Centre County Agricultural History

Farmland Preservation in Ferguson Township

In honor and support of Ferguson Township's rich agricultural roots, its staff created a Farmland Preservation Story Map, an interactive way to learn about local Century Farms, agricultural land preservation programs, unique maps of farmland conservation in Ferguson Township, and more.

Home to about half of the preserved agricultural land in Centre County, Ferguson Township boasts a beautiful landscape of patchwork fields used for pasture and crops. Much of the Township's preserved farmland is found along Tadpole Road, Shingletown Road, and Whitehall Road.

Agricultural History and Visual Tour of Farms in the Penns Valley and Brush Valley area

The history of the agricultural landscape in Centre County is a history of farm activities in barns and outbuildings that reflect machinery use and storage; tenant farms or houses; housing for livestock; Pennsylvania-German construction; siting and building types; smokehouses; poultry houses; root cellars; summer kitchens; springhouses, and workshops. 
 
The Centre County Planning and Community Development Office is pleased to present an agricultural history and visual tour of farms in the Penns Valley and Brush Valley area. Funded by Verizon Wireless to fulfill Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) stipulations to mitigate adverse effects from a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wireless telecommunications facility in Centre County, its historical context narrative is shared with permission directly from the “Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project” by Dr. Sally McMurry, retired Professor of History at Pennsylvania State University.

This slideshow features some of Centre County’s preserved farms in Potter Township, where the County has preserved 11 farms and 1,622 acres of prime farmland.