Are you a preservation-minded Pennsylvanian interested in sharing your time and talent? Do you know someone looking for an opportunity to be a leader and make a difference? Then we want to hear from you!

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking letters of interest and resumes from potential Board candidates.

About the Preservation Board

The Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board serves as an advisory committee to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) for preservation policy in the commonwealth. The Board’s collective knowledge and experience helps shape the Commission’s understanding about the older and historic places in Pennsylvania that are historically significant. This is a unique and important responsibility.

The Board also works with the PA SHPO to review all proposed nominations from Pennsylvania to the National Register of Historic Places at three public meetings each year. The National Register is the official list of the Nation’s historic places. The PA SHPO manages this federal program for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Mothers’ Memorial, in Ashland, Schuylkill County, was listed in the National Register in September 2020. It is one example of the interesting and unique properties considered by the Preservation Board.

The Preservation Board also plays a role in developing Pennsylvania’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, which provides a framework for preservation progress in the commonwealth and satisfies Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation planning obligations as set forth under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended and the Pennsylvania History Code.

The Board’s fifteen members are nominated by the Commission with the approval of the Governor’s Office, and include individuals with expertise in history and pre-history, architecture, historic preservation, landscape history, architectural history, and related disciplines.

The Locust Grove Archaeological District in Lancaster, listed in May 2020, is an example of an archaeological site listed in the National Register.

The commonwealth is committed to creating advisory bodies that are diverse and reflect the interest of the citizens they serve. We encourage a broad range of candidates to apply.

Additional information about the Board can be found here: https://www.phmc.pa.gov/Preservation/National-Register/Pages/Preservation-Board.aspx.

Duties as a Board Member

A term is two years in length, with a three (3) term limit.

Membership on the Board includes a commitment to review National Register nominations prior to the three (3) annual Board meetings, which are typically held the first Tuesday of February, June, and October, in Harrisburg (when in person meetings are possible).

The Waynesboro Historic District was listed in the National Register in April 2020. Photograph courtesy of Mainstreet Waynesboro.

How to Apply

Are you interested in serving on the board? Please send us a letter of interest and your resume!

Do you have a suggestion for a new board member? Please send us their name(s) and contact information!

Have questions about the Preservation Board or the National Register Program? Ask us!

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please get in touch with Elizabeth Rairigh, Preservation Services Division Chief, at erairigh@pa.gov or 717-705-4035.