Memorial Field

Memorial Field (HM2I1U)

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N 40° 47.484', W 77° 51.598'

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Inscription

State College Historic Site

Heeding calls for a "public playground," the State College School Board bought this natural amphitheater, known as "the sink hole," in 1914. It was foreseen as one of Pennsylvania's "most modern playgrounds," one of its "most outstanding high school athletic fields."

Residents were to cease using it as a town dump. But conversion to a school-activity "hollow" was slow, due to lack of funding. In 1916, the surface was leveled for baseball; in 1926, a running track was laid, paid for by the Rotary Club. H.O. Smith erected bleachers salvaged from New Beaver Field in 1933.

The Great Depression brought Works Progress Administration (WPA) money. Landscape Architecture Professor John R. Bracken supervised planning. Local laborers (pictured above, about 1935) removed thousands of tons of rock, retaining less than 20 percent for walls and steps. Calvin Graham (foot on wheelbarrow) was the general foreman. One workman, Joe Harper (second man right of Calvin) would stay nearby—becoming custodian of the Frazier Street School up the hill.

In 1937, steel-plated grandstands went up, Bill Marshall installed floodlights, and the first official football game was played. "The High School Hollow" was dedicated as Memorial Field in 1946 to honor State High alumni who died in World War I and II. It was rededicated in



1993 to honor all SCAHS alumni killed in wartime.
Details
HM NumberHM2I1U
Series This marker is part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects series
Tags
Placed ByDowntown State College; Penn State Alumni Association
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 at 11:04am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 258700 N 4519537
Decimal Degrees40.79140000, -77.85996667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 47.484', W 77° 51.598'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 47' 29.04" N, 77° 51' 35.88" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal AddressAt or near , ,
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