CONNECTING every COMMUNITY 2018-2019 Annual Report ® PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL & MUSEUM COMMISSION The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was created in 1945 when three previously separate organizations merged: the Pennsylvania State Archives, established in 1903; the State Museum of Pennsylvania, created in 1905; and the Pennsylvania Historical Commission (PHC), initiated by legislation in 1913. The responsibilities of PHMC, which are based in the Pennsylvania Constitution, are further defined in the History Code and the Administrative Code. The primary duties include the following: • the conservation of Pennsylvania’s historic and natural heritage • the preservation of public records, historic documents, and objects of historic interest • the identification, restoration and preservation of architecturally and historically significant sites and structures. Our Mission Our Vision The Pennsylvania Historical & The Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission works & Museum Commission in partnership with others to enriches people’s lives by preserve the commonwealth’s helping them to understand natural and cultural heritage as a Pennsylvania’s past, to steward, teacher and advocate for appreciate the present, and the people of Pennsylvania and to embrace the future. the nation. Commissioners Nancy Moses, Chair Pedro A. Rivera, Secretary of Education Ophelia Chambliss Robert Savakinus Andrew E. Dinniman, Senator Joseph B. Scarnati III, Senator William V. Lewis Jr. David Schuyler Andrew E. Masich Kenneth Turner Robert F. Matzie, Representative Parke Wentling, Representative Frederick C. Powell Philip Zimmerman Andrea Lowery, Executive Director From the Chair The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Com- mission is the epicenter of a gigantic network connecting people and history. The network includes hundreds of historic sites and mu- seums, thousands of municipal governments, neighborhood organizations, honorary societ- ies, trade associations, preservation activists, and religious and ethnic communities across all of Pennsylvania. These are our partners, or stakeholders, and our advocates. As public ser- vants, our staff and volunteers are dedicated to serving them. We at the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission believe the best connections work both ways. We not only educate, we learn. When someone shares a family recipe, a memory or an heirloom, Pennsylvania’s story becomes richer and more authentic. When these memories and artifacts are captured and preserved, all Pennsylvanians benefit. Our partners, as well as the thousands of you who use the Pennsylvania State Archives for genealogical research, visit our sites and mu- seums, take part in archaeological excavations, and attend PHMC programs on topics ranging from historic tax credits to Pennsylvania’s flora and fauna, inspire us. You remind us how im- portant it is to embrace Pennsylvania’s exuber- ant diversity in everything we do. Nancy Moses Chair From the Executive Director The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is dedicated to preserving and promoting Pennsylvania history, making it accessible and relevant to all Pennsylvanians. We are public servants, and it is the responsibility of each of us here to continually find ways to serve you better. Over the last year, we have recommitted ourselves to ensuring that the voices of all Pennsylvanians are heard within the history we keep, adopting the agency’s first official diversity, equity, inclusion and access policy. This has resulted in more varied programs and campaigns that serve a diverse population. We are working to develop programs that cater to populations who may have experienced barriers to participating in the past. We have introduced American Sign Language interpreters at some of our programs. We have established reduced fees for low-income families. We are mining our collections, ensuring they are properly cataloged so that all Pennsylvanians can find their history. We are featuring stories that have been overlooked in the past. We are also focused on making history accessible to Pennsylvanians, wherever they are. We are always adding to our digital collections. At the moment, we have digitized 17.5 million records in the Pennsylvania State Archives and made them available online, serving 5.5 million Pennsylvanians virtually in the last year. In addition, we are currently developing a searchable database for all our museum collections and aim to make that publicly available in 2020. The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (PA SHPO) is digitizing their files, including National Register nominations, survey information and site reports, with the intent of making that information available online as well. We have converted all our grant applications from paper to electronic format, streamlining the process for grantees and reducing turnaround times. PA SHPO’s electronic platform, PA-SHARE, will be structured to allow for electronic submittals for National Register nominations, environmental review, and marker nominations. Of course, much of our work has been in the physical world with exhibit openings like Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum’s Thrown, Fired, and Glazed: The Redware Tradition from Pennsylvania and Beyond and the Governors’ Panel that was convened at Pennsbury Manor, bringing together Pennsylvania governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett and Tom Wolf to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with govern- ing our complex and diverse state, with all proceeds going towards the creation of a schol- arship fund for students at Title I schools. We have big plans for the coming year and look forward to having you join us as we break ground for a new Pennsylvania State Archives building, begin some long-anticipated construction projects at our historic sites, and open new exhibits at The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Andrea Lowery Executive Director The Pennsylvania State Archives protects more than 250 million significant historic, legal and financial docu- ments for use by state agencies and the public. These docu- ments range from William Penn’s Charter of 1681 to the digital media of recent governors and vital records such as historic birth and death certificates. The archives makes these docu- ments available to the public—researchers, genealogists, scholars—both in person and online. The State Archives also operates the State Records Center, a cost-effective storage facility for the records of state agencies, and it trains state and local governments to safeguard and manage records. In the past year, the archives served more than 5.5 million visitors in person and online. Lost 18th-Century General Assembly Minutes Returned to Archives The Pennsylvania State Archives is the repository for Pennsylvania government records that date back as early as the commonwealth’s founding in 1681. Before the ar- chives was created, some documents were lost through physical damage, misappropriation, or inadequate safeguarding. In July 2018 the archives was notified by Belden Noble Memorial Library in Essex, New York, that a volume of the minutes of Pennsylvania’s unicameral Revolutionary War–era General Assembly had been placed at the library with other historic books for review. The book had been discovered by Edie Morris in an Essex-area fami- ly homestead she inherited. With entries dated from March 16 through September 27, 1779, and pages numbered 1 through 183, this volume immediately preceded the oldest assembly minute book held by the archives that begins on page 184, dated Sep- tember 28, 1779. Learning about its authenticity, Morris pre- sented the book to the archives on August 3. The archives now preserves the volume in its high-security vault with other early minute books of Pennsylvania’s legislature and makes the volume available for review by patrons upon advance request. Archives Works with Statewide Emergency Network to Restore Damaged Historic Documents In recent years, the Pennsylvania State Archives has participated in the Pennsylvania Cultural Resilience Network, an initiative to improve disaster prepared- ness through an emergency response network at historical and cultural repositories across the com- monwealth. In this capacity, the archives serves as a resource in emergencies and disasters that affect archival materials, especially those of government agencies. A prime example of the response net- work in action occurred this year when a Lancaster County municipality discovered water-damaged historic records in a building’s basement. The borough notified a regional network contact at LancasterHistory, who supplied hands-on assis- tance, secured freezer space for the materials, and alerted the State Archives. Archives staff provided additional guidance on freezing, mold remedia- tion, long-term recovery, and resources available through other state agencies. Working with this network, the archives fulfills a mission to assist communities and cultural heritage institutions with hands-on training and connections to professional contacts to preserve valuable historic resources. Archives Assists Diverse Communities in PA The Pennsylvania State Archives provides many state, county and municipal governments, as well as non- profit historical institutions, with guidance, training and assistance in preserving their historic records. Through presentations, meetings and consultations, the archives has endeavored to expand this effort to include a variety of