Almost every archaeologist I know has heard this question from somebody from the general public: “How do you know where to dig?” Although it used to give me a facial tic after hearing it over and over, it’s actually not a bad question.
Category: PennDOT (Page 8 of 8)
New Uses for Old Bridges
Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, federal agencies must consider the effect of their projects on historic properties which are defined as resources listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. It is the role of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office to participate in consultation with the federal agency to seek ways to avoid or minimize adverse effects of projects on historic properties.
National Transportation Week: A Road to the Past
On Saturday, April 27, 2013, I had the pleasure of attending and speaking at a unique dedication ceremony at Fort Halifax Park in Halifax Township, Dauphin County, just north of the Borough of Halifax. The ceremony was to dedicate numerous London Plane Sycamores recently planted to, if you’re feeling poetic, fix what time has wrought. You see, these trees were planted to replace missing Sycamores in the National Register of Historic Places-listed Legislative Route 1 Sycamore Allee (see the nomination on CRGIS for more information and for references). Continue reading
The Statewide Conference on Heritage: Twenty-three Sessions, Five Tours, Three Private Evening Events, and One Unforgettable Experience
by Jennifer Horn, Preservation Pennsylvania
Every summer Pennsylvania’s preservation and conservation communities convene for a weeklong conference to explore current trends in archaeology and historic preservation. This year, the Statewide Conference on Heritage will be held at the historic William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The conference will begin on Tuesday, July 16thwith a pre-conference workshop on the Federal and State Rehabilitation Investment Tax Credit programs and conclude with Preservation Pennsylvania’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Friday, July 19th. The conference is co-sponsored by Preservation Pennsylvania, PennDOT, PHMC, DCNR, Heritage PA, and local partners and attracts over 350 attendees annually.
Preservation’s Next Generation: PennDOT/PHMC Internships in Cultural Resource Management
Hannah touring the Lackawanna Coal Mine
If you’ve been to a preservation or archaeology conference lately, you may have found yourself looking out at a sea of grey heads. The generation that began working on public projects in the 1970’s and 1980’s with the initial implementation of Federal and State Historic and Archaeological Preservation laws and regulations, is now retiring. These are the people who invented what is known as Cultural Resource Management (CRM). If important historic places are going to continue to be protected and managed for the future, a new generation of cultural resource professionals will have to carry the standard. Continue reading
The Agricultural History Project: Agricultural Regions Map
Did you know that the Lehigh Valley was once a major producer of potatoes? Or that Tioga County had a robust tobacco-growing industry? Or that Southwestern Pennsylvania was known for its sheep farms? The list of agricultural products grown and produced in Pennsylvania over the past 300 years is as long and diverse as the state is large. When you put all of these pieces of information on a map, some very interesting and unexpected patterns emerge, and these patterns have a lot to tell us about why our agricultural buildings and landscapes look the way that they do. Continue reading
The Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project involved a unique partnership among the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and the Pennsylvania State University with funding from the Federal Highway Administration and the federal Preserve America program. An outcome of the project is a comprehensive website that addresses the scope and character of Pennsylvania’s agricultural resources. Research for the project began in 2001. We are proud to release the culmination of this 12+ year partnership on our website at: http://phmc.info/aghistory.
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