta�s successor at Valentine Iron.

Tour Stop 6 – William H. Wilkinson House

Year Established
1890

Address and Location
William H. Wilkinson House
228 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

The brick veneered and wood shingled home located at North Allegheny was built for William and Eveline Wilkinson who owned China Hall, an exclusive business in downtown Bellefonte that sold fine china and queensware. The home, later owned by Robert and True Fisher, is a product of the building boom in Bellefonte of the 1890s. It was designed by Robert Cole, a local carpenter and su-perintendent of the Ardell Planing Mill, who later studied architecture. He ultimately designed at least 10 Victorian structures in Bellefonte, including Bellefonte Hospital, Bellefonte High School and the remodeling of Bellefonte Academy.

Tour Stop 7 – James L. Seibert and Tambsin Eliza Boalich House

Year Established
1891

Address and Location
James L. Seibert and Tambsin Eliza Boalich House
239 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Get directions HERE.

Before the structure currently standing was constructed, the lot at 239 North Allegheny Street was owned by John Allison, father of William B. Allison, a US Senator and two time contender in 1888 and 1896, for President of the United States. After that, the property passed through a number of hands in Bellefonte until the Victorian home on the property was built for Dr. James L. Seibert and his wife Tambsin E. Boalich in 1891. Seibert came to Bellefonte after completing medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in 1883 and in addition to a private medical practice, he was one of a committee of five physicians and five laymen who founded Bellefonte Hospital in 1902.

Tour Stop 8 – Dr. Robert L. Dartt House

Year Established
1879

Address and Location
Dr. Robert L. Dartt House
251 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Dr. Dartt began practicing medicine in Bellefonte in 1875 with his uncle Dr. Tipple, who was the leading homeopathic physician in the country. He built this beautifully ornate Italianate residence in 1879 for his wife Lydia, the great-granddaughter of Senator Andrew Gregg. He later set up practice with Dr. Melvin Locke, another well known Bellefonte physician. The recently refurbished home still boasts dramatic walnut doors, stained glass windows, 11-foot ceilings and floor to ceiling, wall to wall china and linen closets, original parquet floors and the original circular staircase from which the entire height of the building can be viewed.

Tour Stop 9 – Hastings Mansion

Year Established
1897

Address and Location
Hastings Mansion
254 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Hastings Mansion was the residence of Governor Daniel H. Hastings who served Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1898. Contrary to popular opinion that Hastings constructed the mansion around the 1830 Red Lion Inn, the Inn was not located in the same position on the property. Hastings Mansion was originally constructed for John Lane. After buying the property, when the old capitol building in Harrisburg burned 1897, Hastings began restoring his property to resemble the lost building, with the south wing, portico, windows, bracketing, pilasters and pediment doors fashioned after that structure. Today, even though the building now houses eight different apartments, spirits are still said to roam the halls and the old grandfather clock built with a realistic human face that was said to wink, lives on in legend.

Tour Stop 10 – Valentine Ironmasters Mansion

Year Established
1879

Address and Location
Valentine Ironmasters Mansion
420 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The imposing structure that sits at the top of the hill on North Allegheny was one of the many mansions built for the Valentine and Thomas families, likely the two most successful ironmaster dynasties in the Bellefonte area. Follow-up companies to the very successful Valentine and Thomas organization are still extant today. Before the land was purchased by George Valentine, Charles McCafferty, a building contractor who built many of the structures in Bellefonte, constructed a home on the lot that he lost with the turn of his fortunes. Like many historic homes in Bellefonte, the current building incorporates a variety of styles, featuring a Gothic Revival pitched roof, windows, and eave brackets, and a Second Empire square tower. The Queen Anne porch was likely added later.

Tour Stop 11 – J. Reed Babcock House

Year Established
1868

Address and Location
J. Reed Babcock House
423 North Allegheny Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Even though this property was built in an earlier era for Dr. and Mrs. J. Reed Babcock, a Bellefonte physician, the home still reflects the gracious lifestyle of the Victorian era, later in the century. What was once a family home for a flock of Babcock children is now surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, a pool, and the original carriage house of handmade brick. The interior of the home is furnished with the many eclectic pieces assembled by Dr. Babcock and his wife, including antique clocks, a buckboard seat coffee table, an antique organ, and an 1880 mahogany dining suite com-plete with fine china.

Tour Stop 12 – F. Potts Green House

Year Established
1857

Address and Location
F. Potts Green House
107 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

When this beautiful ornamented Eastlake style structure was constructed in 1857 for pharmacist F. Potts Green who dispensed medications in the Brockerhoff Hotel, it stood alone in the middle of an open field. Since then, a number of gracious and ornate homes have been built around the property, described as An Ornamented Cottage. The property was illustrated in the publication Victorian Buildings written by Philadelphia based architect Samuel Sloan, who designed a number of other ornate buildings in neighboring Williamsport and Lock Haven. The elegant iron fence is reminiscent of the decorative iron artifacts produced by local ironmasters that can still be found throughout Bellefonte today. The elaborate decorative trim which covers the building has survived through the centuries.

Tour Stop 13 – Bernard Residence

Year Established
1858

Address and Location
Bernard Residence
113 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The 1858 Pennsylvania farmhouse structure at this location was the birthplace of American sculptor and son of a local Presbyterian minister, George Grey Barnard (1863-1938). Bernards works include groups of statuary that flank the main entrance of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg and a Statue of Abraham Lincoln. In addition to his own creative work, Bernard collected the medieval sculpture which formed the nucleus of the collection of The Cloisters, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The George Grey Barnard Sculpture Garden in Talleyrand Park contains a bust of Lincoln cast from the same mold as the original in 1917. Bernards family home is clad with wooden siding, scored to represent masonry blocks with quoined corners.

Tour Stop 14 – Crider Residence

Year Established
1872

Address and Location
Crider Residence
117 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The residence here was the family home of Fountain Crider, who built the Crider Exchange block after a fire in 1888 destroyed a large portion of downtown. Rising from a poor country farm family, Crider graduated from business college and formed P.B. Crider and Son in 1866. The organization went on to become one of the most successful manufacturing businesses in central Pennsylvania. Operations in charcoal, timber lands, oil, gas, mining and lumbering headquartered in Bellefonte, encompassed five surrounding counties. Crider also became the president of banking firm Jackson, Crider and Hastings. The five bay Georgian revival residence, which had been turned into apart-ments, was restored back to a single family home.

Tour Stop 15 – Butts, McCafferty, Reynolds House

Year Established
1868

Address and Location
Butts, McCafferty, Reynolds House
129 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Because of its early date of construction, the residence at 129 East Linn may have served as a prototype for the many other Folk Victorian style homes built in Bellefonte by Charles McCafferty, who for 20 years, served as the major Victorian builder in town. The home was originally begun by J. B. Butts, but still an unfinished house frame, when purchased by Charles McCafferty in 1870. Banker William F. Reynolds, who merged the Reynolds Bank with the Jackson Crider Bank to become the Bellefonte Trust Company, purchased the property from McCafferty in 1873, a decade before McCafferty built the Reynolds Mansion on West Linn Street for Reynolds.

Tour Stop 16 – Hayes-Hicks House

Year Established
1875

Address and Location
Hayes-Hicks House
163 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Several homes on East Linn Street, including the one at 163 were constructed by Morris Cowdrick as investments for Dr. Thomas Hayes, a prominent Bellefonte physician who served as founding member and President of the Centre County Medical Society and Vice President of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. He was also the author of the Medical History of Centre County. This particular property was sold to local merchant Harry Hicks in 1876 and repurchased by Dr. Hayes in 1879, when Hicks ran into financial trouble. The home was later purchased by W. L. Daggett, who was the manager/proprietor of the Bush House, who made changes in the front porch, a change that makes the property appear very different from its sister houses.

Tour Stop 17 – The Queen, Bed and Breakfast

Year Established
1875

Address and Location
The Queen, Bed and Breakfast
176 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Tour Stop 17 -John Ardell Jr. House, / Our Fair Lady Bed and Breakfast

Year Established
1884

Address and Location
John Ardell Jr. House, / Our Fair Lady Bed and Breakfast
313 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The home which John R. Ardell Jr., the principal lumber baron of the Black Moshannan area built for himself in Bellefonte which also served as the headquarters of all his business operations, reflects his total immersion in the lumbering industry. It also showcases the locally produced architectural elements which his company sold. His Starr Mill, staffed by as many as 300 men, located in what is now Black Moshannon State Park, had the capacity to produce 4 million board feet of lumber a year. The opulent details in the interior of the residence, including curved doors with stained glass panels, arched doors and massive fireplaces have all been retained through several restorations. The current owners met when Mrs. Schuster was playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and her husband was involved in making the sets for the production.

Tour Stop 19 – Edward R. Chambers and Mary Pennypacker Worth Chambers House

Year Established
1887

Address and Location
Edward R. Chambers and Mary Pennypacker Worth Chambers House
329 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The land on which the home at 329 East Linn Street is located was owned by Dr. Thomas R. Hayes, one of the many investments he made along the street. Two years after she married Edward Randolf Chambers, a local criminal attorney, Hayes sold the property to Mary Pennypacker Worth Chambers, to begin construction on the house. The architecture is considered to be the only extant example of an Italianate Villa adaptation of a Victorian building in Bellefonte. Mr. Chambers continued to practice law in Bellefonte until he was appointed to a position in the auditor generals office in 1899. In 1903, Pennsylvania Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker made Chambers a member of his military staff with the rank of Colonel.

Tour Stop 20 – Judge Walker House

Year Established
1888

Address and Location
Judge Walker House
337 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Even though this home was built by Ed Garman, who also built the Garman Opera House, Edgefont and other prominent Bellefonte buildings, it is usually referred to as the Judge Walker House. The property served as a residence for the Walker family from 1923 to 1974, encompassing the period when Judge Walker presided over the Centre County Court during the years 1938 through 1957. The Walkers enlarged the house with an additional bedroom, bath and sleeping porch, which the Judge used to sleep in the maximum amount of fresh air during his retirement. During a series of restorations, the sunrise stained glass window in the stairway, several fireplaces and other original detailed have been retained.

Tour Stop 21 – Rhoads/Orvis/Dale House

Year Established
1877

Address and Location
Rhoads/Orvis/Dale House
347 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The residence at 347 East Linn is best known as the home for four prominent judges in Centre County: Judge Daniel Rhoads, its original owner, who never lived in the house, Judge Ellis L. Orvis, the homes second owner who bought the home for his father, Judge John H. Orvis, and Judge Arthur Dale, who owned the home for the longest period of continuous ownership. After a devastating fire in 1994 made the home unlivable, the Dale family scheduled the property for demolition. However, fate stepped in and the Stewart family worked on restoring the property for nearly two years. The residence retained its exterior shell, but was completely remodeled inside to suit todays contemporary lifestyle.

Tour Stop 22 – Montgomery House

Year Established
1894

Address and Location
Montgomery House
375 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Completed in 1894, this property was built by Joseph Montgomery, as a family home for his parents and siblings, prior to founding the Pennsylvania Match Factory in 1899 with partners Fountain Crider and W. Fred Reynolds. The demand for diversification in Bellefonte industry had begun, with two planning mills and other factories transitioning to produce end products rather than just planed lumber. New production machinery brought in by a competitor illustrated how efficient the production of matches could be. This innovation was particularly important, given the nearly endless lumber resources surrounding Bellefonte. The meticulously preserved home is still graced with the stained glass windows and gleaming woodwork that was installed nearly 125 years ago.

Tour Stop 23 – Isabella Richard House

Year Established
1888

Address and Location
Isabella Richard House
384 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Little is known about the family who lived in this residence, except that the property was built for Isabella H. and Frederick C. Richard. The style of the home is very representative of the buildings constructed by Charles McCafferty during the 1870s and 1880s, with a steep gabled room paralleling the street, projecting bay windows, and a second gable facing a perpendicular street on an L-shaped portion of the house. A one story porch is often nestled into the void of the L-plan. The basic design of this home is repeated many times throughout Bellefonte, yet each property is distinguished by its colors, trim and other ornate details, to create an individualized, yet cohesive historic district.

Tour Stop 24 – Rockey House

Year Established
1873

Address and Location
Rockey House
390 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Another Bellefonte residence which survived a devastating fire and still stands proudly, is located at 390 East Linn Street. The history of the property dates from 1769 when the parcel on which it stands was first purchased from the original land grantors. The home itself was most recently purchased by the Rockeys from Mrs. Rockeys grandmother who owned it for more than 50 years. As the couple worked through a comprehensive restoration, they stripped away more than a century of paint from wainscoating, removed several layers of wallpaper and rewired the entire house. They also used restored family antiques as furnishings.

Tour Stop 25 – Dr. Hugh Rogers House

Year Established
1888

Address and Location
Dr. Hugh Rogers House
403 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The massive home located at 403 East Linn Street stands on land once owned by Revolutionary War General Philip Benner, the pioneer ironmaster in the Bellefonte area. The land was later bequeathed to Ruth Benner and her husband Major James Armor who sold the property to J. Kyle McFarlane, to begin construction on the house. As part of a large intertwined family, Mr. McFarlane was the nephew of Colonel McFarlane who operated a hardware store in what is now the Crider Ex-change. His partner, Philip Benner Wilson was General Benners grandson and the brother-in-law of John Blair Linn, historian of Centre and Clinton counties.

Tour Stop 26A – Calvin Bower House

Year Established
1884

Address and Location
Calvin Bower House
423 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The original owner of this home, a Bellefonte attorney, built the interior and exterior in Victorian Eastlake style, covering the inside with plenty of opulent carved wood and intricate detail. When the current owners purchased the home in 1996, even though the fine wood detailing had been mostly removed, they were thrilled to locate many of the original pieces including a fireplace mantle and surrounds, and parts of the original stairway, stored in the attic. Using the pieces they discovered as patterns, they were able to rebuild the original staircase and return the interior to its original glory.

Tour Stop 27 – John Conrad Miller House

Year Established
1891

Address and Location
John Conrad Miller House
553 East Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Visitors have told the owners of this residence that walking into the home is like going back in time, which the owners, who are avid antique collectors, consider a supreme complement. Originally constructed for John Conrad Miller, owner of a local quarry, the interior of the home was not changed significantly when it remained in the Miller family for over 100 years. When the current owners purchased the property, the Victorian heritage of the house was kept firmly in mind through restorations with authentic paint colors, wallpapers and fixtures throughout. Stained glass hand made by the homea�s current owner now appears in nearly all 34 windows in the house.

Tour Stop 28 – Reynolds Mansion / Reynolds Mansion Bed and Breakfast

Year Established
1883

Address and Location
Reynolds Mansion / Reynolds Mansion Bed and Breakfast
101 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

This opulent mansion, termed the best Bed and Breakfast establishment near a University by the very selective Select Registry of Distinguished Inns in North America, was constructed by Major William Reynolds, who founded the Reynolds Bank. At the cutting edge in its time, a workable central heating system was fueled by additional fireplaces in the basement. The property was later occupied by Colonel W. Fred Reynolds, who was instrumental in locating the Diamond Match Company in Bellefonte. Later used a church, the mansion is now a totally restored, gracious Bed and Breakfast.

Tour Stop 29 – Evan Blanchard House

Year Established
1868

Address and Location
Evan Blanchard House
129 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Now divided into offices and apartments, this lovely mansion was constructed by a Bellefonte lawyer. Most interestingly, the stable at the rear of the house was remodeled by Blanchards sister Mary in the early 1900s and used as a Basket Shop for the manufacturer of baskets sold in Philadelphia, Boston and New York, as well as locally. Government regulations forced Mary to close the operation in 1930. When in operation, flowers completely surrounded the little cottage and ran down the alley known as Hollyhock due to the profusion of flowers that emerged every summer. The detailing on the front of the house has been changed several times, from a much more straight lined Italianate version with quoined corners and a wooden porch, to much more detailed gingerbread bracketing. The paint colors have also changed several times over the years.

Tour Stop 30 – J. H. Lingle House

Year Established
1887

Address and Location
J. H. Lingle House
204 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

J. H Lingle built his house at 204 West Linn before he partnered with W. R. Jenkins, John P. Harris, Judge Ellis Orvis, and J. L. Montgomery to form the Bellefonte Power and Hammer Company, an expansion of the original foundry and machine shop he owned between Lamb and High Streets. The company upgraded the then abandoned Bellefonte Car Works, demolishing some of the existing buildings, enlarging others and constructing selected new facilities, to house an operation which employed 25 men by 1904. Under Lingles leadership, the company invented square stroke hammers, which were a big improvement over older style hammers used in the iron industry, enabling the company to thrive for several years.

Tour Stop 31 – Clemson House

Year Established
1850

Address and Location
Clemson House
217 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Originally thought to have been built in the Georgian style, traced back to the Harris family of early Bellefonte, the house also has an affiliation with Dr. Stuart, a local dentist who practiced in the late 1800s. The residence served as apartment homes for decades before the owners decided to reconvert the property back to a single family home with 16 rooms. If the house was actually Georgian architecture to begin with, the Second Empire mansard roof would have been added in the 1860s. During restoration, the Clemsons restored the homes original fixtures, salvaged and restored the floors and reopened and restored the many fireplaces.

Tour Stop 32 – Judge Burnside House

Year Established
1869

Address and Location
Judge Burnside House
229 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Sitting high above Spring Creek, the Burnside/McCoy house was named Pisgah, in reference to the mountain from which Moses was allowed to view the Promised Land. The house was originally three stories, with the Queen Anne style upper floor added in the late 1890s. The home, its former summer kitchen and servant quarters, now converted into a caretakers cottage, take up a whole block of landscaped grounds. The 16 rooms in the house have been furnished in period appropriate antiques and all six fireplaces have been restored to working order.

Tour Stop 33 – Judge Furst House

Year Established
1867

Address and Location
Judge Furst House
237 West Linn Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Bellefonte was home to 12 judges over the years and many of those prominent citizens lived on both East and West Linn Street. The Judge Furst House was occupied by Judge Austin Furst from 1884 1894 and then by Judge James Furst, from 1927 1928. The residence stayed in the extended family until 1979, a 112-year tenure of one family, which is very unusual in the historic mansions of Bellefonte. The Federal period house was built by local contractor Charles McCafferty and sold to A.C. Furst for $8,000. The family added a large rear section to house their growing family, which has now been converted into a two story apartment and a separate apartment on the third floor.

Tour Stop 34 – Valentine House

Year Established
1870

Address and Location
Valentine House
105 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Following a devastating fire in 2008, the former Valentine family property has been lovingly restored by two Penn State professors who essentially built a new house inside the old structure and awarded the 25th Anniversary Historic Preservation Award for the effort. One of many Valentine mansions in the area, the familys affiliation with Bellefonte began in 1815 when six Valentine brothers migrated from Chester County to lease John Dunlops iron furnace. They went on to become the most successful iron producing family in the Bellefonte Area and a powerhouse in agriculture in the region. The family also was responsible for constructing many community buildings and organizations as well.

Tour Stop 35 – Andrew Curtin House

Year Established
1883

Address and Location
Andrew Curtin House
127 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The finely detailed Victorian home at 127 East Curtin was built by Andrew Gregg Curtin, Jr., son of ironmaster Roland Curtin who founded the Eagle Iron Works, now the Curtin Village Historic Site. Contrary to some biographies, Andrew Gregg Curtin, Jr. was not the son of the Civil War Governor as the name would suggest. Along with his father, Curtin, Jr., formed Loeb and Company in Bellefonte and was also involved with Bellefonte Glass Works. In 1874 when his father and uncle retired from R. C. and J. Curtin Iron Works, Andrew Gregg Curtin, Jr. formed Curtin and Company and served as its general superintendent until 1890. Upon his death, this home was sold to William S. Chambers.

Tour Stop 36 – J. C. Meyer Home

Year Established
1895

Address and Location
J. C. Meyer Home
135 East Curtin
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Before becoming an apartment house with four apartments, this late Victorian home had a series of interesting owners including C.M. Parrish, of the Parrish Apothecary Shop, W. P. Sieg, founder and president of Titan Metal, and W. J. Moerschbacher, former Centre County Commissioner. Over the years, the property has been allowed to retain much of its original architectural flavor, with wrap around porches and a unique bay window on the third floor. The brick exterior cladding has been retained on the first floor, with siding now covering the upper floors. Inside, a massive reception room with a heavily carved ceiling and mirror nearly covering one wall, has been left intact.

Tour Stop 37 – Dr. Joseph Ward Home

Year Established
1897

Address and Location
Dr. Joseph Ward Home
143 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Going against the trend to convert Bellefontes home to apartments when they passed out of the original family ownership, the property at 143 East Curtin has been restored to a single family home. Dr. Joseph E. Ward studied at Baltimore Dental College, before returning to Bellefonte, to become one of Bellefontes leading dentists. Very active in the community, he was a member of the Bellefonte School Board and steward of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The original redwood doors and woodwork inside the house has been restored and period appropriate parquet floors reinstalled. Signed plasterwork, as was the custom of the day, confirm the construction date of house as 1897.

Tour Stop 38 – Joseph Brothers and Company House

Year Established
1890

Address and Location
Joseph Brothers and Company House
153 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

In early 1890, Sigismund Joseph, Emil Joseph, and Herman Holz, purchased a large lot on East Curtin Street, while they still operated a jewelry story in the McBride building, and ultimately built three homes, before going on to become the strongest mercantile partnerships in Bellefonte. In addition to these three structures, they were responsible for construction of at least one tenant house in Bellefonte. By 1891, the homes were all occupied by Emil Joseph, listed as a merchant, and attorneys S. D. Ray, and J. C. Meyer. The Joseph brothers were also involved in the construction of a commercial building to house their own company. Emil Joseph also owned a home at the corner of Howard and Spring Streets, and a home on Allegheny Street.

Tour Stop 39 – Samuel Shaffer House

Year Established
1891

Address and Location
Samuel Shaffer House
191 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The property at 191 East Curtin is one of the many homes designed and built by famed Bellefonte architect Robert Cole, who was responsible for most of the commercial buildings of the era in Bellefonte. Designed with wood paneled ceilings, stained glass windows and spectacular chandeliers, this home was built for Samuel Shaffer, who served as the superintendent of an area lime and stone company and as an Elder of the Presbyterian Church. The enormous front porch was common in the late Victorian era, enabling residents to sit on their front porch to become a part of the street community on which they lived.

Tour Stop 40 – William Jasper Nichols House

Year Established
1891

Address and Location
William Jasper Nichols House
337 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Originally built for the manager of the Berwind-White Coal Company Snow Shoe Works, the property at 337 East Curtin has an absolutely fascinating history. William Nichols was an author who developed authoritative mining treatises as well as two novels, including The Daughters of Suffolk a historical romance about Lady Jane Gray, Englands nine day queen. Architect Minerva Parker Nichols was one of the few woman architects to practice in the 19th century. She later submitted an award winning design for the Queen Isabella Pavilion at the Columbian Exposition in 1892. The house was also the setting for The House on Curtin Street, a fictionalized account of the construction of the house written by Millie Ragosta, who lived in the house between 1976 and 1983, and published by Doubleday.

Tour Stop 41 – Ada and Augustus Hoover House

Year Established
1884

Address and Location
Ada and Augustus Hoover House
352 East Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The property at 352 East Curtin and the one next door were built as rental units, by Ada and Augusta Hoover, who owned a coal company. When the homes were completed, the Hoovers were still living in a larger home in Bellefontes North Ward. The first occupants were listed as Editor, George R. Bible and D. A. Etters, a local teacher. Milton Furey, author of Past and Present of Clinton County published in 1892, also lived in the property. By 1890, the Hoovers had moved to the matching property at 350 East Curtin. The properties are architecturally significant because they represent a trend away from the Italianate detailing so popular in Bellefonte to the Queen Anne characteristics that would become so prominent in the finely detailed homes built between 1890 and the turn of the century.

Tour Stop 42 – Annie Natt House

Year Established
1882

Address and Location
Annie Natt House
127 West Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Real estate, especially rental property, has always been considered a good investment, which led the Presbyterian Church to commission the building of 137 West Curtin as a source of income for Widow Mary Stuart Steele Gordon. James Dunlop, direct ancestor of Mrs. Gordon had included a plot for the church in the original town plan and family members had contributed a great deal to the church over the years. This left the church feeling obligated to look after the well being of Mrs. Gordon when she was widowed. After she passed away, the property was owned by retired Civil War officer John Irvin Curtin and Jesse Stutzman, a warden at the Rockview Prison outside Bellefonte. The current owners have returned the house to a family home, restored the interior architectural elements and furnished the house with interesting antiques and family pieces

Tour Stop 43 – Mary Stuart Steele Gordon House

Year Established
1871

Address and Location
Mary Stuart Steele Gordon House
137 West Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The property located at 127 West Curtin was apparently constructed for Mrs. Annie Natt to, at the close of her life, be closer to the homes of her daughters, who had married into the Valentine family, since it is located within blocks of their residences. Little is known about Mrs. Natts own life, other than she and her husband were originally from England. The home planned for this lot on early plots had a front facing gable and only one bay on the side, which would have made it much smaller than the present structure. It was also clad with stylish architectural elements, likely due to the affiliation of the property with the Valentine family.

Tour Stop 44 – S. Stewart Lyon House / Counsel House

Year Established
1872

Address and Location
S. Stewart Lyon House / Counsel House
205 West Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Both Mr. Lyon and his wife Annie were descendants of prominent Bellefonte ironmasters: S. Stewart Lyon was the son of John Lyon, founder of Lyon, Shorb and Company rolling mill established in 1825 on the Monongahela River across from Pittsburgh, and Annie, the daughter of Abraham Valentine, who invented the first iron ore washer which greatly decreased the time and expense of processing iron ore before smelting. Records show that the home was actually built by her brother Bond Valentine. Mr. Lyon was elected Burgess of Bellefonte in 1877, a position the equivalent of todays title of Mayor. After Annies death, the house passed to William Burnside, who had married into the Valentine family and then to John Porter Lyon, whose descendants owned it until it was pur-chased by Counseling Service, Inc, as the location of its counseling practice.

Tour Stop 45 – Evan Pugh House

Year Established
1871

Address and Location
Evan Pugh House
223 West Curtin Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Some histories of Bellefonte consider the at 223 West Curtin the home of Evan Pugh, the first President of Penn State. It was not, since he passed away from complications from a fall in 1864 shortly after his marriage to Rebecca Valentine Pugh. The property was built in 1871 by Robert McKnight for the widow Pugh, her brother Harry and her sister Clara. It was retained in the family for more than 80 years. Following a fire, vandalizing and rain damage, the current owners took over a 108 year old, fire-charred, water-soaked, and ax-gouged house and rendered an absolute miracle, bringing the property back with a complete restoration with some portion of the original detailing, still intact.

Tour Stop 46 – Harris-Gryctko House

Year Established
1899

Address and Location
Harris-Gryctko House
126 North Spring Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

James Harris, of Harris and Potter Hardware, was the grandson of Bellefonte founder, James Harris. His wife, Lavinia Catherine Slaymaker, had come to Bellefonte three years earlier, to take over the private school started by Mrs. Rueben Valentine. They lived next door while the property was being completed. Since the Harrisa had no children, the home descended to cousins Anna H. Hoy, Agnes L. Orbison, and Eleanor T. O. Beach. Between the years 1921 to 1946, the property was owned by Dr. Nissly, who implemented the first series of architectural changes. The Gryctkos purchased the home in 1946 and dramatically altered the property in 1948, gutting the original duplex configuration, creating four apartments and changing the exterior to its present day appearance.

Tour Stop 47 – William and Ella Storm House

Year Established
1893

Address and Location
William and Ella Storm House
250 North Spring
Bellefonte, PA
16823

William Storm, for whom the property at 250 North Spring was originally built, served as the local barber located under the First National Bank and later in the Bush Arcade. After Mr. Miller moved to Seattle, where he resided until his death, the house passed to other owners. This particular property, unique in design in Bellefonte, reflects many of the architectural elements illustrated in Turn of the Century Houses, Cottages and Villas published by The Cooperative Building Plan Association of New York. The oculus windows, asymmetrical gable, corbelled chimney and hipped dormer are all illustrated in this pattern book outlining elements used in Victorian homes between 1880 and 1890.

Tour Stop 48 – Charles McCafferty House

Year Established
1883

Address and Location
Charles McCafferty House
441 North Spring Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Charles McCafferty was well known in Bellefonte as the premier builder of many of the residences and commercial buildings, including a large number of the homes on Linn and Curtin Streets. Mr. McCafferty came into much of his own wealth and clientele through his first wife, who was the daughter of James Williams, a descendant of James Harris and Ann Dunlop. In the late 1800s, the Harris family still owned an undeveloped portion of Curtin and Linn streets, and charged Mr. McCafferty with its development. The Folk Victorian house at 441 North Spring was building as his personal residence where he lived from 1883 to 1887 and then used as an office building for nearly thirty more years. It was restored as a bed and breakfast before being transformed back into a family home.

Tour Stop 49A – Bellefonte Hospital

Year Established
1902

Address and Location
Bellefonte Hospital
113 South Spring Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The first hospital in Bellefonte was incorporated by a handful of successful, local physicians, including Dr. James Siebert and Dr. Thomas Hayes, the home of which were located earlier on this tour. The facility at 113 South Spring Street was begun with 6 beds in 1902. After more than 100 years and a few name changes, the hospital has grown into the state-of-the-art Mount Nittany Medical Center, which focuses on a singular mission of providing superior care to the communities it serves. The facility in Bellefonte evolved into the Willowbank branch of Mount Nittany, which is a leader in healthcare, with a 260-bed acute care facility offering medical, surgical, diagnostic and community services. Both the property and the carriage house located directly behind the original hospital, have been restored.

Tour Stop 50 – Daniel G. Bush House

Year Established
1867

Address and Location
Daniel G. Bush House
123 South Spring Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Daniel Bush, very much a self-made man arrived in Bellefonte in 1856 at age 30 to complete his preparation for the Bar after having overcome a childhood of adversity and poverty to obtain an education. His law practice with George Yocum in Bellefonte took in the young Daniel Hastings, who passed the bar without attending college and later became Governor of Pennsylvania. Instead of running for political office, after having been nominated multiple times, Bush spent his energy on constructing the Bush Arcade, the Bush House and several residences in Bellefonte, before erecting a block of three brick buildings known as the McClain Block. In addition to his own residence, Bush was involved in the construction of as many as sixty frame houses in Bellefonte.

Tour Stop 51 – William L. and Harriet Steel House

Year Established
1890

Address and Location
William L. and Harriet Steel House
311 South Spring Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

William Lonberger Steele, who is noted as a carpenter by trade on the deed of purchase for the land at 311 South Spring Street, likely served as the contractor for his own home. Upon his death, his obituary notes that he was responsible for quite a number of Bellefontes best buildings, monuments of his skill and efficiency. The structure is very representative of the late Victorian Queen Anne style seen in so many locations, even though in this case, salvaged building materials appear to have been added to the porch and exterior to add interest. John McCargar, who purchased the property in 1919 may have been responsible for the garage construction as well as the changes in porch design.

Tour Stop 52 – Albert C. Mingle House

Year Established
1888

Address and Location
Albert C. Mingle House
132 East High Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Born in 1854 in nearby Aaronsburg, Albert C. Mingle was a well-known retail boot and shoe dealer in Bellefonte, continuing in business for more than 50 years. After he married Maggie Hoffer of Centre Hall he was elected Mayor of Bellefonte, served on the Bellefonte School Board and was a continuing member of the Bellefonte Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, serving as Worshipful Master in 1893. In addition to these important community activities, Mingle served as Vice President and member of the Board of Directors of the Bellefonte Trust Company, and president of the Chemical Lime Company. His home at 132 East High Street is a good example of the trends in architecture that were occurring in Bellefonte in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

Tour Stop 53 – Isaac and Harry S. Miller House

Year Established
1897

Address and Location
Isaac and Harry S. Miller House
456 East High Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Between 1865 and 1915, Isaac Miller worked as a building contractor for many Bellefonte properties including the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, Bush Arcade, Temple Court, the present I. O. O. F. building, Brockerhoff Hotel, the A. M. E. Church, the United Brethren Church, the Col. W. F. Reynolds home, Robert Valentine home on Curtin Street, the Warfield home on Curtin Street, and the Orvis Home on Linn Street. In 1915, he was elected a Centre County commissioner serving in that role until 1919. Three of his sons continued the building construction business until 1936. His last construction project appears to have been remodeling Bellefonte Armory to serve for educational purposes. The decorative Queen Anne home at 456 East High Street, constructed by Isaac Miller, was presumably built for his son Harry.

Tour Stop 54 – Curtin Residence

Year Established
1868

Address and Location
Curtin Residence
120 West High Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

This particular Curtin residence was the home of Andrew Gregg Curtin who served as the first Republican Governor of Pennsylvania from 1861-1867, but may have been more famous in his era as the organizer of the famed Pennsylvania Reserves, who saved the US Capitol from capture by Confederate troops following the first battle of Bull Run. He was a friend of President Abraham Lincoln and worked extensively for his election. After he returned to Bellefonte from Harrisburg, Curtin was involved in virtually every development of any significance in Bellefonte. The house is a superb example of Tuscan revival architecture, complete with bracketing. The front porch, added by the Elks who purchase the property in 1906, was constructed from piers of a viaduct that previously stood over Spring Creek.

Tour Stop 55 – Presbyterian Manse

Year Established
1881

Address and Location
Presbyterian Manse
201 West High Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The Manse constructed by the Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte, located at 201 West High Street replaced the residence of Reverend Dr. James Linn, who served as pastor from 1810 to 1868. His son Judge Samuel Linn, whom Linn Street was named after, was a prominent judge in Pennsylvania. The building, which also housed the First National Bank at one point, is a mixture of architectural styles, including Victorian Gothic, 8th or 9th Century Romanesque, Greek pilasters and even some Egyptian accents, all combined to produce a picturesque effect. The building is presently divided into law offices.

Tour Stop 56 – Samuel M. Vonada House

Year Established
1895

Address and Location
Samuel M. Vonada House
401 East Howard Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The residence at 401 East Howard Street represents a different type of architecture than many of the larger residences in Bellefonte historic neighborhoods. The simpler, less ornate property is a very good example of the tasteful Victorian ornamentation that was used on homes of the less affluent. There is speculation that the property could have originally been constructed as tenant housing. Owner Samuel Vonada, a delivery wagon driver for the Bellefonte Lumber Company and employee of the Ardell Lumber Company, took over ownership of the house in 1895, the height of Victorian prosperity in Bellefonte.

Tour Stop 57 – East Howard Union Cemetery Gatehouse

Year Established
1859

Address and Location
Dunlop House / Diven House
140-143 W High Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

Situated on Howard Street, at the main entrance of the Union Cemetery, some historians believe this building once served as a law office for Andrew Gregg Curtin and that it may have been moved from the Crider Exchange Block on North Allegheny Street to its current location. An alternative history states that it was in 1859, indeed the gatehouse to the cemetery and home of the cemetery’s superintendent. Whichever is true does not take away from the completely unique appearance of the property itself serving as the gate to the Howard Street entrance to the cemetery. The front gables with their downward-pointing decorations are in of the Folk Victorian style.

Tour Stop 58A – Henry and Harriet Lowry House

Year Established
1901

Address and Location
Henry and Harriet Lowry House
401 East Howard Street
Bellefonte, PA
16823

The multitude of large, very detailed and prestigious historic homes in Bellefonte required a large number of very skilled building contractors to do the work. Henry Lowry was another well known Bellefonte contractor and builder, with a long career during which he built a number of homes and other buildings in Bellefonte and vicinity including several large fraternity houses in State College. One of his last major jobs in Bellefonte was the remodeling of the Methodist Church. During most of his life he resided in this house on East Bishop Street which he built as a young man. He also built a frame house on Logan Street for himself and under the firm name Hunter and Lowry, constructed four other homes valued at approximately $1000 each.