Just when you got that song out of your head

If you read Trailheads weekly, you’ve seen previous posts on the Pennsylvania History Bill of Rights. The PHBR (as we lovingly, and bureaucratically, call it) is based on provisions of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and on the requirements of the History Code (which outlines the responsibilities of the PHMC). The six principles that make up the PHBR were formally adopted by the PHMC’s governing body on March 17, 2010. The History Bill of Rights is a (more or less) concise statement of what the people of Pennsylvania should be able to rely on, history-wise.

PHMC/Charter Day at State Museum & Archives

Since Charter Day, we’ve been asking Pennsylvanians to tell us which of the principles they think are most important. Our Trailheads poll drew 177 voters (or one of you voted 177 times). You could choose up to 3 of the provisions as most important, which resulted in a total of 486 votes (just shy of 3 votes per person). The poll results are to the right of your screen. Adequate public and private support for Pennsylvania’s historic properties and museums (not just PHMC’s) was the top vote getter with 79% of total votes. Can I get an amen?

PHMC/Drake Well Museum

The Pennsylvania History Bill of Rights has its own Facebook page, and over 100 people “like” it. You can too.

In a much-appreciated show of support for the PHBR, the board of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology adopted the provisions at its meeting on April 9. If you know of an organization that would like to do the same, a sample resolution is available, along with contact information for letting us know.

And finally, because we’ve gotten addicted to feedback, you can still weigh in on which principles of the PHBR are most important to you. An online survey lets you voice your opinion. Or write a comment on this post. We really do like hearing from you. Thanks to all of you who are finding ways to support the Pennsylvania Trails of History. Keep up the good work.