Bellefonte PA | The Beauty Around Us

A Walk in the Park

As I wrote in my previous blog post , we attended a family reunion at Bald Eagle State Park. On Saturday, July 9, Bob, his sister Cynthia and I went for a drive to nearby Bellefonte, PA.

Cynthia discovered the opportunity for free distillery tours, on Saturdays only, for guests of The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle, while reading the Nature Inn’s “welcome to Nature Inn” book in her room. Our destination in Bellefonte was Big Spring Spirits.

While Bob and Cynthia sampled adult beverages, I went for a walk in Talleyrand Park. Bob and I took a walk in this park two years ago, when we attended the Bell Family reunion for the first time. The park was beautiful two years ago. The park is still beautiful!

Big Spring Spirits is located in the red brick building.
I walked across the railroad tracks into Talleyrand Park.

Spring Creek runs through Talleyrand Park.

George Grey Barnard Sculpture Garden

According to a nearby sign, the George Grey Barnard Sculpture Garden was formerly a gas station. The site was donated by Gulf Oil Corporation in 1978. In 1983, the Talleyrand Park Citizens Committee installed the bust of Lincoln, cast from the original plaster head sculpted in 1917 by the famous sculptor George Grey Barnard (1863-1938).

A suspension bridge crosses Spring Creek.

I enjoyed watching the ducks, during my walk through the park.

I wasn’t alone. Others enjoyed watching the ducks as well.

a Mama Mallard Duck and a Duckling

Talleyrand Park features a small waterfall on Spring Creek.

This brick walkway is just as beautiful, as it was 2 years ago.

As I reached the end of the park, I received a message from Bob. Bob asked “Are you hungry? We’re having a snack.” I telephoned Bob and told him I would return to the distillery in about 15 minutes, to please save some of the bread, meats and cheeses for me.

I joined Cynthia and Bob for a light snack at Big Spring Spirits.

From Bellefonte we made our way back to The Nature Inn at Bald Eagle, arriving there around 2:00 pm.

A Stroll through Bellefonte

We spent two nights (July 11 and July 12) in State College PA at the Best Western Plus University Inn & Suites. We traveled to State College via motorcycle, departing home around 10:00 am on July 11. We checked into the hotel around 1:30 pm. The purpose of our weekend stay in State College was to attend the Bell Family Reunion. In addition to socializing with family members, we had an opportunity to do a little sightseeing in Bellefonte, which was located just 6 miles from our hotel.

The borough of Bellefonte, which is located about 12 miles northeast of State College, is the county seat of Centre County. We took a stroll through Talleyrand Park, up High Street and along Allegheny Street.

We spent about an hour walking through Talleyrand Park. The park is beautiful!

Talleyrand Park

A brick walkway leads past a historic train station and a gazebo to a pergola.

Talleyrand Park is home to a historic train station.

The Bellefonte Train Station was built in 1889 and was renovated in 1975-1976. Today the train station houses the Chamber of Commerce. The train tracks lead across a bridge that you see in the photograph displayed below.

The railroad bridge crosses Spring Creek.

The Pennsylvania Match Company, adjacent to Talleyrand Park, is on the other side of the tracks. The Match Company was once one of the eight largest producers of wooden matches in the US. The Match Company closed in the late 1940s. The red brick buildings stood vacant for over 50 years until the American Philatelic Society purchased the complex in 2002, renovating the structure for its own use as well as making space available for other commercial tenants.

There is a waterfall on Spring Creek, as well as a beautiful suspension bridge that crosses the waterway.

A suspension bridge crosses Spring Creek.

Five of Pennsylvania’s governors, as well as two other governors, lived in Bellefonte.

All seven governors are commemorated in a monument overlooking Talleyrand Park.

Seven Governors Monument

From Talleyrand Park we walked up High Street to the Centre County Courthouse.

Centre County Courthouse

From the courthouse we walked along Allegheny Street to the Hastings Mansion.

Hastings Mansion

The Centre County Courthouse and the Hastings Mansion are only two examples of the beautiful historic structures located in Bellefonte. We enjoyed our stroll through Bellefonte very much.