Centre Furnace Mansion seeking donations to help with ‘dry spell’ and allow it to reopen
Closed to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centre Furnace Mansion is experiencing an emergency of its own — a crisis that might prevent it from reopening even when state restrictions are lifted.
The Centre County Historical Society is seeking donations to fix nearly 300 feet of deteriorated water line outside of the College Township mansion that has resulted in thousands of gallons of water loss. The broken water line runs under sections of the mansion’s brick walkways that would also need to be replaced.
With a $12,000 goal, residents can donate to a GoFundMe, organized by Executive Director Mary Sorensen, to help the mansion survive its “dry spell.”
“This comes at a considerable cost, and these unexpected expenses have hit us at a time when we have been closed due to COVID-19 and could not hold our usual fundraisers,” Sorensen wrote in a statement. “Without these repairs to get our water back on, we would be unable to reopen the mansion when it is safe to do so.”
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Centre Furnace Mansion is a house museum, located off East College Avenue, that is free and open to the public year-round. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the mansion welcomed more than 5,000 visitors each year. It also serves as headquarters, library and archives for the Centre County Historical Society.
“The mansion and surrounding grounds stand as a testament to two of the most important economic and developmental facets of Centre County history — the 18th-century origins of the iron-making industry and the 19th-century founding of the Pennsylvania State University,” Sorensen wrote.
So far, the fundraiser has received nearly $2,000 in donations.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 12:55 PM.
