Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) today approved 28 Historical & Archival Records Care (HARC) grants totaling $152,571 to support crucial efforts to preserve Pennsylvania’s invaluable historical records and make them accessible to residents across the Commonwealth.
From supporting efforts to digitize and transcribe interviews and film recordings of the railroaders and coal miners of the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company in Huntingdon County to enabling the Wilkinsburg Public Library to repair, properly store, and digitally host a collection of approximately 160 photographs relating to Wilkinsburg’s architectural history, these grants will help tell Pennsylvania’s shared history and ensure it remains accessible for years to come.
The grant awards range from $314.63 for the Historical Archives at the Wilkinsburg Public Library to repair, properly store, and digitally host a collection of approximately 160 photographs relating to Wilkinsburg’s architectural history to $15,000 for the Friends of the East Broad Top Inc. to implement the EBT Oral History and Film Preservation project to digitize and transcribe interviews and film recordings of the railroaders and coal miners of the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company.
“These grants are essential to safeguarding our state's rich history,” said Andrea Lowery, PHMC Executive Director. “By investing in the preservation of these records, we ensure that future generations can learn from the past and build a better future.”
HARC grants are awarded competitively and are designed to improve the preservation and accessibility of historically significant records held by local governments, historical records repositories, and academic institutions.
The Pennsylvania State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) oversees the HARC grant program. SHRAB operates under federal regulations governing the National Historical Publications & Records Commission and serves as the central advisory body for historical records planning in the state.
The following is a list of HARC grants by county:
Allegheny
Avalon Public Library - $3,700
Borough of Leetsdale - $5,000
Carnegie Institute - $5,000
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania (dba Senator John Heinz History Center) - $4,994
Wilkinsburg Public Library - $314.63
WQED Multimedia - $10,000
Armstrong
Apollo Memorial Library - $10,000
Bucks
Bucks County Historical Society - $4,995
Delaware Valley University - $5,000
Pearl S. Buck International - $3,600
Warrington Historical Society - $2,468
Erie
Edinboro Area Historical Society - $5,000
Huntington
Friends of the East Broad Top Inc. - $15,000
Lehigh
Whitehall Historical Preservation Society - $4,970
Monroe
Monroe County Commissioners - $5,000
Montgomery
Lower Merion Historical Society - $4,738.29
Northampton
Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor - $4,500
Moravian University - $5,000
Moravian Archives - $5,000
Moravian Historical Society - $5,000
Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society - $4,990
Philadelphia
Christ Church Preservation Trust - $5,000
Historical Society of Pennsylvania - $4,900
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia - $5,000
Schuylkill
Historical Society of Schuylkill County - $5,000
Venango
Oil Region Music Preservation Museum - $9,208.74
York
Historic Wrightsville Inc. - $4,197.79
York County Archives - $4,995
The Pennsylvania State Archives is the official and permanent home of many of Pennsylvania’s most treasured documents – from William Penn’s Charter to the documents that establish our state’s boundaries, including the texts that protect property rights and the familial records of our ancestors. Open to all, the Pennsylvania State Archives is a source for research and learning.
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission is the official history agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Learn more by visiting PHMC online or following us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or LinkedIn.