by Eric White
For the second anniversary of Hearts in the Highlands, the Editorial Board (Anne Cornell, Peg Hambrick, Gary Miller, and Eric White) chose to share with our readers eight vintage photographs of the Highlands. We hope you enjoyed viewing the Highlands as they once were. Change is certainly evident: farmland is now filled with houses and buildings of various styles; streets are paved; sewage and water supply have been modernized; sidewalks are in place.
The Highlands community attracts a wide variety of people. Some stay for a few years and move on; some come for career opportunities and then move when circumstances dictate; others leave and return; and, some stay for their entire lives. Located due south of a world-class university, the Highlands neighborhood was sure to grow as the University expanded and as proximity to downtown State College and the University was increasingly valued.
As we view these vintage pictures, we know that some of the structures have disappeared from the landscape; others survive to this day. This will continue to be the case as houses and other buildings need to be re-purposed or replaced to meet changing needs. How the Highlands will look in the future depends upon what we as citizens of the Borough want for the Highlands.
But no matter the future, it is quite clear that Highlanders, one of the most diverse residential populations in the Borough, enjoy their history, the religious and social service organizations that have chosen the Highlands as their home, and the commercial establishments that we patronize. Ultimately, it is all of us who are the hearts of the Highlands and make it the community that it is.
[click on image for details]
Vintage photography with captions are courtesy of Vonnie Henninger. Eric White chairs the “Hearts in the Highlands” Editorial Board.