Executive Director’s Message

Written by in the From the Executive Director category and the December 1978 issue Topics in this article:
From the Executive Director features news and reflections on the work of PHMC by its chief administrator.

Beginning with this issue readers of Heritage will notice the establishment of two regular features on preservation of cultural property and oral history. Interest in historic preservation and oral history has expanded considerably during the past decade and these features are designed to address the widespread concern for these aspects of our past. Historic preservation has become familiar to nearly every area of the Commonwealth. Currently, over seven-hundred properties in Pennsylvania are listed in the Na­tional Register of Historic Places and new applications are being processed continuously. Similarly, oral history programs have emerged on both a professional and “grass­roots” level in numerous Pennsylvania communities. Whatever the level of expertise, however, a full measure of enthusiasm and dedication has invariably characterized these efforts at obtaining local recollections. The purpose of providing quarterly features is to meet the growing in­terest in these two areas by providing both technical in­formation and examples of local accomplishment. By sharing the experience of others in preserving physical remains and oral testimony, everyone involved with these programs will benefit immeasurably.

William J. Wewer
Executive Director