Category: Somerset (Page 1 of 2)

Stone building with slides sloped to top in a wooded and grassy area. — Caledonia Iron Furnace monument at Caledonia State Park. Photo by Angie Jaillet-Wentling.

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

June 15, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 1 Comment

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.

Exploring the National Road in Western Pennsylvania

April 13, 2022 / Guest Contributor / 2 Comments

As the sun emerges, temperatures rise, and travel restrictions ease, consummate travelers begin to get itchy feet. This spring, the National Road Heritage Corridor invites you to exit the highway and take the time to explore some of Pennsylvania’s nation-shaping history and the historic places along the Historic National Road.

Flag on a flagpole in field. — Flag flying at the Memorial Plaza. Photo credit: NPS.

“A common field one day. A field of honor forever.”

September 8, 2021 / Jenna Solomon / 0 Comments

Each person has one event in their lifetime that is so significant that they will say for the remainder of their lives “I remember exactly where I was standing when I heard the news.” An event so significant that it seemed as if time stood still.

Just Listed! January 2021

January 27, 2021 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

It’s time for our six-month update to bring you the latest and greatest in new National Register of Historic Places listings!

Colorized historic postcard of large department store with trolleys, horses, carts, and people in the foreground. — Historic postcard of Kaufman's Department Store in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County. PA SHPO files.

Window Shopping at 5 of Pennsylvania’s Historic Department Stores

December 23, 2020 / Elizabeth Shultz / 12 Comments

With the widespread availability of plate glass at the end of the nineteenth century, department stores and window-shopping culture flourished in cities and towns throughout Pennsylvania – especially during the holiday shopping season near the end of the calendar year.

People sitting and standing around table with laptop computer. — PA SHPO archaeologist Noel Strattan (seated) and Casey Hanson (standing at back) talking about site recording at the 2019 Workshops in Archaeology at the State Museum in Harrisburg. Photo by Don Giles, PHMC.

From SPA to PHMC and Back Again – One Archaeologist’s Journey

October 21, 2020 / Noël Strattan / 2 Comments

I grew up in Western Pennsylvania – mostly Somerset County. Everywhere around me there was evidence that we were not the first people to inhabit this land.

#PreservationHappensHere thanks to the PA Historic Preservation Tax Credit

September 2, 2020 / Scott Doyle / 1 Comment

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 22 projects across the commonwealth through the FY 2019-2020 PA HPTC Allocation.

The application period for the next round opens October 1, 2020.

March Marker Mania 2020

March 25, 2020 / Karen Galle / 2 Comments

Soon there will be some new markers out there for you to brake for!

Earlier this month, PHMC approved twenty-four new historical markers for an amazing range of subjects that highlight even more interesting Pennsylvania facts and figures.

Group of people standing in clearing next to tall stone marker — Fort Dewart, listed in the National Register in January 2021, is just one example of the interesting nominations considered by the Board.

Defending Fort Dewart, a Legacy of Stewardship

March 18, 2020 / Casey Hanson / 12 Comments

When Ron Sehn and Terry Doran bought their properties in Folmont, they never imagined that they were also signing up to be the defenders of the eighteenth-century Fort Dewart.