Germantown Jewish Centre

Posted by on Dec 15, 2022 in | Comments Off on Germantown Jewish Centre Rising dramatically above curving Lincoln Drive in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia is the Germantown Jewish Centre. Part synagogue, part school, the stone building is entirely striking. The synagogue section facing Lincoln Drive suggests a mountainside breaking open to reveal a limestone tablet bearing the Ten Commandments. The opposite end features a smooth black granite wall within...
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Allegheny Observatory

Posted by on Sep 12, 2022 in | Comments Off on Allegheny Observatory The mysteries of space and time itself have been explored at the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh, ever since it was built to satisfy the celestial curiosity of the Allegheny Telescope Association, a group of amateur astronomy enthusiasts. In 1859 the group selected a site on the hills of North Side (at that time part of Allegheny City), an area free of city lights, providing a perfect spot...
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From the Executive Director

Posted by on Sep 12, 2022 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director When I talk with others about the new Pennsylvania State Archives building that is being constructed in Harrisburg, the most frequent follow-up question I get is, “So what is happening with the old archives building?” I must admit that for many the 1964 building is a love it or hate it resource. The sleek State Archives tower, with its companion drum-shaped State Museum of Pennsylvania, is a...
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Centre Avenue YMCA

Posted by on May 13, 2022 in | Comments Off on Centre Avenue YMCA Pittsburgh’s African American Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) originated in 1893 as a men’s Bible class at Old Bethel AME Church, which then formed a social and recreational club for young men and boys. This group was not officially recognized as a YMCA affiliate group until 1906, at which point they rented meeting space at 1847 Centre Avenue in the Hill District and became the third...
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Downtown Lancaster

Posted by on Mar 17, 2022 in | Comments Off on Downtown Lancaster As this circa 1922 postcard of North Queen Street suggests, by the turn of the 20th century, downtown Lancaster had become a busy commercial hub and mecca for shoppers. While Penn Square at the intersection of King and Queen streets marks the historic heart of the city, North Queen Street was lined with amenities for shoppers and visitors alike. Hotels, theaters, department stores, banks,...
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Archaeology at Joanna Furnace

Posted by on Mar 14, 2022 in | Comments Off on Archaeology at Joanna Furnace When did you first know what you wanted to do when you grew up? My plans varied in childhood, but by my early teens I knew that I loved past cultures and old items. By high school, I was considering Egyptology or Romanology and longed to visit ancient cities with thousands of years of history that I was reading about in Archaeology magazine, books and my Latin class. A visit to one of the fall...
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Chimney Rocks

Posted by on Mar 10, 2022 in | Comments Off on Chimney Rocks Among the more unusual listings for Pennsylvania in the National Register of Historic Places is a natural rock formation. Chimney Rocks is a prominent outcrop of fingerlike spires of limestone along the southwest face of Chimney Ridge overlooking PA Route 36 and the borough of Hollidaysburg in Blair County. The ridge is made up of two different formations of limestone, and a small vertical fault...
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Cambria City

Posted by on Nov 29, 2021 in | Comments Off on Cambria City Nestled between a bend in the Conemaugh River and a steep bluff, Cambria City is a distinctive, dense neighborhood that tells the story of hundreds of immigrants who came to work in Pennsylvania’s steel mills and coal mines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Following the founding of the Cambria Iron Works in 1852, investors purchased land across the river from the mill, subdivided it,...
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Lincoln University

Posted by on Nov 29, 2021 in | Comments Off on Lincoln University Pennsylvania has the distinction of hosting the nation’s first two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Cheyney and Lincoln universities. Both schools were established to provide people of African descent with higher education opportunities that were profoundly lacking in the 19th century. Cheyney, founded in 1837, initially provided training in trades and agriculture and the...
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Parkside Chapel

Posted by on Aug 13, 2021 in | Comments Off on Parkside Chapel Located near Henryville, in Paradise Township, Monroe County, Parkside Chapel stands as an architectural reminder of the growth of the Pocono Mountains region as a popular destination for affluent outdoorsmen and vacationers in the late 19th century. Following the American Civil War, logging was the leading industry in the region; however, as the forests were quickly being depleted, it became...
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