Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
Throughout Pennsylvania, African American burial grounds are often lost or destroyed due to lack of permanent markers and documentation, dwindling community presence and awareness of the cemetery’s existence, vandalism, land ownership disputes, and a host of other issues to which their sensitive nature renders them vulnerable. Continue reading
You win the prize if you said, “They will all have historical markers in PA!”. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently approved 16 new historical markers! This year’s selections deliver another eclectic mix of pop culture, military, African American, film, and medical subjects. Continue reading
Each year, the statewide nonprofit Preservation Pennsylvania puts out a call for nominations to its Pennsylvania At Risk list, made up of sites determined to be among the commonwealth’s most endangered historic resources. In 2018, four remarkable places that are part of Pennsylvania’s history were added to the list and will become Preservation Pennsylvania’s work priorities for the year. Continue reading
February is national African American history month. All over the country, communities are discovering, celebrating, and acknowledging the places that tell the stories of African American history and experience. This is the perfect time for us to talk about one of our newest initiatives to study African American history in Pennsylvania. Continue reading
Leveraging local dollars to support important historic preservation initiatives is one of the key facets of the PHMC’s Keystone Historic Preservation Grant program. Continue reading
I am happy to announce that the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently approved 18 new historical markers!
As you’ll see from the list below, over half of the approved subjects are for markers in Philadelphia County. The Marker Program encourages broad distribution, so we’d love to see more individuals and organizations from Pennsylvania’s other 66 counties research their history and develop nominations for people, places, events, and innovations in their own backyard. Continue reading
This week’s post is Part 2 of the Dennis Farm SHPO Shout Out. If you missed Part 1 last week, go back and read it before enjoying this one!
This month I am switching up our usual format to provide you with a two-part Shout Out about the great work happening at the Dennis Farm, an 18th century African American farm in northeastern Pennsylvania. It makes sense to learn more about this amazing place during African American History Month from Denise Dennis, President & CEO of the Dennis Farm Charitable Trust, which is the farm’s 21st century caretaker.
As part of our Preservation50 activities during this milestone year, we’d like to share some stories we think showcase the people and projects that celebrate, protect, and promote important pieces of Pennsylvania’s heritage. The first story we want to share is about the Carver Court neighborhood in Caln Township, Chester County, just on the edge of Coatesville. This week’s blog post celebrates the recent efforts made by Carver Court’s community members, a group made up of current and former residents, government officials and entities, historians, and more. The happy outcome for this story is the listing of Carver Court in the National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 2016. Continue reading
Question: What do a Georgian country estate, an African American Methodist Church, the Whiskey Rebellion, and Chester County all have in common?
Stumped? Can’t think of an answer? Then you’re not paying attention! It’s the last Wednesday of the month, which means its SHPO Shout-Out Day, and this month’s Shout Outs go to an interesting array of worthy preservation activities in Pennsylvania. That’s not to say that these are the only good preservation projects out there. We know there are more! You just need to drop me a note and tell me about what’s going on in your neck of the woods.
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