Category: Local Preservation (Page 2 of 8)

Group of seven people sitting or standing behind a table. — BVUGRR and Levity Brewing Co. team at the release of the first Freedom Seeker beer series.

Celebrating the Blairsville Area Underground Railroad

May 17, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

This week’s 2022 Community Initiative Award winner spotlight is on the Blairsville Underground Railroad organization in Blairsville, Indiana County.

Blairsville was laid out in the early 19th century along the Conemaugh River at the southern end of Indiana County, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh along the planned route of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike. Blairsville’s history and growth is closely tied to its transportation corridors – the river, the stagecoach in 1818, the canal in 1829, and the rail in 1851 – and natural deposits of salt, coal, and iron, which together supported a thriving and flourishing community.

What many may not know about Blairsville is its African American history, particularly related to abolition and the Underground Railroad (UGRR). The borough had one of the larger Black communities in Indiana County and the county’s first African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church was organized there in 1844. Indiana County was an important and active Underground Railroad stop in Pennsylvania as freedom seekers escaped from their enslavers in search of freedom.

I asked Denise Doyle from the Blairsville Underground Railroad organization to share their story with us.

Celebrating Preservation Month with the 2022 Community Initiative Award Winners

May 3, 2023 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

What better time of year than National Historic Preservation Month to announce the latest round of PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Award winners! The four recipients and their projects showcase a range of preservation success stories, demonstrating the value of volunteers, creativity, and community engagement.

Color rendering of people around a two story stone building with an arched doorway and two windows above. — Future Interpretation of Presidential Pump House by Spillman Farmer Architects.

Exciting news for the President Pumping Engine House

February 1, 2023 / Karen Arnold / 0 Comments

Readers in the Lehigh Valley saw some interesting news stories throughout the month of January as the one of the boilers from the Ueberroth Zinc Mine Historic District (1995RE50357) was removed from the former American Atelier furniture factory on Front Street in Allentown.

Group of people standing outside on a lawn.

SHPO Staff Explore Lackawanna County

November 16, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

My SHPO colleagues and I, just like the rest of the world, are continuing to emerge from our COVID cocoons. We’ve been getting out and about more each month but still find ourselves wanting to be physically connecting with places in every way we can.

Group of nine people standing in a cemetery. — Meeting at Midland Cemetery, August 2022. From left to right (Dr. Steve Burg (PAHG, Shippensburg University), Erin Emerick (Shippensburg University), Sarah Hoffeditz (Shippensburg University), Ira Beckerman (PAC), Dr. Ben Ford (Indiana University of PA), Barbara Barksdale, Janet Johnson (State Museum), Kim Sebestyen (State Museum), Taylor Napoleon (PA SHPO).

Community Archaeology at Midland Cemetery

October 19, 2022 / Casey Hanson / 2 Comments

Last fall the State Museum of Pennsylvania hosted their annual workshop in archaeology entitled Hidden Stories: Uncovering African American History through Archaeology and Community Engagement. The theme was born out of the acknowledgement that African Americans are vastly underrepresented in the historic record and the representations that are present are typically unfairly biased.

Celebrating Wilkes-Barre’s Walkitecture Tour

May 25, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

We conclude our Preservation Month celebration of the 2021 Community Initiative Award winners in the Diamond City.

Celebrating the Wilkinsburg Train Station Restoration Project

May 18, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 1 Comment

This week our Preservation Month celebration of the 2021 Community Initiative Award winners takes us west to Allegheny County – specifically, the Borough of Wilkinsburg.

The Wilkinsburg Train Station Restoration Project, led by the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation (WCDC), received one of PA SHPO’s 2021 Community Initiative Awards for bringing a community landmark back to life.

Celebrating the Friends of Fort Halifax Park

May 11, 2022 / Frank Grumbine / 1 Comment

There are few places that can embody the breadth of Pennsylvania’s narrative like Fort Halifax Park in Dauphin County.

Celebrating Preservation Month with the 2021 Community Initiative Award Winners

May 4, 2022 / Shelby Weaver Splain / 0 Comments

What better time of year than National Historic Preservation Month to announce the latest round of PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Award winners. This year’s projects and recipients showcase a range of preservation success stories, demonstrating the power of perseverance, collaboration and partnership.