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Penns Valley Past and Present

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Penns Valley Past and Present

Penns Valley photos and information collected by Vonnie Henninger. See Gramley Schoolhouse Museum for Brush Valley photos and information.

Gramley Schoolhouse Museum in Rebersburg PA has a large collection of local history.

10/30/2026

Rebersburg PA – 1946 – Post 2 – Diary of Harry Ziegler (1893-1989)…

In 1946, Harry Ziegler will turn 53 years old. He is the son of William Ziegler and Minerva Zimmerman Ziegler. On June 28, 1919, Harry was elected to teach Rebersburg Grammar School in Rebersburg. In 1910, he married Alpha Maude Smull. Children are Clarence “Paul” born in 1911, lived in Port Matilda; Ruth Eleanor (Swartz) born in 1912, lived in Millheim; and Sarah Josephine (Whitehill) born in 1920, lived in Pleasant Gap. In 1922. Harry’s family moved into a house at 155 East Main Street. The same year, Rebersburg received electricity. His parents live at 167 E. Main Street (later the home of Malcolm & Betty Yearick). Alpha, his wife, died November 7, 1938. By 1940, their three children have their own homes. Harry married his second wife, Minnie Shultz, on August 23, 1941. October 12, 1942, Harry and Minnie's son, Robert Lee Ziegler, was born. "Bobby" died July 20, 1945 (2 years, 9 months, 8 days).

Harry Clemens Ziegler lived in Rebersburg, Miles Township –
School Teacher for 49 years
Justice of the Peace – 1926-1974
Notary Public – 1969-1985
Fire Warden – 1920-1989
I.O.O.F. Member – 1915-1989
Sunday School Teacher – 47 Years
Insurance Salesman – 1920-1989

HARRY ZIEGLER DIARY – 1946 –

January 29, 1946 - Tuesday. In school. Mrs. Herbert Stover died of cancer. (Gertrude Styers (Mrs. Herbert) Stover (1877-1946) was the mother of Jennings and John Stover. The family lived in Smullton where Herbert had a stove, print shop and photo studio.)
January 30, 1946 - Wednesday. In school. To prayer meeting.
January 31, 1946 - Thursday. In school.
February 1, 1946 - Friday. In school. To I.O.O.F. Funeral of Mrs. H. H. Stover.
February 2, 1946 - Saturday. Ruth's here in p.m. Paul here a short time also.
February 3, 1946 - Sunday. To S.S. and evening services.
February 4, 1946 - Monday. In school.
February 5, 1946 - Tuesday. In school. To Loganton after school. Gale sold his auto.
February 6, 1946 - Wednesday. Rain and sleet - very icy roads. In school. To prayer meeting.
February 7, 1946 - Thursday. In school.
February 8, 1946 - Friday. In school. To I.O.O.F. - oyster supper for members.
February 9, 1946 - Saturday. Clerked sale of Mildred B**b in p.m. Minnie and Arlene were hauling wood.
February 10, 1946 - Sunday. Increasing cloudiness. To S.S. and a.m. services. Ruth's here for dinner and supper - fetched them and took them home.
February 11, 1946 - Monday. In school. Film sent to Mail Photo Service, Princeton, Indiana.
February 12, 1946 - Tuesday. In school. To Congregational meeting in church to discuss plans for remodeling the church - was appointed to the Building Committee, there being 9 members thereof: M. W. (Myles) Breon, S. O. (Stan) Mallory, H. C. (Harry) Ziegler, J. A. (John) Wert, Alton Auman, Mrs. E. R. (Ed) Wolfe, Mrs. Gail Weaver, Mrs. E. H. (Ed) Hosterman, Mrs. S. O. (Stan) Mallory.
February 13, 1946 - Wednesday. In school. To prayer meeting.
February 14, 1946 - Thursday. In school. At Lewis Schriver's for supper.
February 15, 1946 - Friday. In school.
February 16, 1946 - Saturday. Helped Shultz's haul 1 load of wood in morning - to Millheim to adjust bank accounts. Cut logs for self in p.m. - Dean Schade and Marvin Weaver helped - cost $3.00. Sara and Marcia here over night.
February 17, 1946 - Sunday. To S.S. and evening services. Sara and Marcia went home after supper. Received word that Paul was sick in bed - Doctor called twice today.
February 18, 1946 - Monday. Fair - a real day after a few flurries in morning. In school.
February 19, 1946 - Tuesday. Snow, heavy, all p.m. and into the night. In school.
February 20, 1946 - Wednesday. Cold, very stormy - drifted roads. To prayer meeting - Cemetery Trustee meeting thereafter. In school. Called Paul's by telephone - he got out of bed yesterday.
February 21, 1946 - Thursday. In school.
February 22, 1946 - Friday. In school. To I.O.O.F. To Sugar Valley after school for potatoes, but didn't find Mr. Schrack at home. W. E. (Walter) Hackman is in Centre County Hospital for a hernia operation - has been there for several days in the past.
February 23, 1946 - Saturday. Weaver boys and I skidded logs to near top of mountain - their cost $3.50 - now a total of $6.50.
February 24, 1946 - Sunday. To S.S. and a.m. services. At Gail Weaver's for dinner.
February 25, 1946 - Monday. In school. To Millheim after school.
February 26, 1946 - Tuesday. In school.
February 27, 1946 - Wednesday. Very rainy in p.m. and night. In school. To prayer meeting. Had a card from Sara stating that Marcia had scarlet fever and the quarantine will be lifted on March 16th.
February 28, 1946 - Thursday. Very spring like. In school.
March 1, 1946 - Friday. A real spring day. In school. To our annual I.O.O.F. banquet - meal was served in Reformed basement by said church - approximately 70 present.

10/30/2026

State College PA - 1985 - future site of State College By-Pass - photo from the collection of the late Caroline May Hollobaugh Gardner...

10/30/2026

State College PA - 1976 - future site of State College By-Pass - photo from the collection of the late Caroline May Hollobaugh Gardner...

10/30/2026

Rebersburg PA - ca. 1910 - Walker Threshing group - "Threshing Day" would mean a man with his steam engine and threshing machine would come along with the neighbors to help thresh the grain (barley, wheat, oats, and others)...

After the grain grows and matures, the farmer would binder the grain. The binder, pulled by horses (before 1940) and then later tractors, would make sheaves that were tied with binder twine. A person riding on the binder seat would watch the sheaves collect into a metal arm. After twelve sheaves were collected, the person would press his foot on the metal arm to drop the sheaves on a pile on the ground. Along came other men walking from one pile of sheaves to another and setting them up so all that touched the ground was the bottom of the sheaf. The grain would be at the top. The last sheaf would be spread over the top of the shock to keep the rain from going into the sheaf. The shocks would dry in the field until arrangements were made with the thresher and neighbors on a date to thresh. Threshing would usually take one to three days at a farm and threshing was done in the barn or outside. Where, would depend on how clean of weeds the shocks were. If there was lots of weeds and other foreign growth with the grain, they would put it outside. Green growth will get hot and could cause a barn fire. Several men owned a steam engine and threshing machine. They would drive through the valley and thresh at the farms. One of the best known in Brush and Penns Valleys was Ray Stover from Aaronsburg. "Threshing Day" was a busy time for the lady of the house and her daughters. There would be a big meal to prepare and serve to a bunch of hungry men. The meal was similar to a holiday meal. The meal was a highlight of the day – good food, rest and time to visit and play jokes on each other.

I remember standing in our yard when the steam engine and equipment would pass – lots of noise and the ground would shake. It was very heavy.

October 1996, when I was at a Ham Pot-Pie dinner at the Spring Mills Fire Hall, Kenneth Eungard sat across from me during the meal. He told me the following…

Before 1920 Cleve Eungard opened an implement business on Route 45, west of Spring Mills. Kenneth Eungard, Cleve’s son, helped his father and later took over the business. During World War II it was hard to get implements so they sold anything they could get to sell. Around 1948, they sold three Case threshing machines: (1) to Harold Esterline (my father) at Rebersburg; (2) to Ellis Rearick at Millheim and (3) he could not remember who got this one. When Kenneth delivered the first one to my father east of Rebersburg, it started to rain so he stopped just east of the Millheim Narrows Road intersection on Route 192 where there was room to pull off. He crawled inside the threshing machine where it was dry until the rain was over then he continued on down the highway and delivered the machine to the Esterline farm. I remember helping carry the grain from the grain bagger on the back of the machine. Sometime around 1960, we got a Allis-Chalmer combine. That was the end of the threshing machine. Now it would take one man to do it all.

10/30/2026

Millheim PA – 1948 – East Penns Valley High School Yearbook – Graduates - Post 7...

Melvin Kerstetter (1930-1980).

Wilbur R. Brungart (1930-1990) Senior Master Sgt. U.S. Air Force.

Roselyn Hackenberg (1930-2002) married Lee Reamer was the mother of three children.

10/30/2026

Lock Haven PA –2026 - Thank You for sharing your photo, Brad Reider, Freelance Writer/Aviation Photographer, 570-660-5907.

Norfolk Southern coal train rolling into Lock Haven near the university

10/30/2026

Boalsburg PA - 1990 Reunion - Boalsburg High School Teachers - Post 24 - the new Boalsburg High School building was completed in 1936 - the building is now Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy...

10/30/2026

Bellefonte PA - Undine Fire Company News 1942-1945 - Post 101...

10/30/2026

State College PA - 1973 - Alpha Fire Company...

10/30/2026

State College PA - no date available - State College Police Department Officer, Adam Salyards, presents certificate to Dave Panko...

Address

100 Hawknest Way #400
Bellefonte, PA
16823

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