Blog of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office
Two years ago, the Pennsylvania Archaeological Council (PAC) teamed up with Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds (PAHG) to record Midland Cemtery in Swatara, PA . The goal of this pilot project was to document a cemetery using PAC’s membership and archaeological methods that could then be applied to other cemeteries with similar needs.
In last week’s blog post, I reviewed some important information about the Determination of Eligibility (DOE) process in Pennsylvania. This included what a DOE is, how to figure out where to start if you’d like to have your property evaluated for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, and a brief overview of SHPO’s review process.
This week’s post will cover how to complete the PA-SHARE submission, what kinds of information PA SHPO needs to evaluate a historic resource, and how to package that information.
Frequently, PA SHPO staff receive inquiries regarding a homeowner’s historic property and their wish to list it in the National Register of Historic Places.
Many times, interesting family stories passed down from one generation to the next are tied to the property. As fascinating as most of the stories are, not all will hit the threshold of the National Park Service required criteria to qualify the property as significant at the local, state or national level.
However, before the level of review needed to make that call, there are numerous documents and items that PA SHPO staff need to verify the eligibility of a resource. Unfortunately, since there is a degree of deeper research required and the process may seem daunting, many homeowners stop after the first phone call or email.
Hopefully, this post about the Determination of Eligibility process and next week’s post about what we need to evaluate a historic resource will help make it all seem a little less scary.
This latest installment of “Historic Tax Credits @ Work” features a successful project to transform an underutilized train station into a community asset.
I’m excited to share some exciting new improvements to PA-SHARE. If you’re keeping track, this is the fifth major round of improvements and bug fixes to PA-SHARE and Surveyor as part of our PA-SHARE 2.0 investment.
September is International Underground Railroad Month. This week’s post is another in our “Resource Round-Up” series, which we occasionally publish during important months as a guide to learning more about the older and historic places and spaces in Pennsylvania that reflect that month’s theme. This one highlights just some sources related to the Underground Railroad (UGRR) in Pennsylvania.
Are you a highly skilled historic preservationist with National Register knowledge and experience? The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking a Historic Preservation Specialist to work as a National Register reviewer. This position is focused on assisting the public with determinations of eligibility and National Register nominations. Bring your dedication and experience to our department and take pride in safeguarding Pennsylvania’s cherished history with our team!
Don’t miss out on this opportunity! PA SHPO can now work from home except for days when you’ll be out visiting Pennsylvania’s historic places and one day a month in the office with your colleagues in Harrisburg.
Apply today through 10/1/2024 to become an essential part of our team where you will play a vital role in our mission to discover, protect, and share Pennsylvania’s past, inspiring others to value and use our history in meaningful ways.
The practice of historic preservation is like a family heirloom, passed down from one generation to the next so that when you get tasked with the role of heirloom keeper, it reminds us to not forget about the past and look to how it has shaped the present.
Join us in celebrating the Pennsylvania’s latest additions to the National Register of Historic Places! The PA-SHPO extends our congratulations and heartfelt thanks to all those who worked so hard on these nominations.
Back in October 2023, we shared a blog highlighting the updates to the Hardyston Jasper District that PA SHPO archaeologists were working on. These updates included reevaluating our PASS data to create and formally designate the NPS/Keeper Eligible Hardyston Jasper District, refine the district’s boundaries from the boundary established in the 1988 report by Anthony and Roberts, and identifying and evaluating sites for inclusion in the Hardyston Jasper District.
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