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The Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee - 8th Edition - 1997
1. TRAIN STATION -- Located at Talleyrand Park, The Bellefonte Railroad Passenger Station was built in 1889.
2. FICARRO HOUSES -- Located in the 400 block of West High Street. These homes are excellent examples of early Georgian architecture, built around 1830.
3. BUSH HOUSE HOTEL Built in 1868 and 1869 by Daniel G. Bush, it was one of the first hotels in the country to have electric lights. Coming to Bellefonte in 1856 as a map salesman, Mr. Bush decided to stay. Between 1865 and 1873 he constructed twenty-seven (27) buildings, including the Bush House.
4. BUSH ARCADE -- The current structure was built in the late 1880's to replace the original Arcade which was destroyed by fire in 1887. It is an excellent example of the architecture of that period.
5. TALLEYRAND PARK -- In the 1960's, Bellefonte Borough Council developed plans for a park at the site of the deteriorated McClain block. The Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee formed in 1974. Aided by donations and volunteers, non-profit and public agencies, and Bellefonte Borough, the committee built the gazebo in 1976 and continued landscaping.
5A. GEORGE GREY BARNARD SCULPTURE GARDEN -- Formerly a gas station, the site was donated as part of Talleyrand Park by Gulf Oil Corporation in 1978. In 1983, the Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee installed the bust of Lincoln, cast from the original plaster head sculpted in 1917 by the famous Bellefonte born sculptor, George Grey Barnard (See #24). In 1985 and 1986, the committee directed a Pennsylvania Conservation Corps and Borough of Bellefonte grant, continuing landscaping and constructing the foot bridges.
6. THE MANSE -- Located at 201 West High Street, this building was the site of the residence of Rev. James Linn--pastor of the Bellefonte Presbyterian Church 1810-1868. Built in 1881, the present building is a mixture of Gothic, 8th or 9th Century Romanesque, Greek pilastres and some Egyptian architecture. All combine to produce a "picturesque" effect.
7. BRISBIN HOME -- Built in 1865 at the corner of West High and South Spring Street, this building was constructed of bricks that were handwrapped and shipped from Philadelphia. It is an excellent example of Italian revival architecture.
8. THE FIRST COURTHOUSE -- Built in 1795 by Lt. Col. James Dunlop, who with his son-in-law, James Harris, founded the town. The parlor of this stone structure at 143 West High Street, housed the first courthouse from 1800 to 1806. Built in two sections, the eastern half in 1795 and the western half in 1848, by the Valentine Ironmasters, the house had twenty (20) rooms.
9. REYNOLDS HOUSE -- Formerly the site of the popular Mckee's Tavern around 1796. The current town house was built by Thomas A. Reynolds in 1880. The decorative iron railing is a product of local craftsmen.
10. CURTIN RESIDENCE -- Located 120 West High Street. This building was originally the home of Andrew Gregg Curtin. Built in 1868 it is a superb example of Tuscan revival architecture with handsome bracketing. Curtin was the first Republican Governor of Pennsylvania, 1861-67; organizer of the famed "Pennsylvania Reserves," who saved our nation's capitol from confederate capture following the first battle of Bull Run.
11. BROCKERHOFF HOTEL -- Located on what was once the site of a log cabin owned by James Benner, the Brockerhoff Hotel was built on this site in 1864 and 1865 by Henry Brockerhoff, following the relocation of the log cabin at the corner of Allegheny and Bishop Streets. A perfect example of 1860-1870 Gothic revival architecture, with multi-tiered slate mansard roof and Romanesque windows on the front.
12. COURTHOUSE -- First constructed in 1805 and 1806, with wing added in 1811. Grecian column porch was built in 1835. With the exception of this porch, the entire building was replaced in 1854 and 1855. The rear section was added in 1909 through 1911, and the new eastwing was built in 1963-1964. Soldiers and sailors war memorial, and statue of Andrew Gregg Curtin were dedicated in 1906. The Memorial was designed by Joseph M. Huston, the architect who designed the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg. The four streets which intersect in front of the Court--house, known as the Diamond, has been the hub of all activity in Bellefonte since its founding and is representative of the Pennsylvania Diamond, characteristic of towns in Pennsylvania and nearby areas which were settled by Pennsylvanians.
13. REYNOLDS BANK -- Originally built in 1859, it housed the W. F. Reynolds & Co. bank until it burned down in 1888. The bank was rebuilt by the Jackson-Hastings and Co. It became the Bellefonte Trust Co. at the turn of the century.
14. GARMAN HOUSE -- Located on East High Street on the South side of the Courthouse, this hotel was purchased by Daniel Garman in 1861. It was remodeled around 1888 and was a gathering place for politicians, salesmen, attorneys and other leading lights of the town.
15. GARMAN OPERA HOUSE -- Later known as the State Theatre, it was constructed next to the Garman House in 1890. This Theatre added another attraction to the busy world of fashion and culture. The song "After the Ball is Over" was first sung in public here.
16. ATTORNEY'S ROW -- The row of buildings located on East High Street, on the northside of the Courthouse contain some beautiful examples of Italianate Period, Pennsylvania farmhouse, and Georgian architecture.
17 & 18 FIRST NATIONAL BANK BUILDING & CRIDER EXCHANGE BUILDING -- Formerly the site of the home of Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice, Thomas Burnside, it was constructed in 1872. Following a fire in 1888 the present structure was rebuilt in 1889, along with the Crider Exchange Building next door on North Allegheny Street, with its unusual fishscale tin facade, these two buildings are flamboyant examples of picturesque eclectic "where anything goes" architecture.
19. LINN HOME -- Situated at 133 North Allegheny Street, this home was built in 1810 by Gen. Philip Benner, pioneer Centre County lronmaster. He was the first ironmaster in the United States to ship iron to Pittsburgh in 1812. It was made at Rock Forge along Spring Creek, southwest of Bellefonte. This building reflects the Georgian period of architecture so prevalent throughout Bellefonte.
20. POTTER HOME -- Built at the edge of the sidewalk on the corner of Allegheny and Howard Streets in 1815 by John Miles, son of Col. Samuel Miles, Mayor of Philadelphia and founder of Milesburg. This Georgian building was jacked up and moved back twelve feet from its original site in 1896.
21. HASTINGS MANSION -- Formerly the site of the Red Lion Inn in the 1830's. Later, John Lane built the lavish mansion. Purchased by Governor Hastings in the 1890's, the structure received additions of the portico and windows fashioned after the old State Capitol Building in Harrisburg. The house is a polyglot of architectural ideas. It could be called mostly classical with dentiles under eaves, bracketing, pilasters and pediments on dormers, pillars, leaded windows, large pane windows, and a mansard style roof. The two street level houses, which stand south of the mansion are of pre-Civil War construction.
22. THADDEUS BREW HAMILTON HOME --Located at 251 North Allegheny Street. Mr. Hamilton once owned the land where Denver, Colorado is now located. He sold it in exchange for a mule which he needed for his prospecting ventures. Of the eight prospectors who, in 1858, first settled where Denver now is, four were from Bellefonte -- Mr. Hamilton, John Rothrock, James Turner, and Sam Decker. In California, for $600, Mr. Hamilton was offered the land where the city of San Bernardino is now located, but rejected it.
23. REYNOLDS MANSION -- Located on the corner of Allegheny and Linn Streets, the Reynolds Mansion was built in 1883 and 1884 by Major William F. Reynolds. The building is a product of the Gothic Italianate period. Later, it became the home of Col. W. Fred Reynolds, who was instrumental in locating the Diamond wooden match company in Bellefonte.
24. BARNARD RESIDENCE -- This Pennsylvania farmhouse structure at 113 East Linn Street, was the birthplace of George Grey Barnard, famous American sculptor. Among his famous works were the Barnard groups of statuary flanking the main entrance of the State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, and a Statue of Lincoln, located in Cincinnatti, Ohio.
25. IRON MASTER'S HOME -- Located at 420 North Allegheny Street, this house is representative of the homes built by Bellefonte ironmasters in the nineteenth century. It was constructed by George Valentine of the Valentine Iron Company in 1879.
26. & 27 LINN AND CURTIN STREET -- A tour of the homes on Linn and Curtin Streets reveals examples of the varied architectural styles of the late 1800's.
28. THE ARMORY -- On the corner of North Spring and West Lamb Streets, was built in 1894 by Col. W. Fred Reynolds, and turned over to the local National Guard. It was the largest National Guard Armory in Pennsylvania at the time.
29. BELLEFONTE'S FIRST HOSPITAL --Bellefonte's first hospital was housed in the building located at 113 South Spring Street. The carriage house located directly behind it is one of the finest restored buildings in Bellefonte.
30. BUSH RESIDENCE -- Located at 123 South Spring Street is the original home of Daniel G. Bush, built in 1864.
31. BELLEFONTE ACADEMY -- Located on the knoll at the foot of West Bishop Street, the Bellefonte Academy was one of the most outstanding Prep Schools in the United States, until it closed it's doors in 1934 due to the depression. Built in 1805-06, its architecture is of the Greek revival period.
32. MEYERS RESIDENCE -- This double house located at 140 West Bishop Street, is the birthplace of Jacob H. Meyer, inventor of the voting machine.
33. WEST BISHOP STREET -- This block is considered by Dr. Peirce Lewis, Professor of Geography at The Pennsylvania State University, to be historically "a municipal treasure" reflecting pre-Civil War Bellefonte.
34. 100 BLOCK SOUTH ALLEGHENY STREET --Most of this block, including the corner of East Bishop Street, was destroyed by the fire of 1885. The Southwest corner was then called "strychnine corner" because of the notable number of bars and saloons located there.
35. CEMETERY GATEHOUSE -- Situated at the main entrance of the Union Cemetery, this building is believed by some historians to have been part of the law office of Andrew Gregg Curtin. It may have been moved from the Crider Exchange Block on North Allegheny Street.
36. UNION CEMETERY -- Located on East Howard Street, the Union Cemetery is the burial site of many of Bellefonte's early pioneers. Here rests Evan Pugh, first President of the Pennsylvania State University; soldiers of negro units of the famous Union "Army of James" in the Civil War; United States Senator Andrew Gregg; Governor Curtin, Beaver and Hastings; George Harris, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor in the Civil War; and numerous other Bellefonte residents who contributed greatly to the destiny of the American Nation.
37. FRIENDS GRAVEYARD -- Located at the top of South Spring Street, the Quaker Cemetery contains the graves of some of the earliest residents of the area.
38. QUAKER MEETING HOUSE -- Located on Stoney Batter and built in 1831, was used until World War I. Quaker Ironmasters played a prominent role in the early industrial history of Bellefonte.
39. BURNHAM PLACE -- Constructed in its present form by Reuben Valentine in 1856, it is representative of the mansions built by the local Iron-masters of that era.
40. LOGAN BRANCH -- Named after the famous Mingo Indian Chief, James Logan, who lived in nearby Hecla Gap before the American Revolution. Logan was the eldest son of the famous Indian Chief, "Shikellimy." His family was massacred in 1773 and Logan and his tribe killed hundreds of white settlers. He was murdered by Indians in Detroit in 1791.
41. THE BIG SPRING -- Source of Bellefonte's water supply, with a daily flow of 11,500,000 gallons, and origin of the town's name after being viewed by Talleyrand, the great French Statesman. Talleyrand was in exile in America from the French Revolution, from March 1794 to June 1796. On a visit to nearby Centre Furnace, he came to Bellefonte to visit James Harris. It was then he saw the "Big Spring." Major William F. Reynolds gave the "Big Spring" to the town on October 1, 1879 for the price of $1.00.
42. WILLOWBANK -- Located on South Potter Street, this structure was built in 1794 by James Harris co-founder of Bellefonte.
43. GAMBLE MILL -- Stone wall section at the rear of the building dates from 1786. The locale, in the vicinity of the Lamb Street Bridge, was then known as "Lamb's Crossing" after William Lamb built the Mill. The present mill dates from 1892 when the original mill was destroyed by fire. Its turbine is still used to pump water to various sections of Bellefonte.
44. CANAL -- Bellefonte terminus of Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation Company Canal, which was in operation from 1834 to 1865. At this location, in 1859, the first steam locomotive ever to operate in North Central Pennsylvania over the famous Bellefonte-Snowshoe Railroad was unloaded.
45. THOMAS HOMESTEAD -- The rear portion, built in 1785, is the oldest house in present day Bellefonte. From 1797 to 1814 it was owned by John Dunlop, lronmaster and Proprietor of the famous "Belle Font Forge." He was the son of James Dunlop. It was purchased by William A. Thomas, lronmaster, from the John Dunlop Estate, in 1834, at which time the Georgian front section, pictured above, was added and named "The Wren's Nest."
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