PA SHPO’s Top 10 Posts of 2019

Shelby Weaver Splain

5 years ago

Share on Social Media

It wouldn’t be New Years without a top 10 recap, and I didn’t want to disappoint you by not giving our faithful readers a recap of their favorite blog.

The top 10 posts include several oldies but goodies and some newcomers that have made their way into our most-viewed-posts-ever list. The top 10 viewed PA SHPO blog posts for 2019 are….

#PreservationHappensHere: This 2019 post was viewed a record-breaking 14,973 times! Yes, you read that correctly – almost 15,000 views. If you haven’t read it yourself, definitely check it out now.

#PreservationHappensHere in Pennsylvania every day!

Rethinking the Row House: This 2017 post about the iconic Philadelphia rowhouse was viewed 1,795 times.

Early row houses along Delancey Street in Society Hill.

The Cornplanter Grant: The Last Native American Settlement in Pennsylvania: This 2018 post about Native American history in Pennsylvania lost second place by only three views! It still comes in at an impressive 1,792.

Phoebe Gordon making baskets at the Cornplanter Grant. Ms. Gordon is constructing a two-handled, split-oak basket. Photo courtesy of the Deardorff Archive, Warren County Historical Society.

Hosanna Church: The Last Building in Hinsonville: This 2014 post about the last surviving building in a former African American community in Chester County was 1,658 times. Interested readers left over 20 comments.

From a Creek Came a Village: A Brief History of the Town of Blain: 1,647 viewers for this 2019 post learned more about one of Pennsylvania’s small towns.

View of the Blain Railroad Station, restored by the Blain Lion’s Club in 1983. Photo by Candice N. Strawley, Commonwealth Heritage Group.

Lykens: A Case Study on the After-Effects of Flooding on Pennsylvania’s Communities: The second disaster-planning related post on our list, this post about the impacts of flooding on a small town garnered 1,451 views.

Just Listed: Historic Breweries of Pennsylvania Edition: This 2015 post suggests there is a lot of interest in learning more about Pennsylvania’s historic breweries with 1,392 views.

The Revolutionary War Burial Ground in Bethlehem: For many years, this 2014 post about archaeology, the Revolutionary War, and a burial ground was the top runner. Its now dropped to 8th place with 1,382 views.

In this 1754 illustration of Bethlehem, the largest building situated in the right-central portion of the image is the Brethren’s House, which was used periodically as the General Hospital of the Continental Army from 1776 to 1778. The hillside in the open field to the left of the creek (Monocacy Creek) became the burial place for hundreds of the first American soldiers.

2019 as the Year of the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credit?: This 2019 post about the state historic tax credit program had 1,247 views. I, for one, am thankful that this turned out to be true: the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Tax Credit was reauthorized in 2019.

The Smith Memorial Playhouse in Fairmount Park was an applicant for the SFY18 PA Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

Spotlight Series: McKees Rocks Mound: This 2015 post introduced 1,213 readers to McKees Rocks Mound, which is the largest Native American burial ground in western Pennsylvania.

McKees Rocks Mound prior to excavation in 1896. Photograph is courtesy of the Section of Anthropology of Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Stay tuned to the PA SHPO blog, and sign up for our newsletters at pahistoricpreservation.com to see what we have in store for 2020!