2016 flew like a flash! I can’t believe its time for the 101st Pennsylvania Farm Show already. Although my head remains full of visions of dancing sugar-plums, staff at the State Historic Preservation Office have been busy getting ready for our booth at the PA Farm Show.
Speaking of visions…
Did you know that PHMC has a Vision Statement? In case you didn’t, here it is:
The PHMC enriches people’s lives by helping them to understand Pennsylvania’s past, to appreciate the present, and to embrace the future.
In the spirit of the PA Historical and Museum Commission’s (PHMC) stated vision, the PA State Historic Preservation Office and PA State Archives partnered to develop an exhibit for the 2017 Farm Show titled ‘PHMC: Find Your Story.’
Find Your Story with the PA State Historic Preservation Office, the PA State Archives, the State Museum of PA and on the PA Trails of History
The PHMC’s ‘Find Your Story’ exhibit at the Farm Show will showcase the some of the ways the State Archives and the State Historic Preservation Office helps Pennsylvanians connect with their history. Staff from both offices will be on site and available to answer questions about resources available to researchers.
Find your Story with the 2017 Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt
Now in its sixth year, the PHMC’s increasingly-popular Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt is a fun, educational program for the whole family at the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show.
Look for the blue markers at the Farm Show!
Replicas of actual PHMC historical markers related to foodways, rural life, and agricultural history are strategically located throughout the Farm Show Complex. Visitors use a booklet with a map to navigate the Farm Show Complex and find the markers. Participants answer questions related to each marker in order to complete the Scavenger Hunt. Every individual or family that completes the scavenger hunt receives a prize packet and can register for a drawing for two Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Family Memberships.
Growing in popularity every year, this fun challenge introduces children and adults to the diversity of Pennsylvania’s rich agricultural and rural heritage.
Find Your Story at the PA State Archives
The PA State Archives is housed in that imposing masonry rectangle in downtown Harrisburg and it is a treasure trove of information. Their holdings span from 1664 to the present and include 78,000 cubic feet of research materials and 30,000 rolls of microfilm!
The Archives holds a broad range of sources that help to document family history including birth and death records (1852–1854, 1893–1906), original 20th-century birth and death certificates beginning in 1906, and marriage records (1742–1762, 1852–1854, 1885 and thereafter). Also, more than 500 manuscript groups contain the records and papers of prominent individuals, families, business concerns, and numerous social, cultural, political, and military organizations relating to many aspects of Pennsylvania history and culture.
Join us to learn more about what’s inside!
Last year, the Pennsylvania State Archives, unveiled a new exhibit titled “What’s Inside? Celebrating 50 Years in the State Archives Tower.” Initially on exhibit in The State Museum of Pennsylvania, this display includes numerous important and famous documents including Pennsylvania’s Gradual Abolition Act of 1780, an Indian Deed from Tamanen to William Penn from 1683, and an original 1880 Federal Census book. Topics featured in the display included Famous Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania’s Story, Your Story, Famous Documents, Documents that Protect You, and Protecting Records in the State Archives.
Find Your Story through the Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project
Pennsylvania is well known for its rich historic farm landscape. Agriculture has been a critically important sector of Pennsylvania’s economy since the Commonwealth’s founding in 1682. The Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project illustrates the historic diversity of Pennsylvania farm productions and identifies 17 historic agricultural regions. Each region is shaped by soil types, topography, markets, climate, and commodity production. The Agricultural History Project also includes a field guide to introduce the common house, barn, landscape, outbuildings, and archaeological features of each region.
Explore Pennsylvania’s diverse landscapes through the Agricultural History Project.
Make sure you stop by and see us!
The Farm Show opens on January 7th and runs through the 14th here in Harrisburg at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center at North Cameron and Maclay Streets. We’ll be under the ‘Find Your Story’ banner in the Main Hall of the PA Farm Show located across from the carousel and next to the State Museum of PA’s exhibit.
For directions, hours, schedules and more, visit the Farm Show website or Facebook page.
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