After Penn’s Cave, we drove through the creepy town of Centre Hall, PA where the Cave was located to Bellefonte, hoping to discover a wealth of rich history and Victoriana. Some miles later, we found ourselves in the heart of Bellefonte, charming and quaint—where the local Dairy Queen was located in a large Italianate-style Victorian building.
The town’s history is like that of many other boomtowns of the Industrial Revolution. Bellefonte is rich in natural resources and thereby prospered during that time period.
The Courthouse
Bellefonte also housed Edison’s first community electric illuminating company outside New York City (from 1882-1927). Here, the first electric light switch was invented by Edgar Greene in 1885. It was home to many industrialists, which is why there is a mini-Millionaire’s row located on Linn Street.
Main drag
The “Big Spring” in the center of the town is the main water supply, pumping 13 million gallons of water daily—the third largest natural spring in PA. Iron from the local area was used for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Strangely, Bellefonte was also home to many governors (it is also known as “The Home of Governors”—a fact that the town is immensely proud of). Here is a list of the who’s who of governors who resided in this town: William Bigler (1852-1854 PA) J
John Bigler (1852-1856 CA)
Robert J. Walker (1857 KS)
William Packer (1858-1860 PA)
Andrew G. Curtin (1861-1866 PA Civil War governor)
James A. Beaver (1887-1890 PA) Daniel H. Hastings (1895-1898 PA)
Eventually, we found lodging at the Reynold’s Mansion B&B (b. 1885) which was a) located on Linn St and b) owned by an industrialist. We were on our way to becoming the elite of Bellefonte! 
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