Category: Archives

Map of the Mid-Atlantic United States with red lines drawn across states.

Resource Round Up: Resources for Studying the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania

September 18, 2024 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

September is International Underground Railroad Month. This week’s post is another in our “Resource Round-Up” series, which we occasionally publish during important months as a guide to learning more about the older and historic places and spaces in Pennsylvania that reflect that month’s theme. This one highlights just some sources related to the Underground Railroad (UGRR) in Pennsylvania.

The Tuscarora Academy Museum’s tranquil setting was further amplified after a snowfall in February 2021. Photograph by Jessica Guyer.

“Instruction Thorough; Situation Delightful.”

November 17, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Advertisements for Tuscarora Academy continued to use this phrase more than 50 years after the school was established in 1836. Located in the quaint hamlet of Academia, Juniata County, Pennsylvania, the Tuscarora Academy was a premier 19^th century secondary educational institution. Thousands of students, from 47 Pennsylvania counties, more than 30 other states, and six countries, traveled to Academia for their college preparatory courses.

Stacked packages wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. — Hand-written labels on bound packages of sermon booklets. Image courtesy of Congregation Rodef Shalom, 2021.

The Mystery at Rodef Shalom

August 4, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

Last year in what was entirely a stroke of good fortune, Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh was awarded a Keystone Construction grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission to replace the sewer system that runs under our Henry Hornbostel-designed sanctuary.

Resource Round-up: Resources for LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Pennsylvania

June 23, 2021 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 2 Comments

June is Pride Month and an opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and support LGBTQ+ communities. This week’s post is another in our “Resource Round-Up” series, which we occassionally publish during important months as a guide to learning more about the older and historic places and spaces in Pennsylvania that reflect that month’s theme. This one highlights just some sources related to LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Large black wood sign with gold letters. — Historic Eden Cemetery entrance sign, 1434 Springfield Rd. Collingdale PA.

Historic Eden Cemetery: Preserving Memory and Protecting Legacy

February 10, 2021 / Guest Contributor / 3 Comments

The creation of Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County was a collaborative effort by African Americans to provide a sanctuary in the Philadelphia area where African Americans could be buried with dignity and respect.

Vietnamese History in Pennsylvania

May 27, 2020 / Guest Contributor / 4 Comments

In addition to being National Historic Preservation Month, May is also Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and the perfect time to share this story by PA SHPO’s 2019 Keystone Intern, Yen Ho. Yen is a Vietnamese American from southeast Pennsylvania who, in addition to her summer project, helped the PA SHPO learn more about the places important to the Vietnamese-American community and that reflect this underrepresented part of our history.

Resource Round-up: PHMC’s Resources for Studying Pennsylvania’s African American History

February 12, 2020 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

In honor of national African American history month, I thought I would give our readers a glimpse into a few of the resources PHMC has to help study African American historic places in Pennsylvania.