Hugh and Barbara Hodge were teachers who loved the land. In 2004, they permanently preserved their 147-acre Hodge Farm with a conservation easement held by the Centre County Farmland Trust. Hodge Farm is the first farm preserved by the Trust.
History emanates from Hodge Farm. Hugh & Barbara Hodge insured it always would when they donated an agricultural conservation easement to the Centre County Farmland Trust in May 2004.
This easement was significant: It was the first farm permanently preserved by the Trust and it was the first farm preserved in Penn Township.
Located between Spring Mills and Coburn on Penns Creek Road, the picturesque Hodge Farm has features that encapsulate the natural surroundings of our entire county. Bordered by Penns Creek to the south, the northern land consists of gently rolling hills and fields in agricultural production. On the western boundary, a small stream and wetlands produce lush spring meadows and wild flowers.
Double Bank Barn
The “Old Barn” is the most historical treasure of the Hodge Farm. Dating from the 1830’s, this enormous double bank barn-structure was constructed of Pennsylvania yellow pine.
At 120 feet long, 60 feet wide and more than three stories tall, the barn is an architectural jewel and is listed with the Centre County Historical Society. The frame work is mortise and tenon construction held together with wooden pins. The roof ridge is a single beam spanning the entire length of the barn. Some have estimated that the tree that became the ridge beam exceeded seven feet in diameter and was probably cut from somewhere on the farm.
Respected Teachers
Teaching is both the foundation and continuation of history.
Companions and soul mates for almost 50 years, Hugh & Barbara were both teachers in the State College Area School District. He was a teacher of advanced biology and she was a math teacher and district program supervisor. Both were loved and respected by countless students who one year voted Hugh as Teacher of the Year.
Outside school walls, the Hodge Farm became a living classroom as Hugh & Barbara mentored and employed many kids during summers on the farm. Lessons in hay making, crop planting and livestock production were daily. Eventually they both retired to work the farm and volunteer with numerous local agricultural associations.
Family Legacy
Perhaps the greatest lesson that Hugh & Barbara Hodge taught was the “gift of good land”. Since their passing, Barbara in 2010 and Hugh in 2012, their decision for preservation has welcomed new families to the farm.
Current and future families create their own legacy on the land.
The land continues as an active working farm, surrounded by the rolling hills of forage grass to be harvested and stored in the historic barn as feed for cattle and horses. Every day is one more day in history and by preserving their farm with the Centre County Farmland Trust. Hugh & Barbara Hodge ensured it would be a testament to that history. Always.