A Centre County historical site that once covered 30-thousand acres as an iron manufacturing community is under new ownership, with new challenges.
Gary Sinderson explains.
For many, with your busy schedules,you may have missed it this past weekend. But Sunday was National Log Cabin Day
National Log Cabin Day at Curtin Village in Centre County, log cabins, some dating back two hundred years, once housed employees for the Eagle Iron Works
“It is crucial to the history of Centre County. There was as many as twenty iron furnaces in Centre County in the 19th century. Eagle Iron Works is the longest operating coal fired furnace in Pennsylvania,if not the Nation”
Today there’s still 140 acres of history here. In the past year, maintaining the history though has taken a turn. Decades ago the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, which has owned Curtin Village, began divesting historic properties statewide.
Those properties were listed by importance
“The Curtain Village was placed on the least important site list. Since the 1980’s they have been divesting properties to the tune, I think 30 properties have gone out of their holdings. This will probably be the last to go out of their holdings because its is the largest, and by value, the most valuable”
Earlier this year, the Roland Curtin Foundation, which has operated the site for years,signed an agreement with the state to take over ownership. Now it means an added challenge for the foundation
“We need to raise funds. We need more volunteers and initiate programs that are of interest to the public.”
