@PHMC

The PA Historical & Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 Harrisburg, Pa
phmc.pa.gov
Joined April 2008
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#RegisterNow for "Clash of the Collections: Pennsylvania Folklore and Legends." After the history is revealed, the live audience will cast their votes to decide who wins ultimate museum bragging rights and takes home the crown! ⬇️ bit.ly/4yZVcz2

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Clash of the Collections: Pennsylvania Folklore and...

Two museums. One theme. One winner! Welcome to Clash of the Collections, a lively virtual showdown where PHMC museums across the Commonwealth go head-to-head to present an artifact from their...

us02web.zoom.us
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This image has become one of the most shared photos preserved by the Pennsylvania State #Archives. On Oct.18, 1767, Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon wrapped up their survey of the boundary separating Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware. This photo shows one of the Mason-Dixon markers, along the line between Pennsylvania & Maryland. #OnThisDay - pastatearchives.com
On Oct.18, 1767, Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon wrapped up their survey of the boundary separating Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware. This photo shows one of the Mason-Dixon markers, along the line between Pennsylvania & Maryland. #OnThisDay See less

ALT On Oct.18, 1767, Charles Mason & Jeremiah Dixon wrapped up their survey of the boundary separating Pennsylvania from Maryland and Delaware. This photo shows one of the Mason-Dixon markers, along the line between Pennsylvania & Maryland. #OnThisDay See less

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If you would have guessed that PA is home to 28,000 recorded archaeological sites...well...you would have been correct! This reflects nearly 100 years of Pennsylvanian’s recording information on the archaeological evidence of past populations. ➡️ bit.ly/3VDT0i1
PA SPPM Regions (From Harper et al. 2025)

ALT PA SPPM Regions (From Harper et al. 2025)

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The State #Archives is having a bit of fun reviewing the Gov. Milton Shapp & Gov. Dick Thornburgh photo files in the Department of Transportation collection. In this photo, Gov. Shapp rides the horse, Mr. Rhythm, in the Capitol Building during Pennsylvania National Horse Show Week on Oct. 16, 1978. Check out other #Archvies collections. ➡️ pastatearchives.com
In this photo, Gov. Shapp rides the horse, Mr. Rhythm, in the Capitol Building during Pennsylvania National Horse Show Week on Oct. 16, 1978.

ALT In this photo, Gov. Shapp rides the horse, Mr. Rhythm, in the Capitol Building during Pennsylvania National Horse Show Week on Oct. 16, 1978.

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#NFL player, coach and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, a Pennsylvania native, was a star on his Aliquippa High School football 🏈 team. In 1955, playing as tight end and defensive end, he helped the Quips achieve their come-from-behind victory over Mt. Lebanon, clinching their second WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Association League Class AA) championship. After the game, the team cut down this section of a goal post, painted it, and kept it in their locker room to commemorate the win. Aliquippa’s longtime coach, Michael Zmijanac, later donated the piece to @StateMuseumPA. @ChicagoBears, @dallascowboys, #NFL, @ProFootballHOF
NFL player, coach and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, a Pennsylvania native, was a star on his Aliquippa High School football team. In 1955, playing as tight end and defensive end, he helped the Quips achieve their come-from-behind victory over Mt. Lebanon, clinching their second WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Association League Class AA) championship. After the game, the team cut down this section of a goal post, painted it, and kept it in their locker room to commemorate the win. Aliquippa’s longtime coach, Michael Zmijanac, later donated the piece to The State Museum.

ALT NFL player, coach and Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, a Pennsylvania native, was a star on his Aliquippa High School football team. In 1955, playing as tight end and defensive end, he helped the Quips achieve their come-from-behind victory over Mt. Lebanon, clinching their second WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Association League Class AA) championship. After the game, the team cut down this section of a goal post, painted it, and kept it in their locker room to commemorate the win. Aliquippa’s longtime coach, Michael Zmijanac, later donated the piece to The State Museum.

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#DidYouKnow? Pennsylvania is home to many places that celebrate the LGBTQ community’s rich history ➡️In Philadelphia, step into Giovanni’s Room, one of the oldest LGBTQ bookstores in the nation. ➡️Harrisburg's Pennsylvania State Capitol building displays a PHMC historic marker recognizing Gov. Milton Shapp as the 1st governor to prohibit discrimination toward LGBTQ state employees. Here are a few more places that hold an “unofficial” connection to the community. ➡️ bit.ly/4im5tiY #LGBTHistoryMonth
Duke Ellington (right), Alfredo Gustar (left), and Billy Strayhorn (center) inside the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ca. 1943–43.

ALT Duke Ellington (right), Alfredo Gustar (left), and Billy Strayhorn (center) inside the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ca. 1943–43.

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In response to the depletion of Pennsylvania’s forests, efforts were undertaken to integrate better forest management and conservation efforts. This includes reforestation efforts in the early 20th Century. An example of this is shown in this April 1910 image of State Forest Academy students planting trees at the Mont Alto State Forest in Franklin County. #AskAnArchivist, #ArchivesMonth
In response to the depletion of Pennsylvania’s forests, efforts were undertaken to integrate better forest management and conservation efforts. This includes reforestation efforts in the early 20th Century. An example of this is shown in this April 1910 image of State Forest Academy students planting trees at the Mont Alto State Forest in Franklin County.

ALT In response to the depletion of Pennsylvania’s forests, efforts were undertaken to integrate better forest management and conservation efforts. This includes reforestation efforts in the early 20th Century. An example of this is shown in this April 1910 image of State Forest Academy students planting trees at the Mont Alto State Forest in Franklin County.

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#AskAnArchivist ➡️ Deforestation became a major problem for Pennsylvania by the beginning of the 1900s. This collection includes many images depicting the results of heavy timbering in the commonwealth. Here is a 1918 image of a desolated forest near Slate Run. #ArchivesMonth
Here is a 1918 image of a desolated forest near Slate Run.

ALT Here is a 1918 image of a desolated forest near Slate Run.

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#AskAnArchivist ➡️The collection dates primarily from the late 19th Century to the mid-20th Century. Using this collection gives people a chance to see a pictorial history of forestry in Pennsylvania during this period. This includes many photographs related to the lumber industry in Pennsylvania, such as this undated image of bark peelers. #ArchivesMonth
The collection dates primarily from the late 19th Century to the mid-20th Century. Using this collection gives people a chance to see a pictorial history of forestry in Pennsylvania during this period. This includes many photographs related to the lumber industry in Pennsylvania, such as this undated image of bark peelers.

ALT The collection dates primarily from the late 19th Century to the mid-20th Century. Using this collection gives people a chance to see a pictorial history of forestry in Pennsylvania during this period. This includes many photographs related to the lumber industry in Pennsylvania, such as this undated image of bark peelers.

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This is Wes Decker from the PA State #Archives! For #AskAnArchivist, I want to showcase images from one of our more robust and popular image collections. This collection, titled RG-006-20, Photographs, Negatives, Films, and Slides, features roughly 8,000 photographic prints and over 2,700 matching negatives created by the staff of the Department of Forests and Waters for the purpose of education and publicity. The photographic prints are typically mounted on cards with a negative number and information pertaining to the image. The image below is of an Arbor Day tree planting near Slippery Rock from April 1925. #ArchivesMonth
The image below is of an Arbor Day tree planting near Slippery Rock from April 1925.

ALT The image below is of an Arbor Day tree planting near Slippery Rock from April 1925.

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#AskAnArchivst ➡️ Additionally, this photo collection has images related to #conservation work performed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in PA. We have had requests from patrons for CCC images in this collection. This image, dated Aug. 17, 1933, is of a boxing bout held at Camp 141 in Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County. #ArchivesMonth
This image, dated Aug. 17, 1933, is of a boxing bout held at Camp 141 in Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County.

ALT This image, dated Aug. 17, 1933, is of a boxing bout held at Camp 141 in Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County.

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Hi all! #AskAnArchivist continues with Wes Decker from the Pennsylvania State #Archives. Send your questions about our collections, how we handle documents and just about anything else. #ArchivesMonth
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#AskAnArchivist ➡️Check out these black & white film negatives made by the Pennsylvania Sanitary Water Board demonstrating unsanitary conditions of rivers and streams around PA in 1951. Most of the images were made during filming of "Waters of the Commonwealth," a motion picture film produced in 1951 for the Commonwealth by Jam Handy Productions. Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project! #ArchivesMonth
Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

ALT Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

ALT Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

ALT Image subjects include waste discharge at the New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company at Johnsonburg and the General Electric Plant at Erie, sewage outlets into the Allegheny River at Pittsburgh, the Jones and Laughlin Steel Mill at Pittsburgh, coal dredging on the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg, the Schuylkill River reclamation project, the Carnegie Steel works at Dravosburg, and water treatment sites in Pennsylvania. Stills also include the camera crew on location around the state. The PA Department of Environmental Protection's Bureau of Clean Water recently requested some of these images from the PA State Archives for a story map project!

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This film clip from the State #Archives of the Delaware River Bridge in Philadelphia (now the Ben Franklin Bridge) found its way into the feature film, The Brutalist. The Brutalist is an period drama directed and produced by Brady Corbet and stars Adrien Brody as a Jewish-Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor who emigrates to the United States. The feature film shows Brody on a bus en route to #Philadelphia, and then cuts to the archival clip of traffic crossing the Delaware River Bridge. The feature film shows a 4K version of the archival clip and also features another PA Departmet of Commerce archival film, "Pennsylvania...Land of Decision." #AskAnArchivist, #ArchivesMonth
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Hi all! Today is #AskAnArchivist & we are live with Marie Valigorsky from the Pennsylvania State #Archives. We are ready to answer your questions about our collections, how we handle documents and just about anything else. #ArchivesMonth
Marie Valigorsky

ALT Marie Valigorsky

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October is #ArchaeologyMonth & you're invited to PA SHPO's free virtual Learn at Lunchtime lecture! Join Debbie Miller at 12:15 p.m. Friday (10/16) as she present's "In the Shadow of Independence: The Archaeology of Old Philadelphia." ➡️ bit.ly/4hZSmTu
Join Debbie Miller at 12:15 p.m. Friday (10/16) as she present's "In the Shadow of Independence: The Archaeology of Old Philadelphia."

ALT Join Debbie Miller at 12:15 p.m. Friday (10/16) as she present's "In the Shadow of Independence: The Archaeology of Old Philadelphia."

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