Author: Shelby Weaver Splain (Page 3 of 19)

Shelby Weaver Splain is the Education and Special Initiatives Coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office. Shelby is a native of Bucks County and holds a Masters degree in Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Historic Preservation from Goucher College.

Group of seven people sitting or standing behind a table. — BVUGRR and Levity Brewing Co. team at the release of the first Freedom Seeker beer series.

Celebrating the Blairsville Area Underground Railroad

May 17, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

This week’s 2022 Community Initiative Award winner spotlight is on the Blairsville Underground Railroad organization in Blairsville, Indiana County.

Blairsville was laid out in the early 19th century along the Conemaugh River at the southern end of Indiana County, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh along the planned route of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike. Blairsville’s history and growth is closely tied to its transportation corridors – the river, the stagecoach in 1818, the canal in 1829, and the rail in 1851 – and natural deposits of salt, coal, and iron, which together supported a thriving and flourishing community.

What many may not know about Blairsville is its African American history, particularly related to abolition and the Underground Railroad (UGRR). The borough had one of the larger Black communities in Indiana County and the county’s first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church was organized there in 1844. Indiana County was an important and active Underground Railroad stop in Pennsylvania as freedom seekers escaped from their enslavers in search of freedom.

I asked Denise Doyle from the Blairsville Underground Railroad organization to share their story with us.

Group of people standing on a metal bridge over water. — June 2020 Friends' event commemorating their Cumberland County Historical Society History Pops! grant and the unveiling of their Save Our Bridge banner. Photo courtesy of WSHS.

Celebrating the Friends of Sheepford Road Bridge

May 10, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

Each week in May, to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month, we will highlight one of the 2022 Community Initiative Award winners. In this week’s post, I asked Janice Lynx, Executive Director of the West Short Historical Society, about their successful efforts to save Sheepford Road Bridge.

Sheepford Road Bridge is one of the first bridges to receive funds from PennDOT’s Historic Metal Truss Capital Rehabilitation Program, a new program created to promote the rehabilitation of historic metal truss bridges. I’ll take this opportunity to let our readers know that we also publish a biannual newsletter in partnership with PennDOT dedicated to the preservation and reuse of metal truss bridges. You can sign up here!

Celebrating Preservation Month with the 2022 Community Initiative Award Winners

May 3, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

What better time of year than National Historic Preservation Month to announce the latest round of PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Award winners! The four recipients and their projects showcase a range of preservation success stories, demonstrating the value of volunteers, creativity, and community engagement.

Wanted! PA SHPO Preservation Incentives Division Manager

April 27, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you an innovative and forward-thinking professional with strong program administration skills? Are you seeking a leadership position that will allow you to advance your career and make a difference?

If this is you, apply to join the PA SHPO team of dedicated preservationists, historians, and archaeologists working with Pennsylvania’s historic communities to achieve positive preservation outcomes.

Don’t wait! Applications due May 18, 2023.

PA SHPO Special Announcement! We’re Hiring a Preservation Incentives Division Manager

February 27, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you interested in joining a proactive and dedicated team of preservationists, historians, and archaeologists? The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking a manager to lead the Preservation Incentives Division and help advance PA SHPO priorities. This position is ideal for a professional with proven leadership and relationship-building skills and who has broad knowledge of historic preservation programs.

This is a PA SHPO leadership position!

The 12 Days of PA SHPO

December 28, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Around the middle of each December, PA SHPO staff get together for a few hours in the afternoon for our holiday party. It is a time to laugh, get to know our colleagues better, overindulge in too much good food, and pass down traditions from older staff to new.

PA SHPO’s Keystone Internships for Summer 2023

December 5, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you exploring the field of historic preservation and looking for some real-world experience? The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Keystone Internship Program provides opportunities to pursue your professional growth and contribute to sharing Pennsylvania’s rich heritage with the public.

Special Announcement! PA SHPO is Hiring a National Register Reviewer

November 21, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you a highly skilled historic preservationist with National Register and GIS experience? The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking an Historic Preservation Specialist to work as a National Register reviewer and triage specialist, focused on historic districts and survey.

APPLY BY 12/10/2022 11:59 PM EST. All applications must be filed online at http://www.employment.pa.gov/.

Group of people standing outside on a lawn.

SHPO Staff Explore Lackawanna County

November 16, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

My SHPO colleagues and I, just like the rest of the world, are continuing to emerge from our COVID cocoons. We’ve been getting out and about more each month but still find ourselves wanting to be physically connecting with places in every way we can.

Be a Part of Discovering and Celebrating the Humanities in Pennsylvania

November 2, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

PA Humanities and Drexel University have launched the PA Humanities Discovery Project, an effort to map, network, and celebrate Pennsylvania’s wonderfully rich humanities landscape to build a more expansive and connected statewide community for sharing, learning, and advocacy.

The first step is to collect information from Pennsylvanians like you about what important humanities-centered work you and your organization are doing with an online survey.

Don’t wait to participate! The survey closes on December 5, 2022.

Author: Shelby Weaver Splain (Page 3 of 19)

Celebrating the Blairsville Area Underground Railroad

Celebrating the Friends of Sheepford Road Bridge

Celebrating Preservation Month with the 2022 Community Initiative Award Winners

Wanted! PA SHPO Preservation Incentives Division Manager

PA SHPO Special Announcement! We’re Hiring a Preservation Incentives Division Manager

The 12 Days of PA SHPO

SHPO Staff Explore Lackawanna County

Be a Part of Discovering and Celebrating the Humanities in Pennsylvania

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