Share Your Historic Preservation Success Story

Has your township completed an interesting historic preservation project? Tell the Pa. Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) about it and you may win a Community Initiative Award.  The deadline for submitting your story is December 31, 2023.

The awards recognize municipalities, organizations, agencies, and individuals whose work embodies the theme of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation plan, #PreservationHappensHere. The theme reflects the idea that great preservation activities happen every day across the commonwealth. These activities may not necessarily be thought of as typical preservation; however, they deserve to be recognized, shared, and celebrated.

For example, such activities could be as subtle as new shop owners moving into a vacant storefront or as obvious as carpenters repairing an original wood porch. Preservation successes are not always called out with big signs or press releases.

There is no formal application or nomination procedure to be considered for a Community Initiative Award. You can share your community’s story in one of three ways:

• Use the #PreservationHappensHere hashtag in a social media post about the project.

• Submit a Preservation Success Story through PA-SHARE.

• Send an email to RA-BHPmail@pa.gov. The SHPO will consider all hashtag social media posts and Success Stories submitted through PA-SHARE by December 31. The office will begin reviewing candidates in January 2024 and notify the winners in the spring. For more information, visit the Community Initiative Award page or the SHPO blog.