From the Executive Director

Posted by on Aug 13, 2026 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director As we approach the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we find ourselves not only celebrating a defining moment in our nation’s history, but also reflecting on the deeper, ongoing story of Pennsylvania. I will admit that when we first started planning for 2026, I wondered if the anniversary would resonate with people. Would they care about an anniversary year...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Apr 17, 2026 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director Over the past 40 years, technology has transformed how people connect — with one another and with information. At the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), we’ve seen remarkable progress in using digital tools to enhance engagement with the history we steward: the documents, maps and photographs preserved in the Pennsylvania State Archives; information about historical...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Jan 14, 2026 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director At the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, our mission is to help Pennsylvanians discover and use history in ways that are relevant to their lives. We are always looking to engage with new audiences, and we try to reach Pennsylvanians through a variety of channels. In recent months, we have developed several new programs for outreach. In September, we partnered with Indiana...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Dec 1, 2025 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director We are thrilled to be sharing some PHMC news with you: We are embarking on a major renovation of The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Our Midcentury Modern masterpiece is a wonderful home for telling Pennsylvania’s story, but after serving Pennsylvanians for 60 years, it has some elements that no longer meet the needs of the modern visitor or, to be honest, the needs of our collections. This $55...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Aug 25, 2025 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director In recent news reports, many of you have heard about the loss of federal grants for museums and historical organizations. Over the past few months, I have been asked often about the effect this has had on the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. For context, as of this past spring, many museums across the country lost grants that had been competitively awarded by the National...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Jun 11, 2025 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director History is all around us. When you drive through one of the more than 2,500 cities, boroughs and townships across the commonwealth, history informs the character of each place. The local traditions, the appearance of the buildings, and the planned open space all reflect the people, their responses to the environment, and their choices — both conscious and unconscious. Pennsylvania bank barns,...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Feb 21, 2025 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director Historic sites and museums offer an opportunity to connect us to the past, but they also provide ways for us to think about the future. I recently attended the Lancaster County Hemp Circuit at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, a Pennsylvania Trails of History site where we have several artifacts related to the agricultural and industrial history of hemp in Pennsylvania. Hemp was grown...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Oct 21, 2024 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director Yesterday, I attended a birthday party for a very special deer — the Court House Deer — who makes his home outside the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. This statue, which just celebrated its 158th birthday, was recently conserved through funding in part by a Keystone Historic Preservation grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. It is very different from most of...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Aug 9, 2024 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director People know PHMC as an institution that preserves the past, but one of our attributes that I am most proud of is how forward-looking we are. After all, we are in “the forever business,” so it is our duty to embrace new technologies to ensure proper care and stewardship of our collective heritage. While our new archives building has received a lot of (well-deserved) attention, other aspects of...
read more

From the Executive Director

Posted by on Mar 27, 2024 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director   One of the many things we do at the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is support the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence at 2035 North Front Street in Harrisburg. We assist with exhibitions there, some of which feature selections from our art and decorative arts collections, others that highlight our historical objects. We also help facilitate loans from other institutions for...
read more