Pennsylvania Historic Preservation

Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office

Stone building with slides sloped to top in a wooded and grassy area.

June 15, 2022
by Guest Contributor
1 Comment

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 … Continue reading

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commision Logo

May 15, 2019
by Guest Contributor
4 Comments

CCC History @ Pennsylvania’s Laurel Hill State Park

This post is the first in a two-part series written by former interns highlighting the CCC history and historic resources at Laurel Hill State Park and the work the PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources and the PA SHPO are … Continue reading

Black and white photo of men clearing trail in the woods

July 25, 2018
by Guest Contributor
4 Comments

Hiking History on Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail

Think of Pennsylvania’s section of the famous Appalachian Trail, and generally you think of green mountain vistas, woodsy wilderness, and for anyone who’s hiked it, endless ROCKS.

April 19, 2017
by Keith Heinrich
1 Comment

Mine Sealing: A Little-Known Legacy of the New Deal

With Earth Day right around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share with you one of the little-known and fascinating historic contexts available from the PA SHPO: Mine Sealing in Southwestern Pennsylvania During the Great Depression.  … Continue reading

March 29, 2017
by Cory Kegerise
0 comments

Mill-Rae: A Monument of Women’s History Hidden in Plain Sight

High on a hill overlooking the Somerton neighborhood of Philadelphia stands Cranaleith Spiritual Center, a beautiful Shingle style house that overlooks ten acres of gardens, groves of trees, a pond, and a sensitively-designed modern retreat facility.  It’s a lovely place … Continue reading

August 3, 2016
by Guest Contributor
1 Comment

Highway Planning on a Landscape Scale: The Next Generation

by Brenda Barrett, Living Landscape Observer What happens when a highway project long planned to improve the functionality of the overall transportation system runs up against newer approaches of planning on a landscape scale?

March 9, 2016
by Guest Contributor
2 Comments

Disaster Planning for Historic Properties in a World Heritage City

by Emily Paulus Everett, AECOM Technical Services On November 6, 2015, the City of Philadelphia became the first United States city to join the Organization of World Heritage Cities – a prestigious designation that recognizes, among other things, its vast and … Continue reading

February 10, 2016
by Guest Contributor
1 Comment

Getting High-Tech to Identify Monroe County’s Flood-Prone Historic Places

by Vanessa Zeoli, AECOM Technical Services A potentially trendsetting countywide survey has just been completed in the floodplains of Monroe County, in the heart of the Pocono Mountains region of northeastern Pennsylvania, identifying all flood-prone historic properties there and laying … Continue reading

January 27, 2016
by Shelby Weaver Splain
0 comments

2016’s First SHPO Shout-Out

The internet tells me that 45% of all Americans make News Year’s resolutions. The top ones – which I think we’ve all made at one time or another – are to be happier, healthier, and more organized. A psychologist friend … Continue reading

Fort Mifflin National Historic Landmark in Philadelphia (Key #001371).

September 9, 2015
by Jeremy R. Young
3 Comments

Preservation Partnerships: Working Together To Save Historic Resources From Natural Disasters

We all know that partnerships, collaboration, and teamwork are critical in the effort to identify, preserve, and celebrate Pennsylvania’s historic resources.  One such partnership in Philadelphia will help protect the city’s historic places and spaces from the devastating damage caused … Continue reading