Pennsylvania Historic Preservation

Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

June 29, 2022
by Guest Contributor
3 Comments

Reflecting on Year One of the Pennsylvania Baseline Survey

In late 2020, PA SHPO launched an ambitious, large-scale architectural survey called the Pennsylvania Baseline Survey, with a goal of adding approximately 27,000 new resources in 52 different counties over three years. In Year One, over 7,000 new records were … Continue reading

Low wood shelter over gravestones in wood.

February 2, 2022
by Casey Hanson
12 Comments

Reinterpreting the Underground Railroad: The Sherman’s Dale Discharge Former Slaves’ Graves Site

In my short time as an archaeologist working in southeast Pennsylvania, I’ve learned that every basement, crawl space, and root cellar older than 1860 was at one time, a stop on the Underground Railroad (UGRR).  This of course is not … Continue reading

December 22, 2021
by Andrea L. MacDonald
0 comments

Baseline Survey: An Essential Ingredient in Our Preservation Pantry

There are some time-honored recipes in the historic preservation cookbook. The most successful, and dare I say scrumptious, preservation medleys include an essential ingredient – survey. Survey in the historic preservation profession is like the flour in your favorite holiday … Continue reading

November 10, 2021
by April Frantz
4 Comments

The National Cemetery at Indiantown Gap

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs website, nearly 4.9 million individuals—including Veterans of every conflict, from the Revolutionary War to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—are honored by burial in our national cemeteries. Each year about 15 percent … Continue reading

Paved path through cemetery with grass, trees, and stone markers of various shapes and sizes.

April 14, 2021
by Elizabeth Rairigh
7 Comments

Exploring the Harrisburg Cemetery

Spring has sprung in Harrisburg!  So when I was deciding what National Register resource to focus on for this week’s blog post, my office mate/dining room table neighbor/husband suggested we take a walk through Harrisburg Cemetery, listed in the National … Continue reading