Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Category: Community Character (Page 1 of 18)

Advancing Black Preservation to Sustain Black Neighborhoods with The Friends of the Tanner House

As part of Black History Month, we invited Friends of the Tanner House – which we first introduced to our readers in this post – to talk about strategies for advancing Black heritage site preservation with attention to rich community and cultural engagement. In this blog post, guest contributor Chris Rogers discuss the principles behind their in-progress community visioning and preservation planning process.

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The Elusive Historic Agricultural District

We had some fun recently during a site visit to identify the presence of a historic agricultural district for a solar project…

*Cue Sir David Attenborough’s voice*

Here we are searching for the elusive historic agricultural district. Often impossible to find, we are hoping to get a glimpse of it today, as whispers of its appearance have been heard. What vast expanses of agricultural land use and lack of modern residential development, perhaps we will get a sighting after all. But what is this that appears on the horizon? Large modern grain bins indicative of monocropping, followed by farmsteads lacking historic barns? Ah well, it would appear the earlier rumors of a visit from that elusive beast, the historic agricultural district, have been unfounded. Perhaps when we return to the hunt tomorrow, we may catch a glimpse.

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Baseline Survey On the Road Again: Newly Documented Roadside Resources in Pennsylvania

“I can’t wait to get on the road again/On the road again/Goin’ places that I’ve never been/Seein’ things that I may never see again/And I can’t wait to get on the road again…”

-Willie Nelson, “On the Road Again,” 1980

With Pennsylvania’s long transportation history – from railroads and canals to the Pennsylvania Turnpike  and the many beautiful bridges throughout the Commonwealth – it’s no surprise that the teams working on the Baseline Survey Project discovered and inventoried a multitude of Pennsylvania’s previously unrecorded roadside resources!

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Exploring Historic Preservation and Community Design with Philly Students

This past March, the Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia participated in a unique educational program. The Center for Architecture and Design (CAD) and the Dox Thrash Project (DTP) partnered to plan the experience as part of CAD’s Architecture and Design Education (ADE) program. A group of 9th grade design students explored themes of history, legacy, and commemoration as it relates to the built environment.

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