Several towns of varying sizes across the United States feature programs to attempt to identify and preserve houses, commercial structures, and other landmarks that are historically significant on both local and national levels. Currently, throughout the area of Fort Cherry, no such programs exist. This proposed program will serve to establish a local registry, represented by standing signs for historic sites such as Cherry’s Fort, as well as mounted plaques for historic houses and buildings.
The signs will serve the purpose of recognizing that a site or structure is significant to the area’s history and is worthy of preservation. Each site/structure that receives a plaque or sign will be registered on the local historic list and will be given a webpage with relevant information and history.
Historic Site Standing Signs
A fine example of what this association hopes to achieve can be seen by the work of the Jefferson College Historical Society of Canonsburg.
Currently there are five markers from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission within the Fort Cherry School District, one of which is missing, and two of which pertain to the same subject. In 2022 the state announced they would no longer be making or issuing these iconic blue and yellow signs, and has not mentioned any plan to continue to do so. It is likely that our area will not be receiving any further signs of this nature, and so we must take it upon ourselves to advocate for the implementation of such a program on a local scale.
Our proposed signs would be similar to the state issued signs, but with more local focus, highlighting topics important on a community-level, but not necessarily as important on a state-level.
The McDonald Trail Station History Center has done a tremendous job in documenting the history of McDonald and has introduced a sign program of their own, but this only covers the Borough of McDonald, and not the greater area covered by Fort Cherry.
Historic Structure Plaques
The historic structure plaques would be issued to owners of historic buildings. These plaques can be placed directly on the front of an eligible building and may feature certain elements such as the name of the property, the build date, and a brief history.
The Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation has marked some buildings and houses within our area but these efforts have gone mostly unnoticed. Like so many other small municipalities and areas, we are left to our own devices to lead the effort to establish an effort to preserve our identity.
A notable example of such a program can be seen in the work of the Oil Region Alliance based out of Oil City.
What will this mean for property owners?
If this program is implemented, nothing will change for current property owners. This program does not place protections on properties to prohibit visual changes or demolition. Those ordinances must be enacted at the local government level. If any of the local government bodies within the area covered by Historic Fort Cherry is interested in establishing proper protections for structure preservation, HFCA would be willing to assist in reaching those goals.
We understand that some preservation programs can be restrictive, but in taking part in such a program, the core integrity of a town’s identity can be preserved for its residences to appreciate in years to come. The area around us is changing at a fast pace and a time may come when proposals of demolition or vast changes enter our hometowns, and in order to protect what our ancestors left us, action must be taken. Many of these buildings were designed by master architects and built by skilled artisans who worked at an impressive magnitude that will never be seen again due to economic decline, and cannot be reproduced. Many of the historic treasures in our area have already been the victim of visual violation or outright demolition. We can prevent further identity-loss of our home through the aforementioned proposals. Remember - once something like the McDonald High School or the Hickory Keystone House is lost, it’s gone forever.