Location(s)

Boal Mansion Museum and Columbus Chapel

The Boals were on the cutting edge of the defining issues of their time. David Boal, the 1789 founder of the site, was a Scottish-Irish Revolutionary War captain and a pioneer seeking cheap land and freedom. His son David founded Boalsburg village and had a tavern there which delighted weary travelers and locals alike. His son George was a farmer and in 1855 was one of the founders of the nearby Farmers High School, now better known as Penn State University, home of the famous Nittany Lions football team. All of these institutions -- the Boal estate, Boalsburg village, Penn State - remain vital to the community today.

The fifth generation, Theodore Davis Boal, benefited from industrial fortunes amassed by the fourth generation. He studied architecture in Europe where he married the beautiful French-Spanish aristocrat, Mathilde de Lagarde, a descendant of the famous Christopher Columbus.

In 1909 Terry and Mathilde inherited and imported to their American estate the chapel of the Columbus family, including an admiral's desk that belonged to the famous explorer himself. Fifteenth century religious statues, sixteenth century Renaissance paintings and 150,000 pages of Columbus family documents dating back to the 1450's await the visitor.

The Boal Mansion Museum contains the original furnishings, papers, portraits, tools and weapons of nine generations of this American family.

	Boal Mansion has been home to these generations and after 218 years, the original family, furnishings, and buildings are still here. This registered National Historic Site, (US Department of the Interior), tells the story of America -- The Emerging Nation.
	See also the Columbus Chapel which contains the most important Columbus collection in North America -- an incredible collection of Columbus relics, fine art, and religious relics, including two pieces of The True Cross.

Be sure to visit this extraordinary piece of our nation’s history when visiting Centre County, PA.

Mailing Address: Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum, 300 Old Boalsburg Road or 163 Boal Estate Drive (new street address) P.O. Box 116, Boalsburg PA 16827-0116.

Located three miles east of State College, PA, at the intersection of route 45 and business route 322.

For additional information about the historic Boal Mansion and Columbus Chapel, please visit the Boal Museum web site: http://www.boalmuseum.com/

You may also get tour and other information via email: office@boalmuseum.com or call:

Tour office phone number: 1-(814)-466-6210 Staff office phone number: 1-(814)-466-9266

Courtesy of Boal Museum CEO Christopher Lee