National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania

National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
Name	National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania
Caption	Independence Hall, Philadelphia
Location	Pennsylvania, United States
Established	1960s–present
Governing body	National Park Service; state and local agencies; private organizations

Contents

National Historic Landmarks in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania contains a concentration of federally designated National Historic Landmark sites that reflect pivotal episodes in American Revolution, Civil War, Industrial Revolution, and Abolitionist movement history. These landmarks encompass urban centers such as Philadelphia, collegiate campuses like University of Pennsylvania, industrial complexes including Bethlehem Steel Corporation facilities, and rural homesteads tied to figures like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. The collection illustrates connections to events such as the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Campaign, the Homestead Strike, and innovations by inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.

Overview

Pennsylvania's landmarks include sites in Philadelphia (e.g., Independence Hall, Liberty Bell), Pittsburgh (e.g., Homestead Steel Works, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh), the Lehigh Valley (e.g., Bethlehem Steel Corporation), and the Susquehanna River valley (e.g., Whitaker Iron Works). Other landmarks celebrate individuals such as Benjamin Franklin, Thaddeus Stevens, James Buchanan, Lucretia Mott, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, and Walt Whitman. Collections also include transportation hubs like Philadelphia City Hall and the Delaware and Hudson Canal, religious institutions such as St. Michael's Church (Philadelphia), and scientific sites including Pennsylvania Hospital and facilities associated with Johns Hopkins University collaborators. Many sites are associated with national institutions: Independence National Historical Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, and the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.

Designation follows criteria set by the National Park Service and overseen by the Secretary of the Interior, using evaluations that reference significance in events like the American Revolution and movements tied to leaders such as Benjamin Franklin and Thaddeus Stevens. Nominations often originate from state agencies like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, nonprofit preservation groups such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Daughters of the American Revolution, or from institutions like Independence National Historical Park and university partners including University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University. Assessments document architecture by firms linked to figures like Frank Furness and Richard Morris Hunt, and industrial engineering legacies tracing to innovators like Andrew Carnegie and Alexander Graham Bell. Final designation involves review by the National Register of Historic Places staff and the National Park System Advisory Board before action by the Secretary of the Interior.

Landmarks are distributed across counties from Philadelphia County and Allegheny County to York County and Erie County. Notable urban sites include Independence Hall, Eastern State Penitentiary, Bethlehem's Historic District, Pittsburgh's Homestead Works, and Carnegie Mellon University buildings. Rural and small-town landmarks feature Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Washington Crossing Historic Park, Ephrata Cloister, Longwood Gardens campus histories, and the Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway corridor. Transportation and industrial sites include the Lehigh Canal, Allegheny Portage Railroad, Pennsylvania Canal, and legacy manufacturing complexes such as Harvard Square-adjacent firms linked to Eli Whitney and Robert Fulton technologies. Military and political sites include homes associated with James Buchanan, Thaddeus Stevens, and the battlefield landscapes of Gettysburg and Brandywine.

Themes include the American Revolution (e.g., Independence Hall, Valley Forge), antebellum reform movements including Abolitionist movement sites tied to Lucretia Mott and the Underground Railroad, industrialization exemplified by Bethlehem Steel, Homestead Strike locales, and transportation revolutions represented by canals and railroads like the Lehigh Canal and Allegheny Portage Railroad. Architectural history is visible in examples by Frank Furness, Richard Morris Hunt, and Romanesque revival public works such as Allegheny County Courthouse. Scientific and cultural progress appears through sites connected to Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Walt Whitman, and medical institutions like Pennsylvania Hospital.

Stewardship is shared among federal entities such as the National Park Service, state agencies like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, municipal governments including City of Philadelphia agencies, private nonprofits such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local preservation trusts, and institutional owners like University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University. Preservation efforts draw on legal frameworks including the National Historic Preservation Act and partnerships with organizations like the Civil War Trust and Historic American Buildings Survey. Conservation projects have involved engineering firms, architectural historians, and funders including the National Endowment for the Humanities and philanthropic families such as the descendants of Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick.

Many landmarks are accessible to the public through managed sites operated by Independence National Historical Park, Gettysburg National Military Park, Valley Forge National Historical Park, municipal historic commissions, and private museums like the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and National Constitution Center. Interpretation programs feature guided tours, exhibits curated by historians affiliated with institutions such as University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University, educational outreach with groups like the Daughters of the American Revolution and Boy Scouts of America, and special events tied to anniversaries of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation commemorations, and reenactments of the Gettysburg Campaign. Visitor facilities often coordinate with regional transit authorities including SEPTA and Port Authority of Allegheny County for access.

Category:Historic sites in Pennsylvania