FACES
& PLACES
ART & HISTORY FEBRUARY 2007
 The Site Marker Project and How it Evolved
by Les Isbrandt
When the Society was
formed in 1958, one of its first projects was to
place wooden historical site markers
around town. They are designed to educate the general
public with a "mini-history lesson" for a
particular site or area and were also intended to help
in generating interest in historic preservation.
Over
the years, the signs weathered and were taken down.
In the summer of 2005, the Society, in support of its
mission to educate the people of New Hope about our
wonderful history, began a project to install new historic
markers at various sites around town. The funds to
help underwrite the project came from three sources.
First, the Society received
a major donation, specifically designated for this
project, from two of its members,
Joe Knox and Rick Sweeney. Second, they received funds
through a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of
Community and Economic Development grant that the Society
received with the help of Senator Joe Conti and his
staff, particularly, Bob Moore. And finally, they received
a matching gift from Peter and Toni Schwalm for the
marker at Kitchen’s Hill on Route 179 commemorating
the founder of Wells’ Ferry,
John Wells.
The Directors of the Society
decided that the first nine markers would be placed
at:
- the Vansant
House on Mechanic Street
- the Ferry Landing
on Ferry Street
- the cannon at Main and Ferry Street
- the
mills on Sugan Road
- the Free Library on Bridge Street
- the
Parry Barn on Main Street
- Kitchen’s Hill
- the Parry Mansion with two
markers
After receiving approvals from
HARB and Borough Council, Les Isbrandt
obtained guidance from the Pennsylvania Historical
and Museum Commission which oversees the Commonwealth’s
marker program. He then proceeded to research available
sources to prepare the text for each marker. Once
this was done, the cast aluminum signs were ordered
and
manufactured by Lake Shore Industries. They were
installed in November, thanks to New Hope Borough’s
Department of Public Works and its Director, Tom
Carroll.
The Society
is planning a marker dedication ceremony sometime
this spring, most probably on this year’s
New Hope History Day, June 2. Since the marker’s
have been installed, the Society has received a number
of inquires about placing
markers at other sites in town. In response to this,
the Society has created an application form. If anyone
wishes more information or would like to receive a
historic marker application kit, please call Les Isbrandt,
NHHS Historical Site Marker Coordinator, at (215) 862-5652.
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