Category: Venango

Small building with lots of service windows and a large metal ice cream cone out front. — Ice Cream Shop Saegertown Dairy Inn, 685 Main St., Saegertown Borough, Crawford County.

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

September 13, 2023 / Elizabeth Shultz / 3 Comments

“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!

Two people crouching in a large dirt hole and surrounded by a forest. — Rhiannon Flaig and Kurt Carr looking at the stratigraphy of a wall at the Shoop Site (36DA0020).

Intern Introspect: 2023 PASS Internship

August 9, 2023 / Guest Contributor / 2 Comments

As I look back at my time here at the PA SHPO, I realized how much new knowledge and experience I have gained. Prior to this internship, I had very little experience in the world of preservation, especially when it came to the bureaucratic level. This internship allowed me to jump into the world of archaeology here at the PA State Historic Preservation Office.

Colorized historic postcard showing wood church building. — Undated historic postcard of Grace Lutheran Church. From the collection of the Historic Franklin Preservation Association.

Preserving Pennsylvania’s Stick Style Architecture: Old Lutheran Church in Franklin

April 7, 2021 / Karen Arnold / 3 Comments

The mid-nineteenth century oil boom is synonymous with northern Venango County, which brought population and construction growth to the city of Franklin.

105th PA Farm Show Scavenger Hunt – Virtual Edition!

February 3, 2021 / Scott Doyle / 0 Comments

In light of the current public health crisis and keeping safety a priority, the Department of Agriculture hosted the 105^th PA Farm Show virtually to celebrate Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry.

#FavoritePAPlaces: Oil City Main Street’s Kathy Bailey

June 12, 2020 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

Pennsylvania’s communities are filled with special and meaningful historic places and spaces that add value to our lives and offer comfort and stability during these challenging times. Now more than ever, it is important to stay connected to our communities.

Today’s Spotlight: Kathy Bailey

This photograph shows two late 19th century buildings along a street in Bradford, PA. — For communities across Pennsylvania, like Bradford, the federal historic tax credit is an essential economic development and preservation tool. Source: Erin Hammerstedt/Preservation Pennsylvania, 2014.

Supporting Pennsylvania’s Main Streets

April 22, 2020 / Bill Callahan / 1 Comment

As one of PA SHPO’s Community Preservation Coordinators, one of the more heartening things I’ve observed (and participated in) the past few weeks has been the response of many Main Street communities and their partners to the COVID 19 crisis.

Woman making basket — Phoebe Gordon making baskets at the Cornplanter Grant. Ms. Gordon is constructing a two-handled, split-oak basket. Photo courtesy of the Deardorff Archive, Warren County Historical Society.

The Cornplanter Grant: The Last Native American Settlement in Pennsylvania

November 14, 2018 / Guest Contributor / 15 Comments

Deep in the forests of northwestern Pennsylvania lies a little-known, but incredibly important part of our Country’s early history and our Native American past. Although now mostly covered by the waters of the Allegheny Reservoir (a body of water created when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Allegheny River with the Kinzua Dam in 1965), this land, the Cornplanter Grant, has a very important story to tell. Continue reading

Workers with tunnel lining. Image from Borough of Catasauqua website: http://www.catasauqua.org/things-to-do/walking-tours-industrial/davies-thomas-co

New Historical Markers Approved

March 23, 2016 / Karen Galle / 0 Comments

Great news for fans of Pennsylvania’s beloved blue and gold markers – there are going to be more of them soon! At the March 9th meeting, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently approved 23 new historical markers. Many of the marker applications and approvals were from Philadelphia County this year so we’re anxious to get some great nominations next year for subjects of statewide and/or national significance in Pennsylvania’s other 66 counties! The Marker Program encourages broad distribution, so individuals and organizations from across the commonwealth are encouraged to research their history and develop nominations for people, places, events, and innovations in their own area. We know there is more history out there to share!

Mt. Carmel Borough, Northumberland County. Photo by Dave Maher.

Preservation in a Changing Economic Climate

January 21, 2015 / Pamela Reilly / 5 Comments

Many of Pennsylvania’s communities face the challenging task of adapting to a vastly different economic climate than the one that led to their historic growth and development. This new economic reality of dramatically reduced population, deindustrialization and loss of tax base has resulted in historic downtowns and residential neighborhoods pockmarked by disinvestment and vacant properties. Abandoned, demolished or marginally repurposed historic churches, schools and factories are especially vivid reminders of changing times and the large social and economic forces at work. Continue reading