On a sunny fall day, a group of community volunteers came together to videotape the people, places and happenings of the Tyrone area. The Pennsylvania Railroad has left a legacy of beautiful buildings and homes in Tyrone, a rural town nestled in the mountains between State College and Altoona .
The railroad came through Tyrone in 1849, and the city was incorporated in 1860. With the railroad, came economic prosperity, including the building of many beautiful homes and mansions that still stand today. Tyrone is full of many gorgeous houses with stained glass windows, elevators and winding stairwells.
Today, Amtrak still has a stop in Tyrone and the railroad is still an important part of the town’s life.
Tyrone’s many active churches are a vital part of the community. St. Mathew’s Roman Catholic Church celebrated it’s 150 th anniversary in 2003 and recently renovated the interior.
Some of the other churches highlighted include the Grace Baptist on Columbia & 16 th St. , Wesley United Methodist on 12th & Logan Street , which features a beautiful stained glass window in the sanctuary, and the Church of the Good Shephard, which just built a new addition.
Feature Segment:
The Great Circus Train Wreck
A famous traveling circus of the late 19th century, the Walter L. Main Circus, was starting a tour through central Pennsylvania in May of 1893, when a horrible accident occurred. During the early morning hours of Memorial Day 1893, the circus train was making its way down a long downhill grade of the track, on its way from Clearfield to Tyrone. The circus railroad cars were much longer and heavier than average railroad cars, and as the circus train reached the bottom of the hill at McCann’s Crossing, many cars containing circus animals and crew jumped the tracks.
While many of the crew, performers and animals in the front of the train were spared, there were many people and animals in the back of the train injured and killed. Tyrone family lore still recounted today is the story of the escaped Bengal tiger. Several days after the wreck, a local farmer’s daughter, Hannah Friday, was out milking her cow, when the escaped (and obviously hungry) tiger attacked and killed the cow. Hannah was able to escape the same fate, and a posse went out, found the tiger and shot it. Today, the tiger’s skull hangs on the wall at the Tyrone Sportsman’s Club.
On a sunny fall day, a group of community volunteers came together to videotape the people, places and happenings of the Tyrone area. The Pennsylvania Railroad has left a legacy of beautiful buildings and homes in Tyrone, a rural town nestled in the mountains between State College and Altoona . 
Tyrone’s many active churches are a vital part of the community. St. Mathew’s Roman Catholic Church celebrated it’s 150 th anniversary in 2003 and recently renovated the interior. 
A famous traveling circus of the late 19th century, the Walter L. Main Circus, was starting a tour through central Pennsylvania in May of 1893, when a horrible accident occurred. During the early morning hours of Memorial Day 1893, the circus train was making its way down a long downhill grade of the track, on its way from Clearfield to Tyrone. The circus railroad cars were much longer and heavier than average railroad cars, and as the circus train reached the bottom of the hill at McCann’s Crossing, many cars containing circus animals and crew jumped the tracks. 
While many of the crew, performers and animals in the front of the train were spared, there were many people and animals in the back of the train injured and killed. Tyrone family lore still recounted today is the story of the escaped Bengal tiger. Several days after the wreck, a local farmer’s daughter, Hannah Friday, was out milking her cow, when the escaped (and obviously hungry) tiger attacked and killed the cow. Hannah was able to escape the same fate, and a posse went out, found the tiger and shot it. Today, the tiger’s skull hangs on the wall at the Tyrone Sportsman’s Club.