The self-guided tour of the Historic Union Cemetery begins at the fountain located inside the cemetery, closest to High Street. The tour is designed to take you from one notable burial to the next, completing a full circle throughout the main grounds of the Cemetery. (The annex, across the street, is not included in this self-guided tour.) There are 24 stops on the tour that ends at the gravesite of the first Penn State President Evan Pugh.
The terrain of the Cemetery can include hills and sudden drops as well as holes, so visitors should proceed with caution and mind your steps at all times.
The entire self-guided tour should take about one hour and 15 minutes. Please take a few moments at the end of the tour, or whenever you leave to help us not only track your visit but improve the tour and cemetery as we ask you to report any areas that need maintenance or attention. Just send us an email: bellefonteunioncemetery@gmail.com. You will also be able to communicate your interest to get involved in the preservation and restoration efforts of the Cemetery. We welcome and need your involvement. #ittakeseveryone
Thank you for visiting the Historic Union Cemetery — whether it is online or in person.
Sincerely,
The Bellefonte Cemetery Association Board of Managers.
1. Honorary Fountain
The Barre Granite Fountain was erected in 1954 in honor of Bellefonte co-founder James Dunlop by his great-great granddaughter, Anna A. McCoy. Although it is not currently functioning, it stands as a beautiful landmark. The street light adjacent to the fountain originally lit a street corner in Erie, Pennsylvania. The new flag pole was donated by the Bellefonte Chapter of the DAR. (Dedication will be this November 2023.)
2. General James A. Beaver (1837-1914)
James A. Beaver was a well known attorney, Civil War soldier, and the 20th Governor of Pennsylvania. Beaver also played an important role in the Pennsylvania State University’s development and served as the university’s interim president between 1906 to 1908. General Beaver, whom Beaver Stadium is named, was the 20th Governor of Pennsylvania between 1887 and 1891.
After graduating high school in 1856, Beaver reallocated to Bellefonte to practice law with Hugh A. McAllister. Beaver would pass the bar in 1859 and develop a strong reputation as a lawyer.
At the beginning of the Civil War, Beaver was appointed as a first-lieutenant. Later, he was appointed to Pennsylvania’s 45th regiment, and colonel of the 148th regiment. The 148th regiment fought in many of the most important battles of the war, including including the battles of Chancellorsville, Cold Harbor, and Spotsylvania. Beaver was wounded multiple times in the war. His leg was amputated in Reams Station Virginia in August of 1864. In 1864, President Lincoln would appoint Beaver to brigadier-general.
After the war, Beaver would return to Bellefonte before taking the Governor’s office in 1867. During his Governor term, Beaver would improve the state’s infrastructure, education system, and implement forest conservation efforts. His leg was not amputated in Spotsylvania, but in Reams Station Virginia in August of 1864. Also the years he served as governor is incorrect.
Beaver joined the Penn State’s board of trustees in 1873 and served as President of the board in 1905. Beaver became the president of Penn State in 1906 after the death of George Atherton. During his presidency, Beaver would create the Student Board, the first official student government at Penn State.
James Beaver would die in 1914. Penn State would go on to have Beaver Avenue, Beaver Hall, and Beaver Stadium named after him.
3. W.F Reynolds
William Frederick Reynolds’s tombstone is displayed in Union Cemetery with a cross on top. The Reynolds Mansion was built by Major William Frederick Reynolds, a wealthy businessman, landowner, and banker in 1885. It is one of the best-known Victorian homes in Bellefonte, located at the corner of Linn and Allegheny streets. William Frederick Reynolds was a bachelor so in 1893 when he died, he left his estate to his nephew, W. Frederick Reynolds.
4. Anna Kleichline
Anna Keichline was the first woman registered architect in Pennsylvania, inventor, and designer of myriad local structures. Born in 1899 in Bellefonte, Keichline was a gifted architect and builder from a young age. When she was 14 years old, she won a prize at the Pennsylvania Centre County Fair for furniture she built. Her lengthy career was full of designs, with dozens of commercial structures, as well as residential buildings. She also is credited for making several industrial products, including her 1927 creation, “The Building Block”, otherwise known as the K-brick. Interestingly, this product was the forerunner of today’s concrete block. Keichline died in 1943.
Because of her fluency in German, Anna Keichline was also chosen to aid in the World War I effort as a special agent in the Military Intelligence Division.
5. The Lingle Family Cross
6. Mary Campbell’s Cross
7. The Bradley Family Plot
The Bradley plot is marked by one of the many crosses that are displayed in Union Cemetery. Crosses can help us indicate and understand the religious affiliation of those who passed away. The cross seems to be known as Calvary Cross, which is mounted on three steps. The three steps are a reminder of the three members of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
8. Peter Gray Meek’s Mausoleum
Peter Meek was born on July 12, 1842 in Patton Township, PA. In 1861, Meek became an editor of anti-Abraham Lincoln administration newspaper, the Bellefonte Democratic Watchman. The weekly pieces published displayed ideas associated with the Union War effort and political issues associated with the times. A year later, Meek bought a half share of the publication and continued to write negative reviews of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. Because of this, he was arrested five times and jailed three times, even being charged with “high treason” and “printing improper political matter”. After his fifth arrest, he was sent to prison at the military stockade in Harrisburg. He was freed after he submitted an oath to him being present at a trial.
Once the war ended however, the charges were dropped and he continued to write and publish work. Interestingly, he was also elected into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1867, 1868, 1870, and 1871, as well as being elected the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives in 1863. In addition, he was appointed by President Grover Cleveland as Surveyor of the Port of Philadelphia. Once he completed his work, he retired to writing in the Democratic Watchman. Meek died on February 2, 1919 in Bellefonte, PA at the age of 76.
Peter Meek’s burial site is the only mausoleum in the entire cemetery.
9. The McGarvey Sisters
Sisters Mary, born October 7, 1880, and Blanche, born in 1878, McGarvey were two local women who had a photography business in downtown Bellefonte. These women are historically significant to Bellefonte because they owned and operated a business before women were usually doing business. Blanche died in 1961 and Mary died in 1966. In 2022, the 11oo-pound headstone of the McGarvey Sisters was returned to its upright position by Snyder & Co. Monument and Headstones after it was knocked down nearly a decade ago by children playing around the headstone.
10. William Mills
William H. Mills was born on April 14, 1844 in Bellefonte, PA. Mills owned a barbershop in Bellefonte called, “Mills Barbershop,” learning how to barber from Mesh S. Graham. He opened his shop in 1871 and worked as a barber for the next 60 years. Interestingly, in 1872, legend has it that he cut the hair of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Much of what is known about the Underground Railroad in Bellefonte is through the writing of Mills. Mills was also a pastor at the AME Church in Bellefonte. The church is one of the four Underground Railroad sites in Bellefonte. (https://localhistoria.com/tap-into-history website is an self-guided tour of the locations)
In addition, William H. Mills, who was born in Bellefonte, worked along with other community members to successfully desegregated schools in Bellefonte in 1885, long before the United States Supreme Court ruled the practice as unconstitutional.
Mills’ grandchildren were “The Mills Brothers.” The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies and garnered at least three dozen gold records. Mills is buried with with wife and a few of his children.
11. Soldier’s Circle and Medal of Honor Recipient George Harris
The Soldier’s Circle is a ring of graves fenced by a semicircular wall holding the remains of Civil War veterans. The site is funded by the Grand Army of the Republic. The wall surrounding the site was placed in 1908, with concrete work being done by the Bellefonte Lumber Company.
George Harris is the only Medal of Honor recipient whose forever home is in Union Cemetery, located in Soldier’s Circle. He was born on March 6, 1835 in Schuylkill, PA. He was a Private in Company B, 148th Pennsylvania Infantry and served in the United States Army during the Civil War. On May 12, 1864, Harris captured a flag during a battle in Spotsylvania, Virginia. To continue to protect the stolen flag, he shot an officer who attempted to regain it from him. He was awarded the Medal of Honor on December 6, 1864 by Major General George G. Meade. The ceremony took place at a review of the 2nd Army Corps Headquarters near Petersburg, VA. Harris died on January 30, 1921 in Bellefonte, Pa.
12. Franklin Johnson, United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops (USCT) were the embodiment of Frederick Douglass’s belief that “he who would be free must himself strike the blow.” 179,000 men – many who were former slaves – volunteered to fight in the Union army; nearly 37,000 gave their lives for the cause. With every engagement they fought in, the USCT time and again proved their mettle. At Port Hudson in Louisiana, Fort Wagner in South Carolina, Spotsylvania, New Market Heights and Wilson’s Wharf in Virginia, and elsewhere, USCT units displayed courage under fire and won glory on the field of battle. By the end of the war, African-Americans accounted for 10 percent of the Union army. The USCT were a watershed in American history, and one of the first major strides toward equal civil rights. (Source: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/united-states-colored-troops)
13. Edward Willington, United States Colored Troops Soldier
14. Moses Jackson, United States Colored Troops Soldier
15. Jacob Williams, United States Colored Troop Soldier
16. William Green, United States Colored Troop Soldier
17. Babyland
Babyland was an addition made to the Union Cemetery prior to the 1940’s. As its name suggests, Babyland is a section of the cemetery set aside for the burials of infants and young babies. Most of the graves in this area are unmarked, as many citizens during the Victorian era would bury their children here with no headstone to accompany it. Babyland saw a remodel in the late 1990’s and in the early twenty-first century. The latest remodel was made possible by donations of materials, equipment, and time given from local firms and businesses. The project was designed and headed by Ray Masters.
18. Hardman P. Petrikin
Born in 1832, Hardman Philip Petrikin, he was the eldest of two children born to James Madison and Elizabeth (Wallace) Petrikin, in Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania. His younger sister Marion, was born in 1834. Hardman’s father James was a prominent attorney and an influential social figure in Bellefonte, well-known for his wit and artistic abilities. As a young man at the age of 22, James had been elected to the legislature. The family resided in a house on Allegheny Street, in Bellefonte, until James’ death on April 6, 1838 when Hardman was about 6. After the death of James, the family moved to a house on High Street.
He mustered into service in Company E on 21 June 1861. He was mortally wounded in the chest and captured while leading a squad of men from Companies E and I on picket near Confederate positions southeast of the East Woods on the evening of 16 September 1862 at Sharpsburg. Captain Robbins of the 4th Alabama Infantry went to his aid.
Brigadier General Truman Seymour wrote, “H. P. Petrikin deserves honorable notice. He fought with his company at 2nd Bull Run and again at South Mountain; ultimately giving his life at the Battle of Antietam with little more than a casual mention of his sacrifice made by his regimental commander, Colonel Joseph W. Fisher, in his after-action report.
His story: https://www.prvchs.org/the-story-of-lt-hardman-p-petrikin-as-told-by-capt-william-m-robbins-4th-alabama-infantry/ and see: http://john-banks.blogspot.com/2018/03/romantic-errand-in-1898-rebel-vet_7.html
19. James Harris
James Harris was born on February 26, 1755 in Mifflintown, PA. He, along with Colonel James Dunlop, co-founded Bellefonte with their plan known as the “Big Spring”. He is not just known as the cofounder of Bellefonte; Harris was also a Revolutionary War veteran, once the Deputy Surveyor of Cumberland County, Chief Surveyor of Mifflin County, and elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate. Once elected to the state senate, Harris was also instrumental in the creation of Centre County. Harris died on December 2, 1826 at the age of 71.
Harris was also the first postmaster of Bellefonte, being known to community members for his prominence in the town’s early history.
20. Colonel James Dunlop
Col. James Dunlop, along with James Harris, co-founded Bellefonte with their plan known as the “Big Spring.” Dunlop served in the Revolutionary War before becoming a Court Justice of Common Pleas in Cumberland County. In 1794, he came to Bald Eagle township and purchased a large plot of land, to become the first Bellefonte resident.
In 1775, Dunlop and his son-in-law, James Harris, laid out the plan for Bellefonte which was then called “Big Spring”. Dunlop’s construction can still be seen, as he constructed the Eastern portion of the Dunlop House on 143 West High St.Bellefonte.
By 1806, James Dunlop and James Harris set aside a plot of land called the Bellefonte Grave-Yard. The Bellefonte Grave-Yard was located about 100 yards from the current Gatehouse.
21. The Headstone in the tree
This tombstone was split in half by a giant maple tree, located in the oldest part of the cemetery, right next to the grave of James Dunlop. Who is buried here is unknown.
22. Baron Charles Karl Trcziyulny
Charles Karl Trcziyulny was born in 1767 in Poland. Interestingly, Trcziyulny was exiled from Poland in 1793, ultimately giving up his rank as Baron. He had a very successful career as a noted canal architect, engineer, and surveyor. Trcziyulny was known as one of the first canal commissioners of the State and was an advocate of improving canals for the future of the country’s importing and exporting. He died on July 9, 1851 in Bellefonte, PA. He was 94 years old.
The mountain between Bellefonte and Milesburg was named after Trcziyulny.
23. James Burnside’s & S.C Burnside’s Crosses – The Burnside Family
James Burnside was born on February 22, 1809. Burnside attended college at Dickinson College and continued his studies of law in his father’s office. In October 1844, he was elected to the state legislature. Burnside was also named the first judge of the Twenty-Fifth Judicial District on April 20, 1853 by Governor William Bigler. On July 2, 1859, Burnside tragically passed away when he was thrown from his buggy and fractured his skull.
Burnside’s family is also buried in Union Cemetery, including his mother Mary, sister Jane, and his half siblings Lucy, Frances, and Thomas. James’s headstone is the only one which is shaped as a cross.
24. The Mann Family
In 1825, William Mann, and Harvey Mann began making axes at John Hall’s Blacksmith shop in Bellefonte. Three years later, the two Mann brothers built an ax factory in Boiling Springs. The Mann family ax operation would grow to include five other ax factories throughout central Pennsylvania. The factories were located in Axmann-Bellefonte in Centre County, Reedsville-Yeagertown and Lewistown in Mifflin County, and Mill Hall in Clinton County.
Early production of axes was largely completed by blacksmiths. However, the new Mann factory was one of the first to utilize machinery. This allowed the factory to produce far more axes than machinery. Production at the Boiling Springs factory was carried out by 50 men that produced, on average, 350 axes a day. Wages at the factory were $2 to $3 dollars a day, but were still higher than the iron furnace workers who earned $1 dollar.
The brothers’ partnership would not last and William would sell his shares to Harvey in 1834. Harvey would carry on the business as the Harvey Mann Axe Co. Harvey’s son, Harvey Jr., would succeed as owner of the company following Harvey’s death in 1870. Harvey Jr. would die just five years later, in 1875, due to a railroad accident. Factory management was then passed to J. Fearon Mann, son of William Jr.
In the 1880s, steam power was added and Fearon patented the branding “Red Mann’s Axe.” Prior to this, few companies branded their products. Mann axes were heavily promoted due to their colorful labels and printed ads.
In 1890, a monopoly-trust movement led to a consolidation of the Ax industry. American Axe and Tool Co. purchased the Boiling Springs factory. In 1892, the factory would be closed after 64 years of operation.
The Mann family legacy lives on in Centre County. The town Boiling Springs was eventually renamed to Axemann to show the Mann family’s significance.
25. The Gatehouse
From early to mid-1858, the cemetery association received bids from contractors for, as one bid reads, the “Semetry” Building.” They range from J. F. Batcheler’s quota of $1,337 to Daniel McGinley’s bid of $850. Cemetery accounts for April 19. 1859 showed a $910 payment to Daniel McGinley, a local Bellefonte contractor, “for building a house”.
Batcheler’s bid contains reference to “the cornice as you can see it on Mr. Blanchard’s office” and to eight gables, as well as to a “gate either to swing or to be raised up into the room above.” The law office and the gatehouse both have arched examples; those of the Gatehouse are similar to the windows on the first floor.
These records pin the fact that the renovation of the Gatehouse in 1986 to 1989 showed no evidence of assembly from another structure. It would seem to cast doubt on the claim by 20th-century Bellefonte historian J. Thomas Mitchell that the Gatehouse was the “bulk” of the Blanchard and Curtin law office that stood where now stands the Crider Exchange.
At the October 8, 1915 meeting, the board approved the installation of a Bell Telephone in the superintendent’s house. One-half of the $18 yearly fee was to be paid by the cemetery association. and half by the superintendent On July 1, 1921, the board accepted a bid to install a “bath and closet” (water closet) in the Gatehouse. At the September 1947 meeting, the board decided to install a heating system using steam heat and “radiation” in the Gatehouse.
26. George Dare
George Dare was born in 1836. Dare was Lt. Col. in the 5th Pennsylvania Reserve (34th Pennsylvania Infantry) during the Civil War. During the Battle of the Wilderness, on May 6, 1864, Dare was fatally wounded, dying back at their camp later that night.
27. Daniel Hastings
Daniel Hastings, was the 21st governor of Pennsylvania from 1895 to 1899 and a longtime Bellefonte resident. Hastings was born in Clinton County on February 26, 1849. He was the youngest of 9 children. During the Civil War, Hasting’s 3 older brothers would enlist, despite Hastings wanting to join, his father refused to allow him as he was only 12.
At just 14, Hastings would become a teacher at Wayne Township and move to Bellefonte to become principal of the Bellefonte Academy at age 18. In 1877, Hastings was selected by James A. Beaver to serve as an officer in the National Guard to respond to railroad strikes across the nation. Hastings took to the position easily and was able to become Pennsylvania’s Adjunct General, which is the commander of the National Guard.
As Adjunct General, he became known statewide for his essential role in the Johnstown flood that killed more than 2,000 people. Hastings was praised for his leadership as he assembled a team to Johnstown to secure supplies needed by survivors.
In 1894, Daniel Hastings was nominated for Governor and won an impressive majority. During his time as Governor, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the State Game Commission, and State Forest Commission were established. After the Pennsylvania State Capitol burned down, Governor Hastings chose to hold a competition to select the next architect.
After Hasting’s term ended in 1899, he would return to Bellefonte. In 1903, Hastings succumbed to pleuropneumonia at the age of 53.
28. Roland Curtin & Family
Roland Curtin was the founder of Eagle Ironworks and head of the Curtin family. Originally from Ireland, Roland Curtin moved to Bald Eagle Valley in 1797. He lived in Milesburg initially, before moving to Bellefonte where he owned the community’s second store. Curtin would also marry Margery Gregg, and have six sons.
From 1806 to 1809, Curtin would serve as Bellefonte’s county sheriff and as a member of the Bellefonte Borough Council. It was around this time, Curtin would also begin accumulating a large amount of land.
With a partner, Moses Boggs, Roland Curtin would build Eagle Forge in 1810. Five years later, Curtin would buy out his partner, taking full control of the forge. By that time, Curtin’s first wife had died, and he remarried her cousin, Jane Gregg. In 1848, would give most of his property to his sons, before dying 8 years later. Curtin and Gregg had 7 children, including the future governor Andrew Curtin.
Andrew Curtin, Roland Curtin’s son, was Pennsylvania’s Governor during the Civil War. At the onset of the Civil War, Andrew Curtin created Camp Curtin near Harrisburg which allowed for more than 300,000 troops to drill there during the war. Andrew Curtin’s focus on soldiers during the Civil War, earned him the nickname, “The Soldier’s Friend”.
After his term ended as Governor, Curtin would seek election to the Pennsylvania Senate but would lose to long-time political rival Simon Cameron. Curtin would go on to serve 3 terms in the US House of Representatives from 1881-1887 before dying in 1894.
29. Hugh Nelson McAllister (1809-1873)
Hugh Nelson McAllister was a Bellefonte lawyer, and most notably known as the person who designed Old Main at Penn State. McAllister was also a key proponent in voicing a need for strong agricultural education in the state of Pennsylvania, ultimately leading to the creation of the Farmer’s High School of Pennsylvania, now known as Penn State. McAllister was so passionate about this idea that during the economic recession of 1857, the Farmer’s High School of Pennsylvania was facing bankruptcy. Knowing this, and seeing the future of what could be a great school, McAllister donated $500 to continue the construction on the Main Building, as well as raised $5,700 from community members. He also became one of the founding members of the Board of Trustees, advocating for the early times of Penn State. You may have heard his name before, as he has a building named after him on Penn State campus, which directly faces the building he designed, Old Main.
30. James Irvin (1800-1862)
James Irvin was born on February 18, 1800 in Linden Hall, PA. Irvin grew up attending schools and became particularly interested in mercantile, milling, mining, and manufacturing in Oak Hill, Milesburg, and Bellefonte, PA. On March 4, 1841, Irvin was selected to serve as a Whig to Congress until March 3, 1845. In 1947, he ran to become the Whig candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania, however was unsuccessful.
Irvin was a large advocate for agricultural education in Pennsylvania, especially with the location being in Centre County. On February 22, 1855, Irvin offered 200 acres of his land, known as the grounds of Centre Furnace, to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Society to host the site for the Farmer’s High School of Pennsylvania, later becoming The Pennsylvania State University. Irvin died in Hecla, PA, on November 28, 1862. He was 62 years old.
31. The Reynolds’ Family Arch
Margery G. Reynolds was born on December 23, 1824. She is the wife of Thomas R. Reynolds and the sister of former Governor of Pennsylvania, Andrew Gregg Curtain. She was known as being a kind-hearted, generous and loving person. Her and her son are the only two people inscribed on this arch. The arch has historically been represented as a celebration of life rather than a recognition of death.
32. Evan Pugh
Evan Pugh was the first president of Pennsylvania State University. Pugh would serve as Penn State’s president on October 26, 1859 until his death in 1864. He was born in 1828 in Chester County, PA. His father, a blacksmith and farmer, would die when Pugh was just 12 years old. Pugh would also become a blacksmith like his father before traveling to Europe at 25 to study chemistry, mineralogy, crystallography and physical geography. In 1856, Pugh would go on to earn a PHD in Chemistry and won international recognition and membership in the London Chemical Society for his work on the assimilation of nitrogen by plants.
After returning to the United States, Pugh would be approached by the trustees of the Farmers’ High School about him becoming president. Pugh was able to rapidly develop the Farmers’ High School into a from a single-purpose state agricultural institution to a scientifically based college that met the requirements of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862. In 1963, Penn State would become one of the United State’s first and Pennsylvania’s only land-grant institutions.
Despite the Civil War occurring during his presidency, Pugh was able to improve the Farmer’ Schools academic curriculum, complete construction of Old Main, and increase the number of students. While the Civil War hurt attendance, the school stayed open, closing only in the summer of 1863 when the faculty and students served as emergency volunteers to repel Lee’s invasion into Pennsylvania. He is buried next to the love of his life, wife Rebecca Valentine, and her family. He died shortly after the wedding: https://www.psu.edu/news/story/penn-state-love-story-rebecca-valentine-and-evan-pugh/
We would love your thoughts on the Self Guided Tour. If you would like additional information, or would like to arrange a guided tour, email us at bellefonteunioncemetery@gmail.com. To donate and/or volunteer visit our website: bellefonteunioncemetery.com
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CREDIT: This self-guided tour of the Union Cemetery was developed December 2022 by Pennsylvania State University Bellisario College of Communications students as part of their senior project for COMM 473. Thank you to Lindsey Scott, Molly Ligon and Dalton Lazich. To submit suggestions for additions and corrections, email rdn11@psu.edu, or bellefonteunioncemetery@gmail.com