Centre County Library & Historical Museum - Miles-Potter-Humes House

B&W photograph (date before 1858) of what is thought to be the original or near original Miles house. View is of the southeast corner of the house with Allegheny Street left to right and Howard Street on the left side. The house is confined to Lot #27 however there appears to be a stone wall parallel to Allegheny Street extending into Lot #25. Two-story stone house symmetrical in plan with large attic story under an open gable roof with large stone chimneys at either gable, and a small porch at the main entrance along Allegheny Street. Each chimney accommodated four fireplaces, two each on the 1st and 2nd floors. On the back and parallel to Howard Street is a two story stone ell with a small porched side entrance from Howard Street. The south-most wall of the ell is collinear with the Howard Street wall of the main house. This ell could have served as a kitchen given the smaller fireplace, and/or living quarters for non-family members such as housekeepers and servants. The owners were Joseph Miles (the builder), William Wilson Potter, and Lucy Winters Potter.

Phase 3 resulted in significant changes to the main house on Lot #27 and adjacent/attached structures on Lot #27 and the adjacent Lot #25 compared with Phase 2. These recorded changes are documented on Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Bellefonte, PA dated from 1897 – 1922 and partially confirmed by photographs. An engineering feat included the lifting of the main house 4 feet and moving it west approximately 12 feet in 1895. Also in 1895 prior to this movement, the north annex and ell of Phase 2 were completely torn down along with the porches, and the structures on the back of the lots were removed (Phase 3a). In 1895/1896, the major changes included a new 2-story stone ell with a large attic story, changes to the central façade of the front of the main house on all floors, addition of a 2-story polygonal bay on the north wall of the main house, large porches on the front and north-side of the main house, a roof parapet extending from the ell to the main house, lifting the main house approximately 2 feet off the ground to create a water table, and a full basement. The owners were William Potter Humes (until his death in 1920), Ann Elmira Humes (until her death in 1935), and the Library & Historical Corporation of Bellefonte (in March 1938).

Sketch of the 2nd Centre Furnace stack built in the late 1840s and still standing today. The original Centre Furnace (pig iron producer and store, and then saw mill and grist mill) which began 1792 was a business partnership of Colonel Samuel Miles (1739/1740 – 1805) and Colonel John Patton (1745 – 1804) referred to as Miles, Patton & Miles with the second Miles believed to be Richard Miles (1739 - 1823), a brother of Colonel Samuel Miles. Joseph Miles (1780 – 1840/1841), a son of Colonel Samuel Miles, came to the future Centre County area in the 1790’s when he was still in his teens. Joseph came with his brother, John Miles (1778 - 1829), who together initially supported their uncles, Richard Miles and James Miles (1744 – 1798). A combination of these four men represented their brother and father in his business interests at Centre Furnace and Harmony Forge/Milesburg Iron Works (started in 1795) until Samuel Miles’ death in 1805. Under the business names of John & Joseph Miles and Joseph Miles & Co. they continued the iron-related and other enterprises at Centre Furnace (until 1809 and then again from 1826 – 1832) and Milesburg Iron Works (until 1832). In 1832, their interests were sold to John Irvin (1770 – 1843) and General James Irvin (1800 – 1862). Joseph Miles also served as a director, stock holder, and teller of the Centre Bank of Pennsylvania in Bellefonte, PA starting in January 1814; the same month that he bought Lot #27 on the northwest corner of N. Allegheny St. and W. Howard St., Bellefonte, PA. The bank was located diagonally opposite Lot #27 where Joseph built the future Miles-Potter-Humes house. Joseph Miles signed paper money of low denomination (known as ‘shin-plasters’) for this bank as early as 1816. Joseph Miles married Susan Miles (1779/1780 – 1840), his cousin and the daughter of his uncle James Miles, and had two children, Catherine Miles Green (1805 – 1873) (born at Centre Furnace, PA) and James Miles (1808 – 1862) (born in Milesburg, PA). Joseph Miles lived in Boggs Township, Centre County, PA, which encompasses Milesburg, PA, until his death after selling his Bellefonte, PA home in 1830 a short time after the nail factory, rolling mill and sawmill attached to the Milesburg Iron Works burned down. Joseph Miles is believed to be buried next to his wife in Milesburg Cemetery (Milesburg, PA) although his headstone is incorrect (date of death is etched as 1810).

Oil painting of Lucy Winters Potter (1790 – 1875) by unknown artist. Likely completed at the same time as the painting of her husband, William Wilson Potter, circa 1820. Lucy Winters Potter was born in Williamsport, PA to William Winters (1728 – 1794) and Eleanor Ball Campbell Winters (1754 – 1809). Lucy Winters married William W. Potter in 1815 and lived in Bellefonte, PA after their marriage and then moving into the Miles-Potter-Humes House in 1830. They had no children. After her niece, Lucy Winters Alexander (1811 – 1886), married Edward Crouch Humes (1810 – 1895) in 1843, Lucy Potter asked them to live with her. Lucy Potter lived in the Miles-Potter-Humes House until her death in 1875. Two of Lucy Potter’s sisters, Mary Winters (1776 – 1845) and Eleanor W. Winters (1776 – 1859), married Charles Huston and Thomas Burnside, respectively, both Justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Lucy Potter is buried in Union Cemetery (Bellefonte, PA).

Lithographic print of Edward Crouch Humes (1810 – 1895) from ‘History of Centre and Clinton Counties’ by John Blair Linn. Edward Humes was born in Bellefonte, PA to Hamilton Humes (1784 – 1859) and Anne Elmira Bailey Humes (1784 – 1862), and was the brother of William Hamilton Humes (1823 – 1888) and Caroline M. Humes (1818 – 1838). Edward Humes was educated at the Bellefonte Academy (Bellefonte, PA) and graduated from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) in 1829. Edward married Lucy Winters Alexander (1811 – 1886) in 1843. Early in his career, Edward worked with his father in H. Humes & Son, a mercantile business, which was renamed E. C. Humes & Bro after his father’s death. In 1856, Edward joined with Andrew Gregg Curtin (1815 – 1894), Hugh Nelson McAllister (1809 – 1873) and James Tracy Hale (1810 – 1865) to create the banking house of Humes, McAllister, Hale & Co. which on June 8, 1864 merged with the First National Bank of Bellefonte. Edward served as President of these banking establishments for thirty-seven years. Other positions held by Edward Humes include director of The Bellefonte Car Manufacturing Company in 1873, partner in The Centre County Banking Company, and incorporator of the Bellefonte Glass Manufacturing Company in 1867. In 1856, Edward helped establish The Bellefonte Cemetery Association. In his mercantile business, Edward owned a stone grist-mill, flouring mill, saw-mill, and land. Edward inherited the Miles-Potter-Humes house in 1886 at the death of his wife, Lucy. Edward is buried in Union Cemetery (Bellefonte, PA).

B&W photograph of Ann Elmira ‘Mira’ Humes (1845 – 1935). Ann Elmira Humes was the daughter of Edward Crouch Humes (1810 – 1895) and Lucy Winters Alexander Humes (1811 – 1886), and brother of William Potter Humes (1844 – 1920) and Hamilton S. Humes (1848 – 1892). Ann Elmira never married. From at least 1896 – 1902, Ann Elmira with her brother, William Potter Humes, was a director in the Blair County Banking Company (Tyrone, PA). Ann Elmira was a member of The Woman’s Club of Bellefonte (organized 1910) until 1934. Ann Elmira lived in the Miles-Potter-Humes house from 1845 to her death in 1935 along with her devoted housekeepers, Sara C. Coldwell (1871 – 1963) and Blanche R. Hagen (1878 – 1952). Ann Elmira inherited the Miles-Potter-Humes house with her brother, William Potter Humes, in 1895. Ann Elmira Humes’ original will (dated Oct. 13, 1920) and five codicil’s (dated from 1925 – 1932) were generous to those living with her, her relatives, her friends, and many organizations. The organizations included the YMCA of Bellefonte, Lincoln University for Colored Men (Oxford, PA), Park College (Parkville, Missouri), eight Bellefonte churches, Centre County Hospital (Children’s Ward), The John G. Paton Mission Fund (New Hebrides), lepers in Allehabad, India, and the Woman’s Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church (Bellefonte, PA). The Miles-Potter-Humes house was bequeathed to the Borough of Bellefonte and the community for use as a public library. Ann Elmira is buried in Union Cemetery (Bellefonte, PA).

Original deed between Joseph Miles and Susan Miles and William W. Potter for Lots No. 25 and 27 in Bellefonte, PA. At the time of this sale the dwelling was on Lot No. 27 which started at the northwest corner of Allegheny and Howard Streets, Bellefonte, PA. The dwelling (or messuage) is not mentioned in any previous sales of this lot. As such the original house was built by Joseph and Susan Miles, circa 1815 on Lot No. 27. Joseph and Susan Miles did not own Lot. No. 25 until Jan. 15, 1822. This is the only time during the history of the Miles-Potter-Humes house where there was a sale; future transfers were by inheritance or by bequest.

Lucy Winters Potter (1790 – May 30, 1875) after she died passed on most of her real estate and personal property (which included the Miles-Potter-Humes house) to her niece, Lucy Winters Alexander Humes (1811 – 1886) through her last will and testament. Lucy Winters Alexander Humes, who died prior to her husband, Edward Crouch Humes (1810 – 1895), passed on her property to him in 1886.

Ann Elmira Humes’ original will (dated Oct. 13, 1920) and five codicil’s (dated from 1925 – 1932) [typewritten copied version consisted of 19 pages] were generous to those living with her, her relatives, her friends, and many organizations. In Article 7 of her will, she bequeathed The Miles-Potter-Humes house to the Borough of Bellefonte and the community for use as a public library. As of June 25, 1936 there were still no definite plans for a library presented. In March 1938 by court ruling, the Library and Historical Corporation obtained the deed to the Miles-Potter-Humes house for the purpose of a public library and historical museum. The library and museum opened in the main house on Oct. 25, 1939. The name of the organization changed to the Centre County Library & Historical Museum in 1956. Ann Elmira Humes died on Feb. 2, 1935.