Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission administers a program of historical markers to capture the stories of people, places, events, and innovations that have affected the lives of Pennsylvanians over the centuries. More than 2,500 cast aluminum markers feature subjects such as Native Americans, early settlers, government and politics, athletes, entertainers, artists, struggles for freedom and equality, factories and businesses, and a multitude of other noteworthy topics.
The historical marker policy was adopted on September 9, 2020.
PHMC plans to reopen the Historical Marker Program for new nominations in 2025.
In November 2022, PHMC paused the program due to nationwide delays manufacturing the iconic roadside markers. These delays in marker production were exacerbated by a backlog of approved markers during the pandemic and a significant increase in the number of marker nominations from the 2022 cycle. PHMC is committed to resolving the backlog prior to considering new nominations and avoid a potentially greater backlog.
During the temporary hiatus, PHMC marker staff focused on maintenance, repairing damaged markers, and reviewing the marker program in the interest of continuous improvement.
Updates will be posted on this web page as they become available.
Contact Information
To request use of images, report marker maintenance needs or for general inquiries, please send an email to ra-phmarkers@pa.gov.
Report Missing or Damaged Markers
If you’ve found a marker that needs refurbishing or notice that one has gone missing, contact the Historical Marker staff at ra-phmarkers@pa.gov with the following information:
- Title of the marker
- Condition of the marker (damaged/missing)
- Image of the marker if damaged
- Approximate location of the marker
- Contact information of property owner
For more information, see our blog post about missing and damaged markers.
Cyclical Maintenance Schedule
PHMC maintains the historical markers on a cyclical basis, moving county by county, typically completing about 5 counties each year. With nearly 2,600 markers across 67 counties, it can be many years before PHMC returns to a county. You can look at our estimated maintenance schedule here to see where your county is on the list.
History
The fall 2014 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage magazine included an article about the 100th anniversary of the Pennsylvania Historical Marker Program: A Century of Marking History: 100 Years of the PA Historical Marker Program.
Submission Notice
Please Note: By submitting materials with respect to state or federal historic preservation programs administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), you grant to the PHMC the rights to:
- Use the materials for education and promotional purposes and to promote the mission of the PHMC;
- Publish the materials on the PHMC Web site; and
- Make the materials available to researchers and scholars.