Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
This winter, visitors to Bethlehem – the City in Northampton County, Pennsylvania – may see some new changes in the Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District. Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites just completed the restoration of 88 shutters on the 1741 Gemeinhaus, the oldest building in Bethlehem.
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On our first day at our field school in archaeology, we searched through the soil for mountain peaks: or rather, mountain peak-shaped rocks. That’s the tip we were given for finding flakes -fragments of stone produced by Native American flintknapping.
Continue readingThe PA SHPO extends hearty congratulations to Pennsylvania’s fourth largest city, the City of Erie, which on May 17th, became one of Pennsylvania’s newest Certified Local Governments (CLG).
The certification of Erie City as a CLG is the latest success in a long string of preservation projects and initiatives undertaken by public, private and non-profit entities in Erie County that illustrate the well-trod aphorism If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
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Travel north along Route 209 through the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and you’ll arrive at the Borough of Milford, Pike County. The small town of nearly 1,200 full time residents appears like Brigadoon as you leave the lush forests of the Water Gap and has a long and layered history. Milford is also one of the newest Certified Local Governments in Pennsylvania with a lot of preservation success stories packed into a little place.
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Last year in what was entirely a stroke of good fortune, Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh was awarded a Keystone Construction grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission to replace the sewer system that runs under our Henry Hornbostel-designed sanctuary.
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I was surprised earlier this spring when Mary Sorenson, Executive Director of the Centre County Historical Society notified me that their Keystone-funded roof replacement at the Centre Furnace Mansion was delayed. Of course, delays are commonplace for many of our grant projects for a myriad of reasons: structural failures, scheduling conflicts or fundraising challenges.
Continue readingTo say that COVID-19 changed things about away we live our lives would be the understatement of the century. Virtually everything about the ways in which we live, work, learn, recreate, shop – everything – changed in an instant and we have spent the last 12+ months learning how to adapt, as individuals and communities. The pandemic has also prompted a lot of pondering and forecasting about the long term effects on our society and how many of these adaptations will become part of our “normal” lives going forward. In Pennsylvania’s traditional communities, the sudden loss of foot traffic, festivals, and events hit small businesses and restaurants especially hard. Revitalization organizations and local governments have had to reimagine, with little or no time or experience, how to allow people to use streets, sidewalks, parks, and trails in a safe and responsible manner. Enter Designing for Distance.
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The mid-nineteenth century oil boom is synonymous with northern Venango County, which brought population and construction growth to the city of Franklin.
Continue readingHappy New Year! As much as I would like to count 2021 as a fresh start and forget all about 2020, I first must share how impressed I am with the resilience of our museum and preservation community and its innovation to engage with the public at large.
Continue readingIn this crazy year, the PA SHPO’s blog is the one thing you could count on every week to bring you all sorts of current, relevant, fun and interesting information. I have actually won a trivia contest or two because of something I read in one of our weekly posts!
Here is a short recap of the year at pahistoricpreservation.com…
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