Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Encyclopedia
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historic interest; museums; archeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and the promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history.
PHMC was established June 6, 1945, by state Act No. 446, merging the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, Pennsylvania State Museum
and Pennsylvania State Archives.
The Commission is an independent administrative board, consisting of nine citizens of the Commonwealth appointed by the Governor; the Secretary of Education ex officio; two members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore and Minority Leader; and two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader. As of April 2008, the chairman is Wayne Spilove and the executive director is Barbara Franco.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares for historical manuscripts, public records, and objects of historic interest; museums; archeology; publications; historic sites and properties; historic preservation; geographic names; and the promotion of public interest in Pennsylvania history.
PHMC was established June 6, 1945, by state Act No. 446, merging the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, Pennsylvania State Museum
State Museum of Pennsylvania
The State Museum of Pennsylvania is a non-profit museum at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg, run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve and interpret the region's history and culture. It is a part of the Pennsylvania State...
and Pennsylvania State Archives.
The Commission is an independent administrative board, consisting of nine citizens of the Commonwealth appointed by the Governor; the Secretary of Education ex officio; two members of the Senate appointed by the President Pro Tempore and Minority Leader; and two members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker and Minority Leader. As of April 2008, the chairman is Wayne Spilove and the executive director is Barbara Franco.
Historical Marker Program
The PHMC administers the Historical Marker Program, which installs bronze plaques to commemorate individuals, events, and landmarks throughout the state. The program was launched in 1914 by the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, the predecessor to the PHMC. The signs were redesigned in 1945–46 to make them easier to read from a passing car. The PHMC has posted criteria for inclusion for new markers and accepts marker proposals from the public.Pennsylvania Heritage
PHMC also publishes Pennsylvania Heritage magazine in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Heritage Society.List of PHMC administered sites in Pennsylvania
- Brandywine BattlefieldBrandywine BattlefieldBrandywine Battlefield Historic Site is a historical park that was operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on , near Chadds Ford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is part of the site of the Battle of Brandywine fought on September 11, 1777, during the...
- Bushy Run BattlefieldBushy Run BattlefieldBushy Run Battlefield Park is a historical park that was operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on , in Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the site of the Battle of Bushy Run fought on August 5 - 6, 1763 during the Pontiac's Rebellion...
- Conrad Weiser HomesteadConrad Weiser HomesteadConrad Weiser Homestead is the historic home of Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the British side in the French and Indian War. The home, a designated National Historic Landmark, is administered as a historic house museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission near...
- Cornwall Iron FurnaceCornwall Iron FurnaceCornwall Iron Furnace is a designated National Historic Landmark that is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in Cornwall, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The furnace was a leading Pennsylvania iron producer from 1742 until it was shut down in 1883...
- Daniel Boone HomesteadDaniel Boone HomesteadThe Daniel Boone Homestead, the birthplace of American frontiersman Daniel Boone, is a museum that is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission near Birdsboro, Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is located on nearly and is the largest site administered by...
- Drake Well MuseumDrake Well MuseumThe Drake Well Museum is a museum that interprets the birth of the American oil industry in 1859 by "Colonel" Edwin Drake along the banks of Oil Creek in Cherrytree Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The museum collects and preserves related artifacts...
- Eckley Miners' VillageEckley Miners' VillageEckley Miners' Village in eastern Pennsylvania is an anthracite coal mining patch town located near Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Since 1970, Eckley has been owned and operated as a museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.-Early years:Before the...
- Ephrata CloisterEphrata CloisterThe Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
- Erie Maritime MuseumErie Maritime MuseumErie Maritime Museum is a maritime museum located on Presque Isle Bay in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first new PHMC museum in twenty years when it opened its doors on May 21, 1998...
and U.S. Brig Niagara - Fort Pitt MuseumFort Pitt MuseumFort Pitt Museum is an indoor/outdoor museum that is administiered by the Senator John Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers, where the Ohio River is formed...
- Graeme ParkGraeme ParkGraeme Park is an historic site in Horsham, Montgomery County. It is owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and operated by the non-profit group, The Friends of Graeme Park. It is the only surviving residence of a colonial-era Pennsylvania governor...
- Hope LodgeHope LodgeHope Lodge is a historic building located at 553 South Bethlehem Pike in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States.-History:Originally named "Whitemarsh Estate," Hope Lodge is a Georgian country mansion built between 1743 and 1748 by Quaker businessman Samuel Morris and designed by...
and Mather Mill - Landis Valley MuseumLandis Valley MuseumLandis Valley Museum is a nationally significant living history museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA. It collects, conserves, exhibits, and interprets Pennsylvania German material, culture, history and heritage from 1740 through 1940. The museum was founded by the Landis brothers--Henry K...
- Old Economy VillageOld Economy VillageOld Economy Village is a historic settlement in Ambridge, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. Administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, it lies on the banks of the Ohio River and is surrounded by downtown Ambridge...
- Pennsbury ManorPennsbury ManorPennsbury Manor, an estate in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was the American home of William Penn, founder and first Governor of Pennsylvania. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 28, 1969.-History:...
- Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage MuseumPennsylvania Anthracite Heritage MuseumThe Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum preserves the heritage of anthracite coal mining in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania and is located in McDade Park in Scranton. The museum is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It features exhibits detailing the industrial history of...
- Pennsylvania Lumber MuseumPennsylvania Lumber MuseumThe Pennsylvania Lumber Museum is near Galeton, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It documents the history and technology of the lumber industry that was a vital part of the economic development and ecological destruction of Pennsylvania. It is on U.S...
- Pennsylvania Military MuseumPennsylvania Military MuseumThe Pennsylvania Military Museum is a museum dedicated to the military history of the Pennsylvania, USA. It is operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and opened in 1968. The museum is located in the village of Boalsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the central part of the...
- Pennsylvania State ArchivesPennsylvania State ArchivesThe Pennsylvania State Archives is the official archive for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, administered as part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It is located in the state capitol of Harrisburg and is a part of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.It was founded in 1903,...
- Joseph Priestley HouseJoseph Priestley HouseThe Joseph Priestley House was the American home of 18th-century British theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher , educator, and political theorist Joseph Priestley from 1798 until his death. Located in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, the house, which was designed by Priestley's wife...
- Railroad Museum of PennsylvaniaRailroad Museum of PennsylvaniaThe Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741...
- Scranton Iron FurnacesScranton Iron FurnacesThe Scranton Iron Furnaces is a historic site that preserves the heritage of iron making in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania and is located in Scranton, near the Steamtown National Historic Site. It protects the remains of four stone blast furnaces which were built between 1848 and 1857. Iron...
- Somerset Historical CenterSomerset Historical CenterThe Somerset Historical Center is a rural history museum for the southwestern part of the U.S. State of Pennsylvania and is 4 miles north of Somerset. The museum is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.-References:*...
- The State Museum of PennsylvaniaState Museum of PennsylvaniaThe State Museum of Pennsylvania is a non-profit museum at 300 North Street in downtown Harrisburg, run by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to preserve and interpret the region's history and culture. It is a part of the Pennsylvania State...
- Washington Crossing Historic ParkWashington Crossing Historic ParkWashington Crossing Historic Park is a 500-acre site operated by The Friends Of Washington Crossing Historic Park. The park is headquartered in the village of Washington Crossing located in Upper Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania...
See also
- History of PennsylvaniaHistory of PennsylvaniaThe history of Pennsylvania is as varied as any in the American experience and reflects the salad bowl vision of the United States. Before Pennsylvania was settled by Europeans, the area was home to the Delaware , Susquehannock, Iroquois, Eries, Shawnee and other Native American tribes...
- List of Pennsylvania state historical markers
- Western Pennsylvania ConservancyWestern Pennsylvania ConservancyThe Western Pennsylvania Conservancy , headquartered in Pittsburgh, has been around for more than 75 years and exists to protect the water, land and life of western Pennsylvania. Half of all the land that has been protected by land trusts in Pennsylvania has been conserved by the Western...
- List of Pennsylvania state agencies