Historians dig into the 19th century

Wealthy American women and the British gold-diggers who married them will be the topic tonight at the Centre Furnace Mansion.

The Centre County Historical Society (CCHS) and the English-Speaking Union, an international organization which is active locally, are co-sponsoring an event called "American Heiresses -- British Peeresses," at 7:30 p.m. today at the mansion, 1001 E. College Ave.

The discussion features Robin Harland, this year's Evelyn Wrench Speaker of the national English-Speaking Union. Harland received a degree in English from Oxford University and is now active in the arts and in historic preservation. She works with Britain's National Trust, an organization that preserves British heritage, said Sara Phinney Kelley, historic site administrator for the CCHS.

Harland will discuss wealthy young American women who married into older British families during the 19th Century.

The marriages were to the benefit of both parties, as the women's families gained the prestige of "old money" and the British men were able to use the new money to restore and maintain old family estates. Some of those restored estates are now under the care of the National Trust.

Along with his speech, Harland will present slides displaying some restored British estates and mansions, said Joelle Ferguson, a member of CCHS and the English-Speaking Union.

The English-Speaking Union and the CCHS have an interest in such a speaker because the Centre Furnace Mansion is a restored building. Harland will share his expertise in restoration, Ferguson said.

The English-Speaking Union is an organization that originated in Great Britain "to promote the English language as a means of communication among peoples of the world," Ferguson said. This is done locally through cultural, educational and social programs, she said.

The group organizes conversation groups for local residents who are not fluent in English and sends English-language books to schools in non-English-speaking countries, Davison said.

The event is free and open to anyone.