Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) created the Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project in 2010 to develop and share information about Pennsylvania’s agricultural history and the places that reflect that history.

Developed to support the evaluation of farming resources for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, the project provides the data and guidance needed for state and federal agencies, local governments, scholars, teachers, and the public to consider historic agricultural properties in their decision making. The project includes the Historic Agricultural Resources of Pennsylvania Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF), which contains narrative histories describing the evolution of different farming regions around the state, historic census data, a field guide to historic farm buildings and landscapes, and research sources.

The Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project was moved from its original online location, which was archived in August 2015, to the current PHMC (pa.gov) website in June 2021.  This move allows PHMC to better maintain, update and correct information about historic agricultural properties in Pennsylvania.