Trailheads

As 2021 comes into focus, PHMC’s Trails of History sites are providing exceptional service to the public through online offerings. The annual celebration of Charter Day, Pennsylvania’s birthday, will take place online. Our sites and museums continue to build their portfolios of virtual programs and tours, from lectures to trivia nights to online exhibits. Follow PHMC or your favorite site’s...
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Mather Mill: A Model for Developing Resiliency for Historic Properties

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO), a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) that administers federal and state programs for protecting historic properties in the commonwealth, hosted a demonstration workshop on October 3, 2018, to explore resiliency options for Mather Mill, a National Register–listed gristmill constructed circa 1820 in...
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American Revolution Trails

If you are interested in the American Revolution, you may have visited related sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History, such as Washington Crossing Historic Park and Brandywine Battlefield Park. You may have attended a Revolution-themed program, such as the Whitemarsh Encampment at Hope Lodge or the Then & Now Military History Timeline at the Pennsylvania Military Museum. You may know...
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Volunteers of the Year

On Saturday, April 18 PHMC staff and volunteers gathered at The State Museum of Pennsylvania for the 40th annual Volunteer of the Year program. Twenty-two volunteers were honored for service in 2014, and two received Outstanding Service Awards, recognizing long-term dedication. Awards were presented by Fredrick Powell and William Lewis, Commissioners; David Dunn, Director of The State Museum;...
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Trails for the Holidays

As summer turns to fall and you start to wonder where the time went, rest assured that the Pennsylvania Trails of History still have much to offer before 2014 winds down. Take some time to explore your favorite site – or make a first visit – and see if the pace doesn’t slow just a bit. Between changing exhibits, special events and our regular offerings, it isn’t difficult to find...
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Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter

Topics in the Summer 2014 Newsletter: You’re Invited – Members Reception We’ll Miss You, Michael O’Malley Trails of History Sites and Museums Highlights for July – September 2014 Welcome New PHF Members Welcome New State Museum Affiliate Members PHF Board  ...
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Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter

Topics in the Winter 2014 Newsletter: Charter Day 2014 Trails of History Winter Hours and Contact Information Exhibits Collections Advancement Project New Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Members New State Museum Affiliate Members State Museum Planetarium  ...
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Preserving Pieces of Pennsylvania’s Past: An Inside Look at the Building of the Commonwealth’s Collections

Associations between butterflies and buttons, Conestoga wagons and cannon, sculpture and arrowheads, or fossils and founder William Penn’s original Charter may seem tenuous, even obscure and, perhaps, nonsensical. But a relationship does exist: they are among the one and a half million objects and thirty thousand cubic feet of manuscripts, records, maps and photographs in the custody and...
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Expanding A Vision: Seventy-Five Years of Public History

Three-quarters of a century ago, it proba­bly surprised no one that the first act of the Pennsylvania Historical Com­mission, not long after its creation in 1913, was to survey all monuments and memorials in the Commonwealth’s sixty­-seven counties. At that time it was universally assumed that public history involved com­memoration and the rituals associated with recognizing significant...
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Historic Sites of the Revolution

Pennsylvania is unusually rich in historic sites associated with the American Struggle for nationhood two centuries ago. The Bicentennial observance under­scores the importance of this treasury of the state’s historic heritage. The deep involvement of Pennsylvania people and land in the Revolutionary War is reflected by these historic sites maintained by government as well as organizations...
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