Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Category: Centre (Page 1 of 3)

Precontact Artifact Biographies

Last month, we took a look at some uncommon artifacts that are found on historic archaeological sites. This month we are going to take a look at some of the different types of artifacts that are found on precontact sites that we think are very exciting. Archaeologists are mostly likely to find lithic tools such as projectile points and their associated fragments like flakes and shatter, or Native American pottery if the site is from a more recent time, the Woodland period. But while these are the most common artifacts found on precontact archaeological sites, there are many different kinds of tools which are often found at specialized site which give archaeologists an insight into what activities were performed at these locations. Lets take a look at some of the examples which are held here at the State Museum!

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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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Pennsylvania’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit At Work: SFY2021-2022 Update

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED) recently announced that it has awarded $5 million in Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credits (PA HPTC) to 25 projects across the commonwealth through the FY 2021-2022 PA HPTC Allocation. The next round will open on October 1.

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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 added to PA-SHARE – just from Baseline Survey! Read on to learn about a few of the interesting finds…

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Exploring African American Heritage in Pennsylvania’s DCNR Parks and Forests

Pennsylvania is rife in human history – if you’re in Pennsylvania, consider yourself surrounded with nearly 20,000 years of it! So, it should come as no great surprise that its 121-state park and over 2 million-acre forest system, administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, are steeped in both natural and human history.

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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 desserts.

Without survey, many preservation projects are challenged to rise to a superior outcome, just like a cake. My mind just might be overflowing with visions of sugar plums and cookies this holiday season, so I’ll do my best to refrain from too many more baking similes while I share initial Year 1 outcomes from the PA SHPO’s Baseline Survey effort. I think you’ll be as excited about the results as we are!

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The Gamble on this Mill Paid Off

The Gamble Mill at 160 Dunlap Street in Bellefonte, Centre County, PA was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1975, as one of the only remaining grain mills in the county and one with surviving original 18th and 19th century spaces and materials.

As the National Register designation makes the building eligible for the Federal and State Historic Tax Credit programs, the current owners developed a reuse plan to save and rehabilitate the historic Gamble Mill.

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