The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission recently approved applications for twenty-three new historical markers throughout the state.
The new markers were selected from among thirty-nine applications. An independent board of experts from across the state review the applications, which can be submitted by any individual or organization. PHMC’s commissioners must also approve any new markers.
Among the newly approved markers are many dedicated to important historical women. A new marker in Lancaster honors three women from the Ephrata Cloister religious community who are among the earliest documented women composers in America. In Philadelphia, women’s rights activist and Quaker abolitionist Anna Elizabeth Dickinson will receive a marker. Other women recognized in this round of applications include Mary Ella Roberts Rinehart, Anna Morris Holstein, and Charlotte Elizabeth Battles.
Other new markers recognize Chinese workers in Beaver Falls, one of the founders of Omega Psi Phi Dr. Oscar James Cooper, Andy Warhol, and the Rolling Mill Mine Disaster.
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 2,300 historical markers. The program is dedicated to capturing the memory of people, places, events, and innovations that have affected the lives of Pennsylvanians over the centuries. A complete list of new markers can be seen here.