Category: Archaeology (Page 1 of 17)

PA SHPO is Hiring a new PASS Coordinator!

April 9, 2025 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you interested in a career where you have the opportunity to work with a pro-active, dedicated team of preservationists, historians, and archaeologists? If so, consider joining the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Preservation Support Division as the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey (PASS) Coordinator.

This position allows you to utilize your experience as you oversee the Pennsylvania Archaeological Site Survey program (PASS). Our goal is to maintain the integrity of archaeological sites and survey information in the SHPO data management system (PA-SHARE) in order to assist the SHPO, other agencies, and the public in evaluating the archaeological resources within the Commonwealth.

PA SHPO is Hiring an Archaeologist!

March 27, 2025 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Are you an archaeologist who would enjoy utilizing your experience to conduct a wide range of environmental review projects? If so, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is eager to welcome a Historic Preservation Specialist with a discipline in archaeology to join the Environmental Review Division.

Color-coded map of Pennsylvania with each county in a different shade of blue and a number in a circle.

A Blast from the PASS: The 2024 Annual PASS Report

February 26, 2025 / Taylor Napoleon / 0 Comments

On this day 12 years ago….

*Insert horrible photo with questionable style choices and aggressive side bangs*

Thankfully, this is not that kind of blast from the past. This is your yearly recap on archaeological site recording and survey efforts throughout Pennsylvania.

Small masonry marker with metal stars and American flag in a field.

Untold Stories of PA’s State Parks and Forests at Laurel Hill

February 5, 2025 / Guest Contributor / 4 Comments

Two Black men, Edenborough Smith and John Harshberger appear in the 1850 census on tracts of land now situated in Laurel Ridge State Park overlooking Johnstown’s West End. From at least the 1820s, and possibly as early as the turn of the 19th century, Smith, Harshberger and their families lived in a community of Black, White, and Indigenous people that has been referred to as the Laurel Hill Settlement, Brown Farm and “the Mountain.” Eight generations lived on the Mountain until the property was claimed by the state in 1967.

Mitigation Spotlight: Section 106 Agreements, July – December 2024

January 29, 2025 / Barbara Frederick / 2 Comments

This is part of a biannual blog series highlighting the agreement documents executed by PA SHPO in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations.

PA SHPO’s 12 Popular Posts of 2024

December 25, 2024 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

Is it even the end of a year if you don’t see at least a dozen “year in review” lists?

Sign in front of flagpole on small grassy area with paved paths on either side. — Lebanon Cemetery Entrance.

Archaeology at York’s Lebanon Cemetery

November 20, 2024 / Casey Hanson / 0 Comments

Two years ago, the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council (PAC) teamed up with Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds (PAHG) to record Midland Cemtery in Swatara, PA . The goal of this pilot project was to document a cemetery using PAC’s membership and archaeological methods that could then be applied to other cemeteries with similar needs.

Geoarchaeology 101: How deep do archaeologists dig?

October 16, 2024 / Justin McKeel / 1 Comment

October is Archaeology Month, so today let’s talk about a key part of identifying archaeological sites: geoarchaeology and geomorphology.

Two people kneeling in large square hole in a wooded area.

Pennsylvania Archaeology Month is Here

October 2, 2024 / Casey Hanson / 0 Comments

October is Pennsylvania Archaeology Month! Every October, events and programs are held across Pennsylvania to celebrate the commonwealth’s deep past.

Group of people standing in a cemetery in the evening. — The Community Initiative Award presentation to Lower Makefield Township for their work at Slate Hill Cemetery in Yardley, Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1) is at the far left, members of the Lower Makefield Township Historical Commission grouped in the center, State Representative Perry Warren is second from right and township supervisor Suzanne Blundi at right.

Celebrating Preservation Success Stories with Community Initiative Awards

September 25, 2024 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Earlier this week my Alexa reminded me that there are 100 days until the end of the year. After a moment of shock, my brain started its mental cataloguing of all the things that I have to do before December 31. Deadlines, appointments, holidays, the list goes on…

One reminder I’d like to put on your to-do list before the year is out is to tell us about a preservation success story in your community. Each year PA SHPO selects a few of these stories for a Community Initiative Award.