Glenhill's Star Turn
"This Old House" exhibit on display in Lilley Library
“This Old House,” an exhibit of photographs and other memorabilia related to the construction of Ernst and Mary Behrend’s Glenhill Farm, is on display in the Behrend Archives room of the John M. Lilley Library at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
The renovations and additions to Glenhill, the Behrend’s weekend and summer home, were guided by architect R. Brognard Okie, a leading proponent of Colonial Revival style best known for his home designs for Philadelphia’s wealthy. He also was responsible for the 1937 renovation of the Betsy Ross House and the reconstruction of William Penn’s country home, Pennsbury Manor, now a state museum in Bucks County.
In 1936, shortly after the completion of Glenhill, the Behrends hired Harold Haliday Costain, a widely admired and award-winning photographer, to document the pastoral beauty of their new home. Previous to Glenhill, the Behrends lived on the grounds of the family’s Hammermill Paper Co. plant, which was a common practice at the time.
In 1948, Mary Behrend donated Glenhill Farm to Penn State so the University could establish a permanent presence in Erie. Glenhill, the historic core of what is now a 725-acre campus, houses the college’s administrative offices.
“This Old House” is open to the public during library hours: 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.
For more information about “This Old House,” contact Jane Ingold, curator of the Behrend Archives, at 814-899-7278.