Centre County is filled with names. Labels are attached to towns, buildings and businesses that are essential parts of modern-day life. What some people may overlook is that they are also reflections of Centre County's past.
Debbie Fishman (freshman-biochemistry) said she knows very little about the history of the area.
"I think it's important though. It's interesting and I'd like to know," she said.
Most students remain ignorant of the area's history, including the history of the University, said Michael Bezilla, author of Penn State: An Illustrated History.
"More students ought to be aware of the buildings' history and why someone felt a person was important enough to name something after," he said. "But I can't blame them because unless they take some extra special initiative, they really can't learn."
On campus, buildings are named for figures who are an important part of Penn State's history, he said.
For example, Cross and Ewing in South Halls got their names from the first two women students at Penn State, Bezilla said.
Most of the major streets downtown are in honor of former University figures, said Cynthia Hanscom of the State College planning office.
The names of the dorms in East Halls stray from the University theme and take their names from former Pennsylvania governors, Bezilla said.
Beyond the boundaries of the University, there are hundreds of names, each with its own unique history.
Ralph Seeley, a local history buff and member of the Half Moon Township planning commission, has plenty of stories to tell about the area.
Half Moon Township got its name from Indian markings in the shape of half moons found on trees, Seeley said.
"Many of the places around here have connections to the Indians which used to live in the area," Seeley said.
Bald Eagle Ridge and Bald Eagle State Park are among them.
"They get their names from Chief Bald Eagle, who had a tepee or two around the Milesburg area," Seeley said. "Ironically, although there are very few bald eagles migrating on the East Coast, there are bald eagles that migrate on that ridge."
Seeley said the way Port Matilda got its name is open to debate.
"One of the theories holds there was a squire who owned a tavern there and had a daughter named Matilda," Seeley said. "Everytime someone would come through the door, the squire would shout, 'Port (a kind of a drink), Matilda,' and she would get them one."
Closer to State College sits Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. Peter Shaver was an Irish-Scottish immigrant who settled here in the early 1800s, said Rod Lee, assistant program director at the center.
There is an overwhelming number of businesses that have the word "Nittany" in the title. Most students know that it is in reference to the Nittany Lion, but may not know where the lion got its name.
According to the legend of Mt. Nittany, it comes from a story about an Indian Princess named Nit-A-Nee, whose name meant "protector from the winds." Nit-A-Nee fell in love with a a brave named Lion's Paw, said Jeff Terosky, president of the Lion Ambassadors.
One night the brave fell asleep when Nit-A-Nee's guard was down and he was killed by the winds, Terosky said. She mourned over his burial ground during the night. In the morning the mound had turned into a mountain and lion cubs had appeared.
"Now as long as the battle of the winds continues, which today are the football games, the mountain will stand for ever and ever and protect the valley," he said.
