Author: Andrea L. MacDonald (Page 2 of 3)

Andrea L. MacDonald serves as the Director of the PA SHPO and is the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. Andrea is passionate about Pennsylvania’s food geography and is committed to discovering unique ways to connect Pennsylvanians with their unique history and communities. Andrea is has been with the PA SHPO since 2004.

hashtag #preservationhappenshere — This catchy hashtag is the title of Pennsylvania's statewide historic preservation plan for 2018 through 2023.

Vision for Preservation in Pennsylvania

January 2, 2019 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 1 Comment

In May 2018, as my daughter Josie was putting elementary school behind her, Pennsylvania’s new statewide historic preservation plan, #PreservAtionHappensHere, was released. The plan was developed with a series of guiding principles in mind, engaged thousands of Pennsylvanians, gathered and analyzed pages upon pages of data, was steered and tested by an external task force as well as dozens of planning partners, and was approved by the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board, PHMC Commissioners, the Governor’s Office and the National Park Service. Where do we go from here? What does 2019 hold for historic preservation in Pennsylvania? Continue reading

Find Your Story at the 2017 PA Farm Show!

January 4, 2017 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 0 Comments

2016 flew like a flash! I can’t believe its time for the 101^st Pennsylvania Farm Show already. Although my head remains full of visions of dancing sugar-plums, staff at the State Historic Preservation Office have been busy getting ready for our booth at the PA Farm Show.

F. Otto Haas award, created by Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, Bucks County.

Positive Preservation @ PA’s Historic Preservation Awards

November 2, 2016 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 0 Comments

The 2016 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards offered me the opportunity to get a break from Harrisburg, away from everyday work, and to see the bigger picture. While traveling south to York for the ceremony blue skies and sunshine beamed through my car windows. It was a remarkably beautiful fall day. Continue reading

Preservation Advocacy Week logo.

What is National Historic Preservation Advocacy Week?

April 13, 2016 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 0 Comments

I had to quickly learn the answer to that question for the first time this year… Advocacy Week is our annual opportunity to have a mass impact on opinion leaders and policy makers – together with a cohesive message in support of preservation-positive legislation. Advocacy Week is organized each year by Preservation Action and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Offices (NCSHPO) and brings together over 250 preservationists to Washington, DC to promote sound federal preservation policy and programs.

CLG Soul Searching

September 16, 2015 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 1 Comment

The 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act established the Certified Local Government (CLG) program to give local governments a formal voice in the national historic preservation conversation.

The Central Market in Lancaster. The City of Lancaster is a Certified Local Government.

Let’s call out the super-powers of metaphor to explain this relationship. I often like to use the fabulously versatile bungee cord. Yes, the thing you use to keep your bike attached to the bike rack on your car or for a dozen other things. Imagine the CLG program as a bungee cord. It can expand. It can reinforce. In this metaphor, the CLG bungee cord connects the National Park Service to State Historic Preservation Offices to municipalities to citizens. The CLG bungee cord carries the energy and economic connection between the national preservation program and a local preservation program for participating local governments. Broad guidelines have been established by the National Park Service that provide the framework for participation in the CLG program; however, states have wide latitude to tailor the program to best assist the characteristics of their local governments. Continue reading

Just Listed: Historic Breweries of Pennsylvania Edition

July 15, 2015 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 16 Comments

Just Listed is a semi-annual feature of Pennsylvania’s cultural resources that were recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Since our last Just Listed post, four properties from across the Commonwealth have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. You can explore these National Register nominations and other historic properties in Pennsylvania via CRGIS, our online map and database.

The History of Pennsylvania Breweries

Pennsylvania may be the home to Yuengling, known as “America’s oldest brewery,” however the Commonwealth has yet to officially declare a craft beer month. However the ‘Official Tourism Website of the State of Pennsylvania’ dedicated a page to Pennsylvania Craft Brews, where Pennsylvania’s beer culture is significantly truncated…

The German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1700s and 1800s brought many of their old-world traditions with them, including the love of great beer.

This particular blog post isn’t going to detail Pennsylvania’s brewing history (but maybe we’ll mull over the idea of a beer blog for a future post). And we’re a little late to honor American Craft Beer Week (which was mid-May this year). Regardless of any future beer narrations, resolutions or festivals, Pennsylvania indisputably has a rich brewing history and those buildings where brewing happened have been recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading

Just Listed: Recent Additions to the National Register of Historic Places

March 11, 2015 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 0 Comments

Just Listed is a semi-annual feature of Pennsylvania’s cultural resources that were recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Since our last Just Listed post, 27 resources from all corners of the Commonwealth have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. You can explore these and other historic properties in Pennsylvania via CRGIS, our online map and database. Continue reading

Updated Forms and Guidance from the SHPO

November 26, 2014 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 1 Comment

Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it.
– Anonymous

It’s that time of the year for excess chewing, and it’s also timely for the Bureau to take a mid-plan stretch (after a turkey-induced slumber) and to regain focus on evaluating the accomplishments of Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, Building Better Communities: The Preservation of Place, 2012-2017. The Plan includes an ambitious Action Agenda that was developed with the direct intent of being highly responsive to public needs and desires. While the Plan was created for all Pennsylvanians and depends on assistance and full participation for it to be successful, Goal 5’s objectives and strategies resulted from some internal soul-searching. Continue reading

It Was Always Sunny in Philadelphia!

July 25, 2014 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 0 Comments

Sunny and 82 degrees — every day. This type of weather forecast isn’t what I typically look forward to during a conference week. However FORUM 2014 – A Keystone Connection wasn’t your typical conference. Through an unprecedented partnership, FORUM 2014 harnessed the energy of 781 preservation-minded individuals from 48 states. These attendance numbers and ideal weather conditions will be hard to top in future years. Continue reading

April 30, 2014 / Andrea L. MacDonald / 1 Comment

My motoring memoirs of the ERIEsistable journey I personally never wanted to end (my travel companion may have felt otherwise), returned us to where we pulled over two weeks ago… lunch!