The state's historic sites and photos of Vietnam War veterans

Friday, 10 February 2012 18:12

Pennsylvania history; call for photos of Vietnam War veterans

Written by Megan Lello, witf Reporter and Producer

Radio Smart Talk for Monday, February 13:

Pennsylvania is the second-oldest state in the nation, and with that distinction comes some rich history. The commonwealth was once home to a United States President, an epic Civil War battle, and several Nobel Prize winners. From military parks to historic houses, the state offers many sites that are on history buffs’ "must-see" lists. But without proper preservation, these sites may not even be around for the public to enjoy.

That’s why there’s the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, which is charged with overseeing and preserving the state’s history and culture. As of late last year, the agency has a new executive director, James Vaughan. Vaughan, who previously served as vice president for Stewardship of Historic Sites for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, DC was lured out of retirement to take the job with the PHMC. We’ll talk with Vaughan about the future of the agency, some of the state’s ongoing preservation projects, and what Governor Corbett’s proposed 2012-2013 budget could mean for the preservation of historic sites.

We’ll also hear from Jan Scruggs, president and founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The organization is currently looking for photos of those who served in the Vietnam War to add to the war’s memorial in Washington, DC.

Listen to the program:

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# Greg 2012-02-13 10:43

PA has a very extensive historic canal system, with only a few sites having been restored. My own field research in southcentral PA has discovered many canal features, primarily locks on private property, but some on state lands, that are in various states of decay. For example, at least 16 locks on the old Union canal still exist west of Lebanon, and several locks exist in Swatara State Park on the old Pine Grove canal, all without any stabilization work being done. It would be a great asset for the state if more of these sites could be preserved. For those sites on private property, could this be done as conservation easements?

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# Mary Jane 2012-02-13 10:49

My daughter, Sharon, is an Archivist who works with the Retired Pennsylvania Railroad volunteers who come in to Harrisburg about once a month on Saturdays to work with, catalog, revise, and whatever-needs-to-be-done with the voluminous PRR records in the Archives. These are dedicated volunteers who are a pleasure to work with, according to my daughter. Thank you for this program highlighting the Museum and Archives of PA.

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