Historic Preservation vs. Progress

What is progress? How do we define it. In a location in Salisbury Township near Gap, it is being defined as gambling devices in a convenience store and truck stop. Near the Oregon Dairy, it is defined as a 76 - acre mixed-use development. And there are many other examples throughout Lancaster County. But the question must be asked...at what price?

Historic structures serve as the best way to communicate our past, but each year they fall to neglect, demolition, and development. The preservation of significant historic buildings stimulate community revitalization, produce revenues through heritage tourism, create jobs, improve our quality of life, increase our shared knowledge about the past, strengthen our regional identity, and shapes our local pride. We can point to a number of excellent examples where historic preservation has had a significant impact on property values, revitalization of communities, and tax generation. It is "good business" to save and re-use our historic buildings.

Demolished by developers with the approval of local governments, historic buildings are replaced by cookie-cutter buildings, high traffic generators, pollution, and non-descript buildings that rip at the very heart of the structure of our communities. Local historic groups have tried to offer compromise and alternatives only to be told their efforts are too late or are not feasible. Considerable dollars are at stake and drive these decisions. Several significant buildings have already been lost, and others will be soon.

You can help make a difference, standing up for your community's significant historic structures before it is too late. There are literally hundreds of structures throughout Lancaster County that are significant and deserve consideration for your future and the future of your children. Call the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County at 717-291-5861 to find out how you can become involved.