Pennsylvania Historic Preservation

Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Category: Philadelphia (Page 1 of 12)

Small one story stone and wood building in a neighborhood setting with a blue metal marker in front and fenced yard to the side.

Byberry Hall: Robert Purvis’ Legacy

September 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments

September is International Underground Railroad Month and this week’s post features the story of Robert Purvis and Byberry Hall.

In 1844, Robert Purvis, a prominent Black abolitionist and leading figure in the Underground Railroad in Philadelphia, moved with his wife Harriet and their children to Byberry, a rural village in the far northern part of Philadelphia County.

For the next 27 years, they helped make Byberry a center of abolition and Underground Railroad activity. In 1847, Robert and two others built Byberry Hall as a meeting place for discussion of anti-slavery and other social issues. The building is now a key site on the Poquessing Trail of History.

Continue reading

Sign in grass.

PHMC Announces the 2023-2024 Keystone Grant Awardees

June 19, 2024 / / 2 Comments

Many of the PA-SHPO’s partners shared my enthusiasm for the 30th anniversary of the Keystone Grant program and submitted a proposal to the grant program in March.

This year’s awardees include 44 projects that showcase the breadth of preservation happening across the Commonwealth. From historic barns and park pavilions to historic theaters and county courthouses, the selected projects highlight the varied historic resources to preserve for future generations.

Continue reading

Group of people people of color standing on the sidewalk in front of Henry Ossawa Tanner House holding paintings and brooms on a sunny day.
On February 3rd, 2024, community partners Blues Babe Foundation and Tree House Books partnered with the Friends of the Tanner House to execute a Block Cleanup of the 2900 Block of Diamond St, inclusive of a children’s book giveaway and free catered neighborhood luncheon. Close-Up Cleaning Crew photo courtesy of the Friends of the Tanner House.

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

February 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

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.

Continue reading

« Older posts

© 2025 Pennsylvania Historic Preservation

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

Wordpress Social Share Plugin powered by Ultimatelysocial