Pine Grove Mills is a tiny village chartered in 1801 from a Thomas Ferguson land grant.The village is on SR45, the Purple Heart Highway, and celebrated its bi-centenary in 2001 with a burst of energy and beautification that still helps us shine. The town is bracketed by 2 Bed and Breakfast Inns and boasts a restaurant in the restored Odd Fellows Hall. The gas station across the intersection of SR26 and 45 was the site of the original village mill, and once there really was a grove of Pines. Many other trees were sacrificed when SR45 was widened in the early 1900s. A wonderful spring supplied delicious water to all the villagers until the townies came from State College with added needs and the village had to join the hard water deep wells in the area. At the top of "Old Tussey" Mountain is a point where the entire valley can be seen. It is known as Jo Hayes Overlook. From that stop, a difficult 1/4 mile trek leads to the Lookout where the annual spring Northward Migration of the Golden Eagle is counted by a host of dedicated enthusiasts. Blueberries and Teaberries carpet the side of Old Tussey, and foxes and bears make regular appearances in the village from their dens in the highlands. There were even sightings of the Mountain Lion, thought to be extinct in this area. Villagers enjoy regular feasts at the Lions Club and the VFW where strangers are always welcome. Memorial Day means a polishing of the gravestones in the two cemeteries and the array of many flags, plus flowers in wild profusion. It is a delicious homespun life that beguiles the bedroom residents who work at PSU and State College. One claim to fame is the federal farmhouse on the eastern edge of town where Crown Vetch, that ubiquitous ground cover and erosion preventer, was developed. Other fine old houses boast their small herds of horses, making a drive through Old Pine Grove an equine experience if you slow down to hear the delightful whinneys that soothe the mind and soul of weary city folk. Take a walk through the village and experience Old Tussey to the south, Churchspires to the east, Raptors circling to the west, and the Wind Almighty from almost north. N,S,E, and W are approximations here where the ancient Alleghenies are on the bias, dissecting the beautiful Keystone State.