The Historic Boal Estate

An intriguing glimpse into who we are as Americans awaits travelers in the picturesque village of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania. Nine generations of the Boal family have lived the story of America, and even have a tangible family connection with our famous founding father, Christopher Columbus.

As visitors drive up the long, gravel driveway of the 200-year-old Boal Estate beneath the ancient oak and maple trees, they begin their own voyage of American discovery.  Few realize at first glance the incredible family memorabilia, authentic and intact, they will be experiencing during their one-hour visit.  A lock of hair of Napoleon?  Simon Bolivar’s pistol?  Two pieces of the True Cross?  Relics from the tomb of the grandparents of King Tut?   Most leave saying, “This is amazing!  Why haven’t we heard about this before?”  A full 85% of visitors surveyed say the site exceeded their expectations.

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 in 1852 was one of the founders of 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 said by the family to have 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.

Visitors Information

The Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum are open to the public from May 1 to October 31 and are closed on Mondays (except Memorial Day).  The museum is open for group tours by advance arrangement in any season at any time.

Spring and fall hours are 1:30 to 5 PM and summer hours are 10 AM to 5 PM (except Sundays Noon to 5 PM).  Visitors receive a one-hour guided tour of the Mansion, Chapel and exhibit rooms containing 200 years of farm and family implements and carriages.  Another exhibit room contains rifles, pistols and helmets from six generations of Boal army captains and medieval armor and weapons from the Columbus family castle in Spain.  Summer theater takes place on site at the Boal Barn Playhouse, run by the State College Community Theater (814/466-7141).

Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for children under twelve and under seven are free with an adult. Admission is $8 per person for groups of ten or more. School and bus groups are welcome in any season at any time of day by advance arrangement.

Annual special events include:

·         Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum Opening Day:  May 1.

·         Music at the Boal Mansion, a spring musicale in the ballroom with classical music, champagne and fine food in the dining room.  May. Saturday in early May.

·         Memorial Day festival (with the Boalsburg village).  Food, music and crafts celebrating Boalsburg as the birthplace of Memorial Day.

·       The Boalsburg Columbus Ball: contra-dancing in the 1898 ballroom, champagne and fine food in the 1798 dining room and visits from Christopher Columbus and nine generations of Boals who shaped the community.

·       Discovery Days Cultural Heritage Festival, celebrating Boalsburg’s unique link with Columbus by celebrating America’s many cultures.

·         Columbus Day religious service in the Columbus Chapel celebrating the anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the New World in 1492.

The museum is four miles east of State College and Penn State University on business route 322. Directly across the highway is the Pennsylvania Military Museum (814/466-6263), where Theodore Davis Boal founded his own cavalry troop in 1916 and founded the 28^th Division Shrine in 1919.  The museum, owned and run by the State, is dedicated to the citizen-soldier. 

A few hundred yards east is Historic Boalsburg Village with shops, galleries, restaurants and taverns such as the 1819 Duffy’s Boalsburg Tavern (814/466-6241).  The Boalsburg Heritage Museum Association (814/466-3035) has a house on East Main Street with village memorabilia.