Times Observer file photo The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office is looking to document historically significant places in Warren County, including recreational properties, such as Soldiers & Sailors Park in downtown Warren.

The Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office is looking for feedback from county residents about historic places in the community.

The office is a bureau of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and the effort is part of a multiyear initiative “to collect baseline survey information about thousands of older and historic places across a vast part of Pennsylvania that are underrepresented in the statewide inventory,” according to a statement.

More than 7,500 properties were added in 17 counties in the first year.

“Identifying and documenting historic and archaeological resources is the foundation of PA SHPO’s work,” the statement explained. “The Historic Places Inventory helps PHMC’s partners and citizens of Pennsylvania understand how the commonwealth developed and evolved.” The inventory “assists Pennsylvanians in making informed decisions about future plans in the state’s communities. It has been four decades since PHMC initiated a survey effort of this scale.”

The office expects to add about 19,500 historic and archaeological resources in 35 counties in 2022 and 2023.

“Survey work is being done in counties and municipalities where previous survey efforts did not comprehensively document historic properties and focuses on documenting new properties that are underrepresented in the Pennsylvania Historic Places Inventory,” the statement explained.

“This includes places of local significance as identified by local stakeholders, such as recreational properties, fraternal buildings, industrial resources, African American churches and cemeteries, ethnic communities, and properties that represent local building styles and traditions.”

That’s where the state is looking for our help as Warren County is part of the second phase of the effort.

Residents can submit information about specific sites here to the office https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PASHPO–baseline–survey or via email to ra-bhpmail@pa.gov.

“Survey teams,” they say, “will be in these counties beginning in April 2022 through early 2023. Baseline survey captures only basic information about the location and appearance of places that is visible from the public right-of-way.”