The National Register of Historic Places honors historic sites by recognizing their importance to their community, state, or nation.  Many people contact the Mercer County Historical Society with questions such as:

·        how does a site get listed on the National Register?

·        does National listing protect a site from development or mean that alterations can’t by made to the property?

·        does listing on the National Register means tax breaks or restoration funds are available?

·        is a specific site in Mercer County already listed

In Pennsylvania, anyone interest in nominating a site for the National Register must first fill out a Historic Resource Survey Inventory Form, available through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. If a property is determined by this survey to be “eligible” for applying for national listing, the PHMC will help you through the application process, providing the appropriate forms and giving advice.

The following links should help you understand the process better and answer any questions.

www.phmc.state.pa.us/bhp   General information on the PA Bureau of Historic Preservation

www.phmc.state.pa.us/bhp/NR/overview.asp?secid=25    Links to the National Park Service National Register Program site, the process you must go through in PA to be listed in the National Register, a list of PA places that are listed on the National Register or have been determined to be eligible by the BHP, and many more valuable links.

www.cr.nps.gov/nr/    Federal government site of general information on the national Register.

www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/PA/Mercer/state.html   List and description of Mercer County sites listed on the National Register.

www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/   National Historic Landmarks Program