Oak Hall Historic District

Oak Hall is a village in College Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, and this district covers its western portion, built around the farm of General James Irvin. The centrepiece is the Irvin Mansion, a two-and-a-half-story limestone house begun around 1825 with a center hall plan and measuring 48 by 38 feet, one of the largest houses in the area at the time. Nearby stand a limestone barn of about the same date with a Palladian-style ventilator, and the foundation story of the Irvin grist mill, first built in 1822. Irvin, who began his career in Oak Hall as a miller and storekeeper, later became a prominent ironmaster and served in Congress from 1841 to 1845. The district also includes the Johnstonbaugh House, a vernacular dwelling with an early log section, and the Benjamin Peters House of about 1860. Together these buildings preserve the agricultural and milling character of the community after the 1971 highway project removed its core.