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Approved Markers

The following is a list of the approved state historical markers with the name of the marker, location and a brief description.

 

  
  
  
Description
collapse Year Approved : 2021 ‎(23)
George Alexander Spratt (1870- 1934)West Brandywine TownshipChester
Early aviation design pioneer whose research was instrumental in the Wright brothers’ first flight. He performed countless experiments to understand the forces that would keep aircraft aloft. His innovative use of a wind tunnel led to greater understanding of the effect of lift, drag, and the center of pressure on a curved wing.
Anna Morris Holstein (1824 - 1900)Upper Merion TownshipMontgomery
Holstein was the lead organizer in acquiring and restoring Washington's Headquarters and its surrounding acreage and in the establishment of Valley Forge as a State Park (eventually a National Historical Park).
Andy Warhol (1928-1987)PittsburghAllegheny
20th-century Pop artist from Pittsburgh. His iconic style is recognized worldwide. This unique style combined commercial images with fine art and has inspired numerous modern artists.
Mary Ella Roberts Rinehart (1876- 1958)PittsburghAllegheny
American mystery writer often compared to Agatha Christie although she predated her. She was a best-selling author of more than 30 novels, short stories, essays and plays. Many of her works were adapted for stage or screen. She also served as a war correspondent during World War I.
Pittsburgh ChinatownPittsburghAllegheny
Established as early as the 1870s, Chinatown was the cultural and economic center of the Chinese community in western Pennsylvania that served Chinese populations in New York, Ohio and West Virginia. The growth of the community was suppressed by political and labor efforts leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The community was destroyed by the construction of the Boulevard of the Allies in the 1920s and its residents and businesses were displaced. Remnants remained until 1959.
Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842-1932)Philadelphia Philadelphia
Quaker abolitionist and women's rights advocate. She was an eloquent and highly paid public speaker, making her one of the most recognized American women of her time. She began public speaking at age 13 and was the first woman to address Congress in 1864.
Dr. Oscar James Cooper (1888- 1972)PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia
One of the founders of Omega Psi Phi (OPP) at Howard University, the nation's first fraternity established at a historically Black college or university. Following graduation, Cooper became a physician and settled in Philadelphia where he spent his entire career. He continued his role as a founder of many influential organizations including the Philadelphia Chapter of OPP, was a charter member of the Pyramid Club, and supported many Black charities.
Wyck House and Rose GardenPhiladelphia Philadelphia
A National Historic Landmark, Wyck served as the ancestral home of one of Philadelphia’s leading families from 1690 to 1972 before being taken over by the Wyck Association and opened to the public in 1974. Originally constructed in 1690, the house was renovated by renowned architect William Strickland in 1824 and has undergone few changes since that period. Wyck is significant for its gardens, especially the rose garden that retains heirloom plants in their original plan. Many of the varieties exist only at Wyck or have been the source of plant material to other historic properties, such as Monticello.
Siberian Iron WorksLeechburgArmstrong 
Constructed in 1872, it was one of the earliest foundries in the US to produce black plate and tin plate on an industrial scale. It was founded in response to tariffs imposed on foreign tin plate, primarily obtained from England, in order to meet the demand for the product at a more reasonable price. By 1895 domestic tinplate outpaced foreign 5 to 1 providing many new jobs and a wave of British immigration.
Lancaster Caramel CompanyLancasterLancaster
Milton Hershey's first successful company (1886) that dominated the United States confectionery market. Hershey started a chocolate company as a subsidiary of the caramel company. In 1900, believing caramel was a vanishing fad and greater fortune was in the chocolate market, he sold the caramel company to the American Caramel Co. for $1 million. He retained the chocolate business that grew into the most successful chocolate company in America.
Rolling Mill Mine DisasterJohnstownCambria
Explosion at the bituminous coal mine owned by the Cambria Iron Co. in 1902. It is cited as one of several in the first decade of the 1900s – the deadliest in the history of US mining – that contributed to the establishment of the Pennsylvania Department of Mines. The 112 miners who died were nearly all immigrants from eastern Europe.
Gen. Lyman Louis Lemnitzer (1899-1988)HonesdaleWayne
Lemnitzer had a long and storied military career that culminated in his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and supreme Allied commander of NATO in the 1960s during the height of Cold War alliances. Following two tours in the Philippines and roles as military instructor, Lemnitzer was instrumental in the North African theater during World War II. When the US entered the Korean War, Lemnitzer, at 51, underwent jump training in order to command an airborne division.
Winter WonderlandHonesdaleWayne
Classic Christmas song written by lyricist and Pennsylvania native Richard Smith. Smith wrote the words while convalescing in a tuberculosis sanatorium outside Scranton and was inspired by the winter scenes he observed out his window. Tragically, Smith succumbed to the deadly disease at the age of 34.
Richard Schlegel (1927- 2006)HarrisburgDauphin
Early gay activist who brought the second case in the nation before the US Supreme Court that dealt with employment termination due to sexual orientation. He also formed the first gay rights organization chapter (Janus) in central Pennsylvania.
Shapp Administration LGBT InitiativesHarrisburgDauphin
During Gov. Milton Shapp’s administration several significant strides were made for gay civil rights. In 1975 an executive order prohibited job discrimination for state employees based on sexual orientation, making Pennsylvania the first state in the nation to provide such protections. In 1978 its scope was interpreted to include transgender people, another national first. The Pennsylvania Council for Sexual Minorities (1976) became the first government body devoted to LGBT Affairs.
Charlotte Elizabeth Battles (1864- 1952)GirardErie 
Battles defied late-19th- and early-20th-century gender roles by becoming a college graduate and a female bank president. Her most significant role as bank president was her refusal to close the Battles Bank during the Great Depression despite President Roosevelt's Bank Holiday order for the closure of all banks in 1933. It was described as the only bank in the state and one of few in the nation to remain open and solvent.
Ephrata Female ComposersEphrataLancaster 
Three members of the Ephrata Cloister religious community were among the earliest documented woman composers in America. Recent research determined that the women not only wrote hymn texts but also composed the music. Ephrata's society allowed for more gender equality than American society at large. Ephrata Cloister is a PHMC historic site and PHMC supports the installation of the marker.
Earl "Fatha" Hines (1903- 1983)DuquesneAllegheny 
Revolutionary jazz pianist who got his start in Pittsburgh. While there he became the first African American on a radio broadcast. He influenced many other jazz greats, and his band launched the careers of Billy Eckstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Nat King Cole and others. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980.
Stan Musial (1920-2013)DonoraWashington
Considered one of the best baseball players of all time, Musial began playing on the local Donora Zincs baseball team while in high school against adult men. Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1941 and remaining through 1963, he became one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. He is a member of both the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
McFate Archaeological SiteCochrantonCrawford
In a 1938 Works Progress Administration project, archaeologists unearthed a series of overlapping palisaded settlements dating to the Late Woodland Period (1200-1500 AD). The distinctive pottery designs made with wrapped cords found here have been termed "McFate Incised."
Out of This FurnaceBraddockAllegheny
Novel by Braddock native Thomas Bell describing three generations of a family’s experience working in the steel industry. It is widely used at colleges and universities worldwide as a text relating to labor, immigration and ethnic studies.
Chinese Workers in Beaver FallsBeaver FallsBeaver
The first substantial workforce of Chinese immigrants in Pennsylvania came to Beaver Falls in 1872. The workers were recruited to the Beaver Falls Cutlery Factory to replace white laborers on strike. They remained for several years learning specialized skills and assuring profitability for the company because of their reduced wages. Across the nation, other American labor unions and politicians felt these Chinese workers were a threat and advocated for the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, which remained in effect until 1943.
Mead Island Tradition Conewango TownshipWarren
First discovered in 1964, it is considered an archaeological "Type Site" because of the unique characteristics not previously found in other excavations of the region. Mead Island was the dominant Native American culture within the middle Allegheny River between 960 and 1360 AD.
collapse Year Approved : 2020 ‎(24)
Nile Swim ClubYeadonDelaware
Nile was one of the earliest African American owned and operated swim clubs in the U.S. The story of its establishment is an important example of a marginalized group successfully working for equality. In the mid-20th century, Yeadon was a segregated community, but in 1957, three black men applied for membership in the newly opened Yeadon Swim Club. When they were denied, the black community worked together to raise the money to buy land and build a swimming club of their own.
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