Hearts in the Highlands

by 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 picnic/street party on Holly Alley just outside East Fairmount Park. … Continued

by 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 was called then. This was a wonderful place for the … Continued

by 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 turning 100 years old. The Beginning UBBC was founded in … Continued

produced 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 talents and time to produce a video using many of … Continued

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 it came to be, particularly what was there before it? … Continued

by 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 coal miners.  He grew up in Peckville and went to … Continued

by 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 “find us something within a one-mile radius of Local Whiskey.” … Continued

by 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 in stone or brick because I grew up in a … Continued

by 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 Fraser Street, the quaint park has always provided me with … Continued

by 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 of all shapes and sizes, an international market, several child … Continued

by 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 State College and return to live with my parents before … Continued

by 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 short-lived, as I promptly killed every one with unintended benign … Continued

by 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 work is an engaging exhibition of Hallock’s architectural work in … Continued

by 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 well as fraternities. Many have passed through this historic community, … Continued

by 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 designation as the quintessential “college town” as the student population … Continued

Source: “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 the north side of Beaver Avenue, it is officially part of … Continued

If 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 E. Irvin and wondered what was up. If you passed … Continued

by 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 in the Highlands residence on 517 Hetzel Street, left a … Continued

by 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 a car on South Allen Street and sought safety by … Continued

In 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 lives and giving us a break from the tidal wave … Continued

by 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 residential community in State College. In the 1850’s, the land … Continued

by 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 in State College goes back much further! In 1922 the … Continued

Dear 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 we hope highlight for you the unique qualities of our … Continued

This 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 take some pictures of “life in the Highlands” Here are … Continued

By 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 with my dad. He had traveled from the eastern part … Continued

by 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 & Helene Reyburn, bought the house from a formidable-looking (at … Continued

by 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 sometimes even as far away as crayfish pond?  And not … Continued

by 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 our second “literary tour” (see “A Highlands Literary Legacy”, posted … Continued

This 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 offering of the State College Area School District, became the … Continued

by 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 Heights, that 3-bedroom, 2-bath brick Cape Cod cost $42,600.  Based … Continued

Source: 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 in 1926 at 249 S. Pugh Street (photo). Dr. Grover … Continued

by 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 1920, Hanna Maule invited Quaker students into her home for … Continued

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 … Continued

by 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 on style, neighborhood and price. We were just supposed to … Continued

by 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 Penn State in 1912 as a graduate student in Architectural … Continued

by 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 passed on from now-deceased loved ones, a bit of historical … Continued

by 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 leaves are one of the things I am most thankful … Continued

By 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 anniversary, Centre House is the only 24/7 homeless shelter in … Continued