Preservation Pennsylvania

05/11/2021

Using PA-Share: A Tool for Local Preservation

Whether you're a CRM pro or a grassroots preservationists, this webinar will tour you through the new PA-SHARE platform from the PA SHPO. PA-SHARE is much more than a map-based inventory of historic and archaeological sites and surveys. PA-SHARE is a sophisticated system hosting all PA State Historic Preservation Office program areas. It's a primary tool for the public, agencies, and partners to make informed decisions, efficiently move through processes, and more easily collect historic and archaeological resource information. You'll also learn how to upload a local preservation Success Story and be entered to receive a Community Initiative Award. Use the link below to register. You'll receive your link via email.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/using-pa-share-a-tool-for-local-preservation-tickets-153508661539?aff=FB

Enhance your preservation knowledge with this introduction to the new PA-Share exchange, the replacement for the PHMC's CRGIS system.

05/09/2021

Underground Railroad Site Saved from Development

The Friends of Abolition Hall, led by Sydelle Zove, have spent years advocating for the preservation of this farmstead and Underground Railroad site in Montgomery County. The outlook is bright with the recent news that Whitemarsh Township will enter into an agreement with the heirs to purchase the historic 10.45 acre property in the village of Plymouth Meeting.

After a five-year battle, Abolition Hall and the historic Corson farm in Plymouth Meeting will be preserved

05/07/2021

Preservation Pennsylvania placed the Mifflin House on the 2017 Pennsylvania At Risk. We helped organize fundraisers and public meetings, attended township hearings and paid for legal counsel to challenge the efforts to demolish the Mifflin House farmstead to make way for a warehouse facility. We knew that the community valued this beautiful property, open space and Underground Railroad history. We worked hard to protect it and find a way forward for its preservation.

Working together with The Conservation Fund, Susquehanna National Heritage Area, the property owner, and developer, we are cautiously optimistic that Susquehanna National Heritage area will be announcing exciting plans to acquire and preserve the site very soon. Join our efforts to preserve special places in York County and all across Pennsylvania! Click here to donate: https://www.givelocalyork.org/organizations/preservation-pennsylvania-ce6c087d-bc39-4798-8ec1-374de9ec5422

Preservation Pennsylvania placed the Mifflin House on the 2017 Pennsylvania At Risk. We helped organize fundraisers and public meetings, attended township hearings and paid for legal counsel to challenge the efforts to demolish the Mifflin House farmstead to make way for a warehouse facility. We knew that the community valued this beautiful property, open space and Underground Railroad history. We worked hard to protect it and find a way forward for its preservation.

Working together with The Conservation Fund, Susquehanna National Heritage Area, the property owner, and developer, we are cautiously optimistic that Susquehanna National Heritage area will be announcing exciting plans to acquire and preserve the site very soon. Join our efforts to preserve special places in York County and all across Pennsylvania! Click here to donate: https://www.givelocalyork.org/organizations/preservation-pennsylvania-ce6c087d-bc39-4798-8ec1-374de9ec5422

05/07/2021

Today's the day! Give Local York is a day of charity, supporting organizations that make York County a great place to live, work and visit. Please consider Preservation Pennsylvania for your giving! We work hard to protect and preserve beloved area landmarks, such as the Mifflin House and its Underground Railroad history and The Yorktowne Hotel. Learn more at https://www.givelocalyork.org/organizations/preservation-pennsylvania-ce6c087d-bc39-4798-8ec1-374de9ec5422

Today's the day! Give Local York is a day of charity, supporting organizations that make York County a great place to live, work and visit. Please consider Preservation Pennsylvania for your giving! We work hard to protect and preserve beloved area landmarks, such as the Mifflin House and its Underground Railroad history and The Yorktowne Hotel. Learn more at https://www.givelocalyork.org/organizations/preservation-pennsylvania-ce6c087d-bc39-4798-8ec1-374de9ec5422

05/06/2021

What special place in your community helps #TellTheFullStory? For Preservation Month this year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation invites you to share a place that helps tell a little-known or underrepresented piece of the American story. It could be a place tied to local, national, or even your own family history. The Trust will be highlighting a selection of your places in the coming months, so be sure to use #TellTheFullStory and tag @SavingPlaces on Twitter and Instagram before May 31.

What special place in your community helps #TellTheFullStory? For Preservation Month this year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation invites you to share a place that helps tell a little-known or underrepresented piece of the American story. It could be a place tied to local, national, or even your own family history. The Trust will be highlighting a selection of your places in the coming months, so be sure to use #TellTheFullStory and tag @SavingPlaces on Twitter and Instagram before May 31.

05/04/2021

No telethon. No robocalls. Just an invitation to make your love of historic preservation official this Preservation Month by becoming a member of Preservation Pennsylvania. Join us in May and you’ll receive our landmark vinyl decal. Visit preservationpa.org to sign up online or download a membership form. Then check your mail for our thanks and your decal! #preservation #preservationpa #preservationhappenshere #pennsylvania #savingplaces #PAatRisk #legacylovepa #67counties #keystonestate #landmark

No telethon. No robocalls. Just an invitation to make your love of historic preservation official this Preservation Month by becoming a member of Preservation Pennsylvania. Join us in May and you’ll receive our landmark vinyl decal. Visit preservationpa.org to sign up online or download a membership form. Then check your mail for our thanks and your decal! #preservation #preservationpa #preservationhappenshere #pennsylvania #savingplaces #PAatRisk #legacylovepa #67counties #keystonestate #landmark

05/01/2021

Places Restored, Threatened, Saved, and Lost in Preservation Magazine's Spring 2021 Issue | National Trust for Historic Preservation

May is Preservation Month. We'll kick it off with a look at saves and losses from the Spring issue of Preservation magazine, featuring preservation of the Dox Thrash House in Philadelphia (click below to visit National Trust for Historic Preservation). And we'll close out the month with a live Zoom announcement of the 2021 PA at Risk. Stay tuned for more! #preservationpa #pennsylvania #preservation #savingplaces #preservationhappenshere

The home of a pioneering Black printmaker and a filming location for the film "Rebel Without a Cause" are among the places in transition in Spring 2021.

04/16/2021

NHL Reopen House

Philly-area folks get ready to celebrate National Historic Landmarks this Sunday, April 18! Over 20 participating historic sites will offer tours for visitors, virtual programs, special events, discounts & prizes, and much more! Visit the website for a list of participating sites and to plan your adventures. Registration and/or timed tickets are required for some sites. National Historic Landmarks are designated by the Secretary of the Interior. There are only 2,600 such places in all of the United States. Philadelphia has an amazing array -- go discover some of these special spots! https://globalphiladelphia.org/nhl-reopen-house

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04/14/2021

National Negro Opera Company House in Homewood receives $500,000 for restoration

You may have heard Matthew Craig speak about the YPA's nomination of the National Negro Opera House to the National Trust's "11 Most Endangered" list at the Statewide Conference. Here's an exciting update about hopes for saving the mansion. “This has been a 20-year, life-altering labor of love,” says [owner Jonnet] Solomon. “And I’m more hopeful now than ever that we can preserve this historic house, and make it an artistic hub for the community once again. This gift is the catalyst that will inspire others to do the same.”

A major Pittsburgh-based nonprofit is helping to bring the National Negro Opera Company House in Homewood, an important piece of the city’s Black history that...

04/13/2021

Longwood Gardens' Show-Stopping Main Fountain Garden Restoration | National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is celebrating #LandscapeArchitecture Month by highlighting the renovation of the Main Fountain Garden at Pennsylvania's Longwood Gardens. If you can't make it there to explore the grounds, then check out our #LoveLetterPa post with lots of flowers to soothe your soul: https://www.preservationpa.org/longwood-gardens/

Longwood Garden's Main Fountain Garden restoration took a world-renowned fountain to a new level of artistic and engineering excellence, suited to the 21st century visitor.

04/13/2021

Franklin & His Leather-Apron Men (and Women)

Christ Church Preservation Trust & The Carpenters' Company present FRANKLIN & HIS LEATHER-APRON MEN - AND WOMEN
Thu, April 15, 2021, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Free, registration required
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/franklin-his-leather-apron-men-and-women-tickets-144080622019?aff=erelpanelorg
Historian Jay Robert Stiefel is an authority on the crafts and commerce of Colonial Philadelphia. Stiefel’s writings and lectures on social history have restored to the historical record many early craftsmen, artists, and merchants whose prominence had been obscured by the passage of time. He is the author of The Cabinetmaker’s Account: John Head’s Record of Craft & Commerce in Colonial Philadelphia, 1718-1753 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 2019)

Historian Jay Robert Stiefel will host a lecture that highlights Franklin and other colonial artisans and their life in colonial America

04/09/2021

A wonderfully exciting update for #PAatRisk Abolition Hall, the Maulsby/Corson/Hovenden Homestead and the village of Plymouth Meeting (Pennsylvania's very first National Register-listed historic district) after Thursday night's meeting: "The Whitemarsh Board of Supervisors tonight approved an agreement of sale for the Township and the Whitemarsh Art Center to purchase the property that is home to historic Abolition Hall. The action is intended to protect the 10.45-acre property off Butler Pike from development and preserves Abolition Hall, Hovenden House and the Main House, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Marple Lane House. The Whitemarsh Art Center will move to the property with other uses of the homestead to be determined."

Whitemarsh Township Acts To Preserve Home Of Historic Abolition Hall. https://bit.ly/3wOeDv9

04/06/2021

Businessman’s ‘emotional’ purchase will allow Haar’s Drive-In to keep making memories for years

Good news for a drive-in movie theater in York County! A real estate developer recently purchased the property - not for redevelopment but to preserve the drive-in for the community. He's been going there with family and friends since 1959. "Fox, who lives in the area, said he is very lucky that he is able to make this happen. He said he did this for his children and grandchildren and for the people in the community who really have an emotional attachment to Haar’s." Support your local drive-in this summer! #LegacyLovePA #preservationPA https://www.pennlive.com/life/2021/04/businessmans-emotional-purchase-will-allow-haars-drive-in-to-keep-making-memories-for-area-residents.html?

Harry Fox Jr., the new owner of the property, said the granddaughter of founder Vance Haar has signed a 10-year lease on the drive-in and auction house.

04/06/2021

Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia

Tonight! The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia presents "Dox Thrash House: Block Level Community Investment." The Dox Thrash House is an embodiment of the enduring legacy of acclaimed print maker Dox Thrash and the arts and cultural history of north Philadelphia. Over 60 years since the artist lived in the house, the preservation group Dox Thrash House Project and Beech Community Services discuss the aspirations and challenges with preserving the house. Learn about the power of big dreams and grassroots advocacy. Registration required (free for students) https://25017.blackbaudhosting.com/25017/Dox-Thrash-House

Watch ONLINE via ZOOM from the safety and comfort of your home. A link with instructions will be provided one hour prior to this virtual lecture. 

04/05/2021

#PAatRisk update (Montgomery County): A hopeful outlook for Abolition Hall and the Corson/Hovenden Homestead in the Plymouth Meeting National Register Historic District (first in PA). On Thursday, April 8, the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors (meeting via Zoom), will consider an agreement of sale for the purchase of the entire Corson Homestead, including Plymouth Meeting Abolition Hall and the Hovenden House. The public can join this meeting at 6 p.m., via Zoom, by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89455630130 Sydelle Zove, Convener of the Friends of Abolition Hall, has led efforts to protect and preserve this place for five years: "We firmly believe that our five years of education and advocacy helped lift up the significance of this homestead, and the example set by its occupants and those who passed through its doors. It was here that the Corsons, and the Maulsbys before them, acted righteously in the face of immoral laws; it was here that enslaved people arrived after fleeing a chattel system that attempted to rob them of their humanity. Brave souls, all, who defied the odds and prevailed." We thank Sydelle and the many supporters who have offered so much support for this important place. #preservation #preservationpa #savingplaces

Whitemarsh Township Supervisors to vote on contract to purchase the Corson Homestead/Abolition Hall!

On Thursday, April 8, at 6 p.m., the public can join the meeting of the Board of Supervisors, which will be conducted via Zoom. Here's the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89455630130

When a national developer withdrew its proposal for 67 townhouses, and terminated its agreement of sale with the Corson heirs, the door opened for the Township to step in with an offer. After months of negotiations, it appears that the terms have been finalized. Join us in bearing witness to this historic moment.

04/02/2021

Idyllic Farm Community, Once Thought "Saved," Under Threat Again - Preservation Pennsylvania

Once a place is added to #PAatRisk, we offer assistance as needed. The rural community of Dutch Corner (Bedford County) is the state's largest National Register Agricultural Historic District. Once thought saved from a wind turbine project on the mountain ridge that shelters it, the area is once again under threat. You can help by contacting the township supervisors asking them to adopt a newly proposed ordinance that will better manage potential wind energy development in the future and protect local historic and environmental resources. Learn more (including specific actions you can take to help) in our latest news post below. #PAatRisk #preservationPA #BedfordCounty

Historic Dutch Corner is once again under threat. The Competitive Power Ventures' (CPV) Kettle Wind Project proposes to build wind turbines on the ridge of Evitt's Mountain. Construction and operation of these turbines would permanently impact the landscape, one of Bedford County's most significant....

03/30/2021

From Executive Director Mindy Crawford: Concerned citizens reached out to Preservation Pennsylvania about their beloved Kennywood when it was announced that the Kangaroo and three other rides were being removed. The amusement park started in 1898 as a small trolley park and is now a National Historic Landmark with deep connections across generations of Allegheny County residents and beyond. I recently traveled to Kennywood to meet with General Manager Mark Pauls and Public Relations Director Nick Paradise. I explained the significant honor of designation as a National Historic Landmark (only 2,600 places have earned that distinction to date) and the pride and sense of ownership that regular visitors feel for the park. We talked about the importance of embracing the park's history as an important asset and working to protect and celebrate it. After a great tour of the park, with its amazing historic buildings, rides, and features, we agreed to continue working together to make sure that Kennywood maintains as much of its historic character as possible. While the loss of the four rides is disappointing and the reasons are complicated, I feel confident that the folks at Kennywood do appreciate its history and are committed to preserving it. #preservationpa #pennsylvania

From Executive Director Mindy Crawford: Concerned citizens reached out to Preservation Pennsylvania about their beloved Kennywood when it was announced that the Kangaroo and three other rides were being removed. The amusement park started in 1898 as a small trolley park and is now a National Historic Landmark with deep connections across generations of Allegheny County residents and beyond. I recently traveled to Kennywood to meet with General Manager Mark Pauls and Public Relations Director Nick Paradise. I explained the significant honor of designation as a National Historic Landmark (only 2,600 places have earned that distinction to date) and the pride and sense of ownership that regular visitors feel for the park. We talked about the importance of embracing the park's history as an important asset and working to protect and celebrate it. After a great tour of the park, with its amazing historic buildings, rides, and features, we agreed to continue working together to make sure that Kennywood maintains as much of its historic character as possible. While the loss of the four rides is disappointing and the reasons are complicated, I feel confident that the folks at Kennywood do appreciate its history and are committed to preserving it. #preservationpa #pennsylvania