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The Boalsburg Village Conservancy
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The Boalsburg Bicentenary http://boalmuseum.com/200th.htm
For the schedule of upcoming Boalsburg 200th celebration events, click here
Boalsburg 200th Celebration Features Tours, Parades, Parties and Plays in May The Boalsburg 200th Birthday celebration which kicked off last October with a street party and a ball, will culminate on the Memorial Day weekend with a Historic House Tour and street party on Sunday, May 24,being organized by a group led by by Katie Ellis, katie@uoc.com, and walking tour brochure and web site produced by Bob Cameron, rdc170@psu.edu, and a photo book, Boalsburg Then and Now, by Bill Wallace, wrw5@psu.edu. Neighborhoods are invited to produce floats on the theme “200 Years of Community” for the Boalsburg Fire Company Parade on Saturday, May 23, at 5 PM. Contact Ben Smith of the Fire Company, bensmith431@yahoo.com. An original Boalsburg 200th play by Jerry Sawyer – a comedy/mystery set in the Columbus Chapel and the Boal Barn -- will take place at the Boal Barn Playhouse evenings on May 14-16 and 21-23 with a possible matinee on May 23. For details on the Boalsburg 200th, access http://boalmuseum.com/200th.htm or contact 200th chair Christopher Lee at 814-466-9266 or chris@boalmuseum.com
Next Planning Meeting for the Boalsburg 200th:
For a schedule of events, click here. The schedule will be updated periodically as planning continues. For notes from committee meetings, click here.
Any person or organization who wants to help plan or participate in the Boalsburg 200th anniversary activities can contact BVC President Chris Lee at 814-466-9266 or chris@boalmuseum.com, or attend the next planning meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 22, 2009, at 7:30 pm at the Harris Township meeting room on East Main Street in Boalsburg. For the agenda, click here. The first event was an afternoon street party and an evening kick-off Boalsburg Bicentenary Ball on Saturday, October 11, 2008. The first plan of Boalsburg (first called Springfield) was drawn up in October 1808. Children will enjoy a Boalsburg 200th model boat regatta at the Pennsylvania Military Museum on April 18, 2009. To get involved, contact "Admiral of the Ocean Seas" Gert Aron gertaron@aol.com. A tour of historic homes in Boalsburg is planned for Sunday, May 24, 2009. To get involved, contact Katie Ellis at katie@uoc.com or 466-1110. Historical publications based on primary sources will be compiled by Memorial Day, May 25, 2009. The first lots were sold in Boalsburg (first called Springfield) in May 1809. Details are below. To help with publications contact: House studies: Bob Cameron rdc170@psu.edu; Old Boalsburg Photos: Greg Fredericks glf1@psu.edu or Bill Wallace wrw5@psu.edu.. There are many other projects in various states of development. For the results of the previous meetings already held, a chart of ideas for the 200th and who will move them forward, click here. Let us know (at the contact info above) of your ideas for the 200th or if you'd like to help with one of the ideas already listed in the chart.
For a schedule
of events, click here. The schedule
will be updated periodically as planning continues. There is a lot of folklore about early Boalsburg. In early 2007, Penn State intern Chris Black researched the origins Boalsburg using primary sources. The first thing you notice is the name changes. If you stood at the same spot both today and (in 1808-1810) you’d be on the square (diamond) in historic Boalsburg Village (Springfield Town) at the intersection of Church (Miller) and Main (Pitt) Streets in Harris (Ferguson) Township in Nittany (west Penns) Valley. Centre County Deed Book D, page 6 shows “The plan of Springfield Town situate in the west end of Pennsvalley on the waters of Spring Creek in Ferguson Township Centre County and State of Pennsylvania and on part of the Blue Spring tract of land (as laid out by Andrew Stroup (illegible) of the same – October 9, 1808.)” Lots were sold from the plan on May 30, 1809. The village name changed to Boalsburg in honor of the settler David Boal with the establishment of the Post Office in the 1820s. Chris Black has researched the earliest deed transfers back to a warrant issued for a tract of land to Richard Skidmore in 1766. This research is designed to lay the foundation for the Boalsburg Bicentenary celebration in 2008 and 2009. A community meeting and program at the Boalsburg Fire Hall took place on April 15 at which ideas were generated for the 200th. Check this web site for updated details. Plans for the Boalsburg Bicentenary are being modeled on the successful American Bicentennial celebration in Boalsburg and Harris Township in 1976, including: • Heritage activities, such as a new walking tour book of Boalsburg including information from reports on historic houses by students of Penn State history professor Sally McMurry • Festive activities, such as an autumn village street party and historic house tour, music, a picnic, worship services, and Boalsburg High School class reunions • Horizon activities, such as “Vision 2020,” a Township meeting to share visions of the future of our community • “Lasting Reminders,” a preservation project that could encompass buildings, monuments, and restorations
A new brochure detailing Boalsburg’s history and historical attractions now is available at tourist information stations along highways in Pennsylvania. It is also available locally—at museums, shops, and other businesses—and on the Internet, and has been made available to local schools.
—Chris Lee, chris@boalmuseum.com
The Boalsburg Village Conservancy
PO Box 451
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