Skip to main content

Local Pennsylvania Communities Preserving Historic Signs

Decades ago, Pennsylvania had a unique way of marking towns and other geographical features on its highways. Cast iron signs which featured the town name and a historical anecdote about the town were found throughout the Commonwealth. Fortunately, many of these 'Keystone Town Markers' still exist today.

Some though are not in the best of condition - and in some areas local civic groups are doing their best to restore them.

One such group is the Pine Creek Preservation Association in Lycoming County. Recently, Jim Carn of the PCPA repainted and restored a handful of Keystones in the Pine Creek Valley.

All photos were taken by Jim Carn (unless otherwise noted).

Ramsey Run:

Here's the original (from David Slauenwhite)- you can see that the 'Ramsey Run' was hand painted - most likely many years ago.

Here is the 'restored sign' by Mr. Carn. Fresh colors and bold letters makes a big difference.


Roaring Branch:

Here's the original (from David Slauenwhite) - The paint is beginning to fade away.

The restored sign:

Waterville:

Original sign (taken by David Brunot):

The restored sign taken by Mr. Carn.

Not only are local community groups trying to preserve these historic signs, Nathaniel Guest and Preservation Pennsylvania are trying to bring back the Keystone Town Markers. Guest is working on a project to source the manufacture and funding for 'new' town markers for municipalities whose signs have been long forgotten.

In the recent Preservation Pennsylvania newsletter, Guest's quest to return these signs in the commonwealth was featured.

Both the PCPA and Nathaniel Guest are doing great work to preserve the uniqueness of Pennsylvania towns and transportation histories! And who knows maybe these old Keystones will not be a forgotten piece of Pennsylvania highways in the years to come!

To see more Pennsylvania Keystone Town Markers - Visit my Keystone Town Markers Project.

Comments

Steve A said…
I've found quite a few more in my various travels across the state. Many have no paint left and are rusted solid. Also, many are on side roads that have long since been bypassed. Not only do I support restoring them, but for a minimal amount of money I support moving them to today's thoroughfares wherever possible.

Popular posts from this blog

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield.  Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away.  In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south.  Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center.  Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat.  The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area.  In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the s...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...