This week’s 2022 Community Initiative Award winner spotlight is on Concord Township’s preservation of the Spring Valley AME Church  in Delaware County. This project in Delaware County caught the eagle eye of one of my colleagues last year from some press reporting and I’m glad it did. She just happened to be the SHPO’s reviewer for most projects that were undertaken with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), particularly using Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money. Using CDBG funds for historic preservation – like Concord Township did – is a ..read more

This week’s 2022 Community Initiative Award winner spotlight is on the Blairsville Underground Railroad organization in Blairsville, Indiana County. Blairsville was laid out in the early 19th century along the Conemaugh River at the southern end of Indiana County, about 40 miles east of Pittsburgh along the planned route of the Huntingdon, Cambria, and Indiana Turnpike. Blairsville’s history and growth is closely tied to its transportation corridors – the river, the stagecoach in 1818, the canal in 1829, and the rail in 1851 – and natural deposits of salt, coal, and iron, which together suppo ..read more

Each week in May, to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month, we will highlight one of the 2022 Community Initiative Award winners. In this week’s post, I asked Janice Lynx, Executive Director of the West Short Historical Society, about their successful efforts to save Sheepford Road Bridge. Sheepford Road Bridge is one of the first bridges to receive funds from PennDOT’s Historic Metal Truss Capital Rehabilitation Program, a new program created to promote the rehabilitation of historic metal truss bridges. I’ll take this opportunity to let our readers know that we also publish a biann ..read more

What better time of year than National Historic Preservation Month to announce the latest round of PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Award winners! The four recipients and their projects showcase a range of preservation success stories, demonstrating the value of volunteers, creativity, and community engagement. What are the Community Initiative Awards? PA SHPO’s Community Initiative Awards recognize the hard work and dedication of outstanding organizations, municipalities, agencies and individuals whose work embodies the theme of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation pla ..read more

Are you an innovative and forward-thinking professional with strong program administration skills? Are you seeking a leadership position that will allow you to advance your career and make a difference? If this is you, apply to join the PA SHPO team of dedicated preservationists, historians, and archaeologists working with Pennsylvania’s historic communities to achieve positive preservation outcomes. Don’t wait! Applications due May 18, 2023. DESCRIPTION of WORK The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking a manager to lead the Preservation Incentives Division and ..read more

The main character of our story, the Messerall Road Bridge, began its life over Pine Creek near East Titusville in 1876, carrying traffic associated with the local oil and lumber industries. The bridge served as a crossing over Pine Creek nearly 140 years before it was closed to vehicular traffic in 1987. After years of discontinuation of service, a new use was identified. On August 10, 2021, a crane lifted the Messerall Road Bridge off its footings and over Pine Creek . The bridge was then sent to a blacksmith shop for repairs. Through a partnership between PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Depar ..read more

Are you interested in joining a proactive and dedicated team of preservationists, historians, and archaeologists?  The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is seeking a manager to lead the Preservation Incentives Division and help advance PA SHPO priorities. This position is ideal for a professional with proven leadership and relationship-building skills and who has broad knowledge of historic preservation programs. This is a PA SHPO leadership position! DESCRIPTION of WORK This is a management position responsible for the direction and operation of the Division of P ..read more

This is part of a biannual blog series highlighting the agreement documents executed by PA SHPO in accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations. Between July 1 and December 31 of 2022, PA SHPO has been a signatory to approximately nine (9) Section 106 agreement documents with four different federal agencies as part of consultation for the resolution of adverse effects to historic properties.  Below illustrates a selection of the agreement documents executed within the past six months. Letter of Agreement between the Federal Highwa ..read more

Readers in the Lehigh Valley saw some interesting news stories throughout the month of January as the one of the boilers from the Ueberroth Zinc Mine Historic District (1995RE50357) was removed from the former American Atelier furniture factory on Front Street in Allentown.  The 2.5-ton boiler, measuring 30 feet long, was relocated to this location in 1901 to be used as a water tank and the building built around it.  This article in the Allentown Morning Call covered the story. What is the Ueberroth Zinc Mine and its pump? The mine was one of five operating in the Friedensville area ..read more

In an effort to preserve one of Pennsylvania’s historic homes, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is marketing for sale, removal, and preservation a two-and-a-half-story, 3 bedroom, one bath, Shingle-Style house with many beautiful original features including wooden floors, trim work, railings, plastered walls, windows, doors, fixtures, and wood shingle detailing on the exterior. Interested? In 1900, J. Harvey and Della Robinson built what the local Altoona Tribune claimed to be “the prettiest and most convenient house in the village.” Clipping from the Altoona Tribun ..read more