Corry State Fish Hatchery

Posted by on Feb 3, 2020 in | Comments Off on Corry State Fish Hatchery Constructed in 1876, the Corry State Fish Hatchery in Corry, Erie County, is the pioneer trout hatchery of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and one of the oldest in the nation. As the state’s prototype and its longest continually operating site, it represents the commonwealth’s earliest formal commitment to wildlife conservation and sport fishing. Hundreds of millions of fish raised...
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The Hunt for Pennsylvania’s Timber Rattlesnakes

Posted by on Jan 14, 2020 in | Comments Off on The Hunt for Pennsylvania’s Timber Rattlesnakes In the early 19th century, pioneer adventurer Philip Tome recalled that it was common to see 30 or 40 timber rattlesnakes at a time near his home along the Susquehanna River. “The snakes were so numerous that we used to clear the yard and build fires to keep them away,” he recalled in his 1854 memoir, Pioneer Life; or, Thirty Years a Hunter. “On leaving the house we always put on a pair of...
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To Protect, Conserve and Enhance by Kenneth C. Wolensky

Posted by on Sep 9, 2016 in | Comments Off on To Protect, Conserve and Enhance by Kenneth C. Wolensky To Protect, Conserve, and Enhance: The History of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission by Kenneth C. Wolensky Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, 400 pp., paper $19.95 As part of the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1866, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission (PFBC) has published its own comprehensive history. Author Wolensky, through interviews, exhaustive review of PFBC...
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From the Executive Director

Posted by on Apr 19, 2016 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director For many of us, spring is the traditional season to think about nature and the great outdoors, but here at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), we think about it all year long. It’s hard to separate Pennsylvania’s history from its natural history; in fact, PHMC is officially charged with “the conservation of Pennsylvania’s historic and natural...
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Holtwood Dam

Posted by on Apr 19, 2016 in | Comments Off on Holtwood Dam   In October 1905 McCall’s Ferry Power Co. began construction in Martic Township, Lancaster County, on what would be the second of four hydroelectric dams built to harness the power of the Susquehanna River below Harrisburg, Dauphin County. Twenty miles from the tidewater of the Chesapeake Bay, it was then the third longest dam in the world, built of solid concrete, 55 feet high. The...
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From the Executive Director

Posted by on May 11, 2015 in | Comments Off on From the Executive Director Throughout 2015 the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of The State Museum and Archives Complex in Harrisburg, Dauphin County. As you might expect, we will do some looking back with a full schedule of programs and events, changing exhibits, and special articles in Pennsylvania Heritage to mark this important milestone. But an anniversary...
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Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter

Posted by on May 8, 2015 in | Comments Off on Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation Newsletter Topics in the Spring 2014 Newsletter: PHMC Launches Natural History Initiative Trails of History Sites and Museums Highlights for April – June 2014 Welcome New PHF Members Welcome New State Museum Affiliate Members PHF Board  ...
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An Impressive Legacy: A Half-Century of Historic Preservation in Pennsylvania, 1955-2005

Posted by on Nov 25, 2013 in | Comments Off on An Impressive Legacy: A Half-Century of Historic Preservation in Pennsylvania, 1955-2005 A quarter-century ago, James Biddle (1929-2005), president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, from 1968 to 1980, was named chairman of Pennsylvania’s first State Historic Preservation Board. Jimmy, as the scion of one of the Commonwealth’s most notable families was known – especially to fellow preservationists, many of them working at the grassroots level –...
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A River Runs Through Penn’s Woods: Tracing the Mighty Schuylkill

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on A River Runs Through Penn’s Woods: Tracing the Mighty Schuylkill Congress designates a National Heritage Area as “where a diversity of resources exist that combine to form a cohesive distinctive landscape.” The Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area was so named in 2000. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced the entire Schuylkill River watershed of two thousand square miles comprising the counties of Schuylkill, Berks, Chester,...
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Harnessing the Power of the Wind: A Contemporary Use for a Historic Energy Source

Posted by on Nov 20, 2013 in | Comments Off on Harnessing the Power of the Wind: A Contemporary Use for a Historic Energy Source Much like the oil farms of the last century were for drillers and riggers, Pennsylvania’s wind farms are proving grounds for engineers and technicians as they harness wind power. The long-standing use of wind power that for centuries propelled sailing vessels has been transformed throughout the world to produce electricity. Farmers used wind power in the late nineteenth and early twentieth...
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