Welcome to Hearts in the Highlands! Thank you for visiting.
Hearts in the Highlands is a feature of the Highlands Civic Association Website dedicated to publishing stories about all the amazing facets that make up the Highlands: its history, its people (past and present), its architecture, its religious and cultural institutions, its schools, and its businesses. We hope you will enjoy reading the articles that we post and will return to read other pieces.
We plan to publish new articles as they become available, so sign up for the Highlands Civic Association’s email group when new articles are posted. If you have any suggestions for articles that you would like to see as part of Hearts in the Highlands, please do not hesitate to contact any one on the Editorial Board (below).
Editorial Board: Cathleen Cahill (cdcahill@gmail.com), Anne Cornell (Anne.Cornell@gmail.com), Peg Hambrick (peg.hambrick@gmail.com), Mary McGuire (maryshaymcguire@gmail.com), Josh Portney (joshportney1@gmail.com), Sandy Stelts (sks5@psu.edu), Eric White (erw2@psu.edu)
Opinions expressed in these essays are those of the authors.
- Alpha Phi at Penn State: A Home in the HighlandsBy Kiera Cannon While walking down Fraternity Row in State College, the Alpha Phi house stands as a familiar part of the Highlands neighborhood. For many residents, the large homes … Continued
- Searching for a Highlands ConnectionDoes architect Gregory Ain have a connection to the Highlands?
- Charles Schlow’s Library LegacyWhy is our library named after this State College businessman?
- John HamiltonThis is a reprint from the Centre County Historical Society Encyclopedia. By William Blair John Hamilton was one of the most influential leaders in the early history of Penn State … Continued
- Holiday Recipes from your Highland NeighborsChocolate Pepper Cookies — From Margaret Sebastianelli, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe Peanut Blossoms — From the Kitchen of Helen Kearney Peppermint Mocha Cookies — Adapted From Sally’s Baking … Continued
- A Ramble Through the Highlands: Part TwoBy Katherine Joyce Photos by Bethany Haag A few months ago, back in May, I embarked on creating a bit of a travel piece: to follow the Highlands historic neighborhood … Continued
- CamelotThis is a reprint from the Centre County Historical Society Encyclopedia. By Anna Ludwig Camelot is a whimsical, fairytale-like home in State College that is on the National Register of … Continued
- A Ramble Through the Highlands: Part OneBy Katherine Joyce Photos by Bethany Haag I am a native Pennsylvanian, but I’m writing this article from northern Kentucky, where I’ve taken an internship for the summer. Just approaching … Continued
- The Delta Program – An Alternative Education in State College: A HistoryPart II By Zachariah Hamer-Lang Delta’s Time in the Fairmount Building From 1981 to 2019 the Delta Program was located in the historic Fairmount Building located on 411 South Fraser … Continued
- The Delta Program – An Alternative Education in State College: A HistoryPart I By Zachariah Hamer-Lang After moving to State College in 2019, I began my senior year of high school during the fall of 2021. I left the entirely online … Continued
- Stevenson Whitcomb Fletcher: A Legacy of Agricultural LeadershipBy Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT)*** ***: So far, all of the authors for the Hearts in the Highlands articles you have read are real people. This time we are trying something … Continued
- Jacqueline Rogers and the Making of a Francophile CommunityBy Rebecca E. Rogers Jacqueline Rogers (maiden name Ragner) arrived in State College with Thomas Hunton Rogers in 1961 when the University hired my father to teach fiction writing in … Continued
- 406 South Pugh Street: From Fraternity House to Non-Profit Mental Health Resource CenterBy Adrienne Ott On Monday, October 7, 2024, the State College Borough Council approved a $1.5 million construction loan for the State College Borough Redevelopment Authority’s adaptive reuse project of … Continued
- New Little Library on East HamiltonBy Star Campbell When you are out in the neighborhood, check out the new little library at 617 East Hamilton Avenue, in front of the First Church of Christ, Scientist … Continued
- Honoring 100-plus Homes in the HighlandsBy Peg Hambrick Hearts in the Highlands is ending the year with a look backward. Because the Highlands neighborhood experienced a residential building “heyday” coinciding with the development of Penn … Continued
- Behind the Street Names: How They Tell the Story of the Growth of the HighlandsBy Shane McGinness The Highlands is one of the several neighborhoods in the municipality of State College. It is also a very large neighborhood. How large? There are approximately 60 … Continued
- Sergei Utechin: A Global HighlanderBy Anastasiia Popova Sergei Vasil’evich Utechin, a historian of Russian history at Penn State, resided in Highlands from 1971 to 1976, and that was probably the quietest part of his … Continued
- Art Imitates Life in the HighlandsBy Ann Pangborn As an artist living in The Highlands neighborhood for almost forty years, I find inspiration everywhere, every single day. I am primarily a fiber artist, using wool and … Continued
- A Portrait of a Pennsylvania Artist: Stuart H. FrostBy Katherine Joyce Stuart H. Frost was a quintessentially Pennsylvanian muralist who left quiet traces of his genius behind him. He traveled the world, spreading his art to places as … Continued
- Memorial FieldHere is a repost about Memorial Field from the Centre County Historical Society Encyclopedia. By Ronald A. Smith Memorial Field is the historic home of State College Area High School … Continued
- The Highlands and the Manhattan ProjectBy Carol White and Linda White We have always been interested in the Manhattan Project, as our family was almost involved with it. We’d like to share the family story … Continued
- Neighbor to Neighbor Benefits All Highlands ResidentsBy Dina Liberatore The Highlands community is composed of such a diverse array of people – young and old; students, faculty/staff and retired persons; people who own homes and people … Continued
- Voting in the Highlands: Election 2023 and BeyondBy Rick Gilmore All of us shape the future through our actions large and small. One way to shape the future of public policy is to vote. This article provides … Continued
- ‘When Passion and Purpose Converge’: Good Day Cafe Celebrates 5 YearsNote: This article was originally published by StateCollege.com and is reprinted with their permission. Hearts in the Highlands is pleased that the Good Day Cafe in Hamilton Square is part … Continued
- A Forever Home in the Highlandsby Lorie Waters When my husband and I moved back to State College in 2014, we figured it would just be for a couple of years while he established his … Continued
- Highlands Pet ParadeCelebrating Hearts in the Highlands’ 6th anniversary…let the pets eat cake!
- The Home to the Schlow Centre Region LibraryOur Highlands neighborhood, by virtue of its Beaver Avenue boundary on its north side, enjoys the distinction of being the home to the Schlow Centre Region Library. Here is a … Continued
- Welcome to the New East Fairmount Park: The Park Our Community Builtby Eric R. White History On December 10, 1925, J. W. and Anne T. H. Henszey sold a plot of land to be used as open space and for park, … Continued
- Having a Neighborhood Picnic/Street Party in the Borough of State Collegeby Clare Hinrichs and Mark Bergstrom We moved to the East Highlands neighborhood close to 18 years ago and were immediately charmed that our neighbors had a late summer neighborhood … Continued
- Fond Memories of a Neighborhood Playgroundby Linda White Growing up on East Foster Avenue in the early 1960’s, I had the good fortune to be able to spend my days at Fairmount Avenue Playground, as it … Continued
- Highlands Church Celebrates Centennialby Ellen Nagy Hello, Highlands Neighbors. There is a Centennial Celebration going on in the Highlands neighborhood this year! One of your neighbors—the University Baptist and Brethren Church (UBBC) —is … Continued
- Life in the Highlands: You Ought to Be in Picturesproduced by Mark, Valerie, and Maxwell Katsouros In 2021, Highlanders shared photos of the Highlands neighborhood throughout the four seasons. Our neighbors, Mark, Valerie, and Maxwell Katsouros generously donated their … Continued
- What Came Before the Highlands?by Ishaan Anavkar The Highlands District of State College today has a rich history of growth and immigration, but being one of the oldest in the town, one wonders how … Continued
- A Life Well Livedby David Saggio Ted Sebastianelli was born in Scranton Pennsylvania in 1947, a second-generation Italian-American. His parents were Edward T. and Marion Sebastianelli. Ted’s immigrant grandfather and uncles were hard … Continued
- Living in the Highlands as Young Professionalsby Kim and James Tierney Late 2018 we told our real estate agent we were interested in buying a house closer to downtown. In fact, we gave the instructions of … Continued
- Aging in Place: The Highlandsby Eric R. White It was 1976. My wife and I were house hunting. Our demands were minimal. She wanted a house with a fireplace; I wanted a house clad … Continued
- Sidney Friedman Park: A Small Park With a Big Historyby Alexandra Rogers Introduction Once a resident of the Highlands, I remember my trips to Sidney Friedman Park. Bordered by the United States Post Office and Memorial Field on South … Continued
- 127 Years of Filling Needsby Susan Shank Shincovich Of the wide variety of entities that call the Highlands neighborhood home—including hundreds of single family homes, six houses of worship, two borough parks, apartment buildings … Continued
- The Highlands Meets the PSU Gridironby Nate Bauer What’s past, of course, is prologue: After graduating from Penn State in August 2005, I had planned to leave my apartment at 110 E. Hamilton Ave. in … Continued
- Native Plants in the Highlandsby Terry Melton In 1981, the little Cape Cod house we bought on East Irvin Avenue had 50 ornamental rose bushes, a new gardening challenge for me, and one that was … Continued
- A Man and His Work: Philip F. Hallockby Nicole Kruse Part I Introduction Regular readers of Hearts in the Highlands may be familiar with Emily Briselli’s January 2019 piece, “Hallock’s Highlands Homes: A Lasting Architectural Legacy.” Briselli’s … Continued
- A Heart in the Highlandsby Jacob Wucher Since its founding in the late 1800s, the Highlands has been a staple to the State College and Penn State communities providing a home to families as … Continued
- Veteran Housing in the Highlands During and After WWIIby Kayley McDonald The Highlands neighborhood had been no stranger to development and expansion in the years before WWII. Throughout the 1930’s State College as a whole grew into its … Continued
- The Glennland Building — Still Standing TallSource: “Still Standing Tall” Nadine Kofman, Town & Gown, June 2018.(Excerpted by the Hearts in the Highlands editors, with permission of Town and Gown.) Although the Glennland Building is on … Continued
- The WallIf you have gone down East Irvin Avenue at any time over the past few months, you probably noticed the rather large pile of stones occupying the driveway at 618 … Continued
- Little “Moore” on Dr. Moore — Part IIby Kristen N. Zak As discussed in the 1st part about Dr. Moore titled “Dr. Moore’s Impact Part I: ‘Moore’ than a Little Impact”, Dr. Bruce V. Moore, who lived … Continued
- Welcoming New Neighborsby Gary Miller Over the past few months, some new neighbors have introduced themselves in the Highlands. We’ve not been very welcoming. Last October, a black bear got hit by … Continued
- Their Hearts Were in the HighlandsIn this age of pandemic we often turn to science for answers and clarity. But it often can be the arts that “fill in the blanks,” bringing joy into our … Continued
- Origins of the Highlands Neighborhoodby Anne Cornell Based on an article that appeared in the June 1977 Town and Gown by Julia Garner with additional material by Gary Miller The Highlands is the oldest … Continued
- History of the State College Christian Science Churchby V. Star Campbell The First Church of Christ, Scientist (also known as the Christian Science church) has been located at 617 East Hamilton Avenue since 1965 but its history … Continued
- Dr. Moore’s Impact Part 1 – “Moore” than a Small EffectDear Readers: We are living in some very extraordinary times. Luckily, technology has given us the ability at Hearts in the Highlands to continue to post the types of articles … Continued
- Hearts in the Highlands Celebrates 3rd AnniversaryThis March 2020 Hearts in the Highlands is celebrating its third anniversary. As you may recall, the Editorial Board put out a message asking for residents of the Highlands to … Continued
- Dad and the AnthropologistBy Eric White One leisurely Saturday morning I was sitting at the dining room table nursing a cup of coffee, looking forward to a pleasant weekend which included a visit … Continued
- Life on East Fosterby Tom Reyburn We moved into a brick house on East Foster Avenue in 1968. A few weeks after we moved, my younger brother, Bret, was born. My parents, Jerry … Continued
- From Prospect to Foster: Family Scenes in the Highlandsby Carol White Remember a time when, on a summer day, children could roam the neighborhood like free-range chickens…leaving the house for a neighbor’s back yard or the nearby playground, or … Continued
- A Highlands Literary Legacy, Part 2by Anne Cornell, Gary Miller, and Eric White It should be no surprise that the Highlands neighborhood, being so close to Penn State, has been home to some world-renowned scholars. On … Continued
- Memories of Fairmount SchoolThis month, Hearts in the Highlands brings you reminiscences of the Fairmount Avenue School from Mary Thornton Hosterman and Martha Rappaport. At the end of the 2018-2019 school year, the Delta Program, an … Continued
- The State College Community Land Trust: An Asset for the Highlandsby Peg Hambrick Are you a homeowner? Then you may remember the joy—and anxiety—of buying your first home. In 1976, Don and I bought our first home. Located in College … Continued
- A Hospital in the HighlandsSource: Doctor Grover’s Hospitals, by Jo Chesworth, Town & Gown, September 1971 Two hospitals existed in the early days of State College. One, the Glenn Hospital, opened in the Highlands … Continued
- Quakers in the Highlandsby Polly Dunn, Doug Miller, Selden Smith The State College Friends Meeting could actually claim to have been born in the Highlands, at 423 South Pugh Street, where, from 1913 to … Continued
- Hearts in the Highlands Celebrates its Second Anniversaryby 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 … Continued
- Our “Fairy Tale” Houseby Laird and Svitlana Budzhak-Jones We began our State College house search late in the spring of 2001. Our realtor had planned a day of viewing six houses, to gauge our flexibility … Continued
- An American Style: Three State College Houses by A. Lawrence Kocherby Jacqueline Melander All faculty members hope to leave an impression on their students. A. Lawrence Kocher left an architectural impression that is still visible in the Highlands. Kocher came to … Continued
- Hallocks’ Highlands Homes: A Lasting Architectural LegacyBy Emily Briselli One look at the unique and diverse homes situated through the Highlands District immediately immerses anyone and everyone in a world where people live, grow, and love in … Continued
- Finding my Highlands Connectionby Mary Conner-Righter How does the seeming randomness of life’s choices bring us to places where our heart longs to live? The story I am sharing unfolds through family lore … Continued
- Leave the Leavesby Justin Wheeler Thanksgiving and fall leaves – other than their Autumnal association, they seemingly have little in common. Yet, as a gardener and lover of the natural world, fall … Continued
- Apartments in the Highlands before 1950By Lee Stout State College, both the institution and the town, was a growing community in the period between 1920 to the late 1940s. Penn State saw the passing of … Continued
- A Love Story: A Couple, Their Pups and a Sears Homeby Diana Griffith “The best couples all have a story to tell about how they met,” says Margaret Sebastianelli. She and husband Ted met while walking their dogs at Toftrees, where … Continued
- Empowering Survivors, Eliminating Violence: How a New Name Reflects the Centre County Women’s Resource Center Evolution Since the 1970’s.By Jordan Gibby, Prevention Educator For over 40 years, the Centre County Women’s Resource Center (CCWRC) has served the Highlands and broader Centre County community in combating domestic and sexual … Continued
- A Highlands Literary Legacyby Gary Miller and Eric White The Highlands neighborhood has a proud history as State College’s first residential neighborhood. It is also, in its own way, a cultural center, our own … Continued
- A Home in the Highlands for Young Changemakersby Spud Marshall It’s been five years since we launched the co.space in the Highlands. In that time, we’ve had the pleasure of working with more than 100 young people … Continued
- First Anniversary of Hearts in the HighlandsDear Highlands Neighbors This week’s posting by Noah Coleman marks the first anniversary of Hearts in the Highlands on the HCA website. The Editorial Board (Anne Cornell, Peg Hambrick, Gary … Continued
- Home in the Highlandsby Noah Coleman The odd thing about returning to the place where one was born is the intersection of your past and current lives. Returning to State College has created … Continued
- A Jewish Home in the Heart of the Highlands By Mark Lafer Congregation Brit Shalom, at 620 East Hamilton Avenue, is the center for worship, cultural engagement, and religious celebrations for more than 350 residents of the State College … Continued
- ‘As a town, we’re a little enclave of Sears houses’By Megan Fleming If the walls of many State College homes could talk, they would tell you that they were hand-picked from a catalog. Companies like Gordon-Van, Aladdin and Sears … Continued
- Centre House: Shelter in the HighlandsBy Benjamin Rowles At 217 East Nittany Avenue, local residents in need of shelter can find a warm, supportive community to help them get back on their feet. Entering its 30th … Continued
- Out of the ColdBy Gary Miller What is a community? A few years ago, faculty at the University of North Carolina, the University of California at San Francisco, and the University of … Continued
- What Does the Future Hold for State College’s “Mansions”?By Lee Stout It has frequently been said that the fraternity houses are the original mansions of State College. In the past, fraternity fortunes rose and fell, both with the … Continued
- A Memory of Helen Atherton Govierby Gary Miller When my wife, Karen, and I were first married in 1972, we rented an apartment on East Hamilton Avenue in the Highlands. It was a small apartment … Continued
- A Life in the Highlandsby Louise Ulinski (as told to Anne Cornell) In April of 1955, Louise Ulinski, a 25-year-old mom with a toddler and a baby on the way, moved with her family … Continued
- Gardeningby Susan Rogers My father’s yard embarrassed me. The yard of my childhood was a patchy bit of grass, in the back and in the front—we had a corner lot—and … Continued
- Living in the Highlandsby Nikki Crowley In the early spring of 2015, our soon-to-be family of three accepted jobs at Penn State University, and planned our move up from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. … Continued
- The Rewards of Renovating a House in the Highlandsby John and Sandra Wyngaard We are lucky enough to own a gem of a house in the Highlands that is filled with history. It is built of stone mined … Continued
- The Community Café at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Churchby Sharon Rovansek There is a little eatery in State College where the meals are as varied as the diners who eat them. Beef bourguignon with cauliflower florets, salmon with herb … Continued