Site visits to the Commonwealth’s many communities and historic places are routine for most SHPO staffers and one of the best parts of our jobs.

I asked Cheri Garrett, part of PA SHPO’s administrative team, to share her first site visit experience with us.

In addition to keeping us all on track, what is your role at PA SHPO?

I am the Administrative Officer for the PA SHPO, overseeing day-to-day office management operations.  I assist with budget preparation and expense tracking of state and federal funds, purchasing of supplies and equipment, recruitment and onboarding of staff, timekeeper and travel coordinator for the office, Notary for the agency, and support the PA SHPO in any way I can.

How long have you worked for the Commonwealth?

I have worked for the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for 41 years.   I began with the Bureau for Sites and Museums as the Clerk Typist at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, then moved on to the Historic Preservation office, sharing my employment equally between the two bureaus.

Why were you interested in joining staff on a site visit?

My role at the SHPO is mostly behind the scenes, making sure operations run smoothly.  My job duties do not get me out and about traveling throughout Pennsylvania to see what the rest of the staff see.

I hear about the places they visit but wanted to see for myself what happens outside of the office on a site visit. There has always been an open invitation to join staff, and I finally took them up on that offer, and it happened to be a beautiful fall day, too.

Three women standing outside on a sunny day.

Cheri (at left) with National Register staff members Jen Thornton (center) and Marissa Barrett (right).

Where did you go and what was the purpose of our visit?

I traveled with two staff members to Jim Thorpe, PA.  It was on my personal bucket list of Pennsylvania locations I’ve always wanted to visit.  We were traveling to see a National Register nomination site, the Mauch Chunk Cemetery, particularly the Chapel of the Resurrection building.   It is a beautiful Gothic Revival style building.

PA SHPO’s National Register staff visit all properties as part of our work preparing nominations before they are reviewed by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board before being sent to the National Park Service.

The Mauch Chunk Cemetery is the oldest of five cemeteries in Jim Thorpe.  The first burials in the non-denominational cemetery date to 1819, before the cemetery was officially laid out in 1823 and eventually chartered in 1873. The Memorial Chapel of the Resurrection was commissioned in 1905 by Mary Packer Cummings in honor of her father, Asa Packer.  It was designed by Perot and Bissel of Philadelphia and built by a local resident and craftsman, Charles Neast.

 Aside from being outside on a beautiful day, what was your favorite part of the site visit?

What I enjoyed the most from this visit, were the conversations with the three men that we met at the cemetery who would like their cemetery and chapel listed in the National Register.  They were so enthusiastic telling the history of the cemetery – all contributing bits and pieces.

Looking across grassy area at many masonry grave markers.

View of the Mauch Chunk Cemetery.

Not only was the Chapel beautiful visually with the gargoyles and stained glass windows, but it’s elevator and crypt used to store bodies during wintertime was an interesting addition.  The walk through the cemetery grounds was a highlight, with so many types of gravestones, and special stone fenced sections for the wealthy millionaires of Mauch Chunk.  Our guides filled us in on the history of each and the stories were fascinating.

 

A quick visit downtown to walk around Jim Thorpe checked off another Pennsylvania location on my bucket list.