News and Notes
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the News category and the Spring 1980 issue Topics in this article:On the Cover
The Henry Covered Bridge, with a thirty-six foot span, crosses Mingo Creek in Mingo Creek County Park, Nottingham Township, Washington County. Although the name of the builder and exact date of construction are unknown, records indicate that the bridge was in place by 1881. This white oak structure of Queenpost Truss design with tin covered gable roof. square cut windows and cut stone abutments, was one of thirty-five covered bridges in Washington and Greene counties recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of a Thematic Resources Nomination, the first such nomination of its kind granted in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania, with over 230 such spans, leads the nation in the total number of historic covered bridges still standing, and Washington County with 25 is one of the leading counties within the Commonwealth. To celebrate their beauty, each year the Washington-Greene County Tourist Promotion Agency sponsors an annual Covered Bridge Festival the third weekend in September.
Annual Pennsbury Manor Americana Spring Seminar Scheduled
“Historic Landscapes and Gardens” will be the topic for the 14th annual Pennsbury Manor Americana Spring Seminar to be held May 23 and 24, 1980 at Pennsbury Manor, the Bucks County plantation of Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn. Rudy J. and Joy Putman Favretti of Storrs, Connecticut have agreed to chair the two-day session sponsored by the Pennsbury Society and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Co-authors of the book Landscapes and Gardens for Historic Buildings published in 1978 by the American Association for State and Local History, the Favrettis have been pioneers in researching and publishing practical guidelines for restoration of the landscape settings for American historic buildings. To quote the preface to their recent publication:
We espouse the philosophy that the grounds are just as important as the structure. If the landscape does not present a picture similar to that of the structure, you are telling an incomplete or false story, thus betraying the unsuspecting visitor.
Pennsbury Manor is a particularly appropriate setting for the seminar on historic landscaping, for William Penn was one of America’s earliest ornamental horticulturists and the gardens around his home are being restored to a more authentic configuration in preparation for the Tercentenary celebration (1981-83) of the founding of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
There will be eight papers presented by recognized authorities in the field of historic horticulture, dealing with a variety of topics which should be of interest to anyone with a love of history or gardening. Registration information will be available after March 15 [1980]. Requests for such information should be mailed to: The Pennsbury Society, Pennsbury Manor, Rural Route #9, Morrisville 19067.
Black History Conference Set
The PHMC is sponsoring the 3rd annual Black History in Pennsylvania Conference which will be held April 1 and 2, 1980 at Millersville State College, Millersville. The conference will focus on the accomplishments of black Pennsylvanians, historical problems still confronting the black community in the Commonwealth, and revisions to the public school curricula to effectively include black history. Among the speakers addressing these and other issues will be Prof. Vincent Franklin (Yale University), Prof. Monroe H. Little (MIT), Profs. Joanne Gabbin and Philip Foner (Lincoln University), Profs. Cyril Griffith and Gerald Eggert (Pennsylvania State University), and noted author Charles L. Blockson. For further information and a full program write: David McBride, PHMC, Box 1026, Harrisburg 17120.
