Meet the recipients of this year’s Ziegler awards for Centre County history preservation
The Centre County Historical Society will honor community members this month who are dedicated to preserving and restoring local history.
The John H. Ziegler awards, named after the longtime board member for the historical society, will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 22 at The Match Factory in Bellefonte.
Mary Sorensen, executive director of the CCHS, said the nominations take nearly a year to get through because of the wide scope of information the society takes into account. The society has been holding this award ceremony for 34 years, honoring 244 recipients.
“It kind of brings a focus on historic preservation in Centre County, and hopefully helps people to understand the importance of not only keeping this historic perspective, but also maintaining and restoring historic sites, maintaining and restoring historical stories or collections,” Sorensen said.
Awards will be given out in four categories — education and advocacy, preservation and restoration, history and heritage, and support and volunteerism. Two additional awards, the President’s award and the Jacqueline J. Melander Award, will be given out to individuals for long-term dedication to historic preservation.
Here’s a look at those who will receive awards:
Education and advocacy: Patricia House of the Bellefonte Art Museum for advocating and educating the public about the Henry S. Linn House, which is now home to the museum.
Support and volunteerism: Jim Baldwin for his 30 years of service and dedication to the preservation of the Union Cemetery in Bellefonte.
History and heritage: Barbara Franco and The Advent Historical Society in Milesburg for preserving and strengthening local heritage through their documentation of the Marsh Creek Advent Church. The church was placed on the National Register for Historic Places in 2022 due to the group’s advocacy and efforts.
Preservation and restoration: Brothers Jonathan and Chris Virgilio for maintaining and restoring the Gamble Mill, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.
Joan Hawbaker Brower and Cathy Horner will be awarded the Jacqueline J. Melander Award for their longtime dedication to preserving Centre County history. The two partnered to write “Aaronsburg to Zion: The Amazing Centre County Postcard Collection of Joan Hawbaker Brower,” a visual history of Centre County shown through Brower’s extensive postcard collection.
The President’s award will be awarded to Beverly Lipski for her longtime service to the Centre County Historical Society as chair of the garden committee and current society treasurer.
Attendees must RSVP either online or by phone with the Centre County Historical Society. The award ceremony will also be broadcast on C-NET and recordings can be found at the society’s website.