Sometimes you just need to break away from your regular routine to take a little adventure. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or far away. Sometimes the best escape is a simple day trip to a neighboring county. That was exactly the case for me when I unexpectedly found myself with a free weekend with no obligations keeping me at home.

My husband and I decided to head over the mountain toward State College with a stop in Boalsburg at Boal Mansion, a place I had passed hundreds of times but never truly explored. From Route 322, I’d often catch a glimpse of the mansion tucked quietly among the trees, wondering what stories were hidden behind its walls. This time, curiosity finally won.

We arrived just before the 2 p.m. opening on a brisk April Sunday. The air outside had a chill to it, and stepping inside the mansion didn’t offer much relief, but we weren’t about to let our chattering teeth stop us. Determined, we began our tour, ready to soak in whatever history the place had to offer.

The Boal family, we learned, owned the property for more than 200 years, and traces of that long history can be seen throughout the estate. The mansion itself was built in stages beginning in 1809, and the grounds also include a barn later used for theatrical performances, a carriage house, and the remarkable Columbus Chapel, added in 1909.

Inside the mansion, we stepped into a fascinating mix of personal and historical artifacts collected across eight generations of the Boal family. Each room seemed to hold a new surprise: a piano that once sat in the White House, artifacts from ancient Egyptian tombs, military memorabilia spanning centuries, and even a lock of hair from Napoleon Bonaparte. There were also beautifully preserved gowns from several decades, some so petite that modern mannequins couldn’t properly display them.

One surprise and history lesson came courtesy of a large travel trunk bearing the name Louis Vuitton. Seeing it there, well over a century old, made it clear just how long the brand has been part of everyday life for those of the upper class. History has a way of sneaking up on you like that.

Of course, no historic home would be complete without a ghost story. Our guide casually mentioned a bedroom she preferred not to enter, convinced that the spirit residing there, believed to be that of Mathilde de Lagarde Boal, wife of Theodore Boal, didn’t care for her. I stepped in with minimal hesitation and, fortunately, encountered nothing more than a draft.

As intriguing as the mansion was, the highlight of the visit came next. The Columbus Chapel is, quite simply, unlike anything you’d expect to find in central Pennsylvania. Once part of a chapel associated with the Columbus family in Asturias, Spain, its contents were inherited by Mathilde, a descendant of Christopher Columbus. In the early 1900s, those contents were carefully transported piece by piece to Boalsburg, where a new chapel of local sandstone was constructed to house them.

Its most striking feature is the original intricately carved wooden door, removed from the Spanish chapel, shipped across the Atlantic, and set into place here. Passing through it feels like a direct link between the Old World and the New.

Stepping inside feels like crossing continents. The chapel is filled with religious art, the original altar, and artifacts dating from the 15th through the 18th centuries. Elaborately detailed religious robes filled drawers and displays, including one piece that captured my attention. It was embroidered in silver thread with a skull and crossbones, used, fittingly, for funerals. Among the most remarkable relics are small fragments believed to be from the cross of Christ, preserved within a cross-shaped reliquary, which I learned is a container used to display sacred items. It was accompanied by documentation confirming its authenticity.

We also saw an “Admiral’s Desk,” believed to have belonged to Christopher Columbus, along with family documents dating back to the 1400s. Whether you view these artifacts as important glimpses into the past or with a sense of wonder that such treasures exist practically in our own backyard, it’s difficult not to be struck by the remarkable variety and uniqueness of the collection.

What began as a simple way to fill a free Sunday turned into a memorable journey through centuries of history. From the warmth and echoes of past memories in this well-loved mansion to the Old-World magnificence of the chapel, the Boal estate offers something rare: a deep personal glimpse into the past combined with artifacts that connect a small Pennsylvania town to a much larger world. Sometimes, the best adventures aren’t the ones that take you far away, but the ones that help you see familiar places in an entirely new light.

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Rhonda S. Kelley is the executive director of the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce.