Lumber Heritage Region

History: It is important to document some of the highlights of how the Region came into existence. While the events listed below are significant, they do not show the amount of work that went on behind the scenes to make those events happen. Literally more than 100 people from all 15 counties and beyond spent thousands of hours in meeting after meeting hashing out differences; creating partnerships; documenting resources and much, much more to bring the Lumber Heritage Region into existence.

Preserve, Relate & Enhance

It took almost a decade to bring the region into fruition

ISpring 1991 -City of Williamsport applied for funding for a Feasibility Study for the Lumber Heritage Park. Feasibility Study was funded, but consultant was not hired and the funds were returned to DCA.

Spring 1992 -The Pennsylvania Heritage Park Program within the Department of Community Affairs, the Pennsylvania Heritage Commission, and The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts sponsored a Northern Tier Documentation Project for a projected “Lumber Industry Heritage Park.” The counties involved were chosen as a “best guess” of the ones to become part of the heritage park: Potter, Tioga, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming and Sullivan. The charge was “to document the region’s intangible cultural heritage and to involve local folk artists, retired workers and ethnic community leaders in developing a cultural conservation plan”. The goal was that the human and cultural dimensions of the lumber heritage not be overlooked. Reports, televised and audio interviews were submitted together with a cultural plan at the completion of the project in July 1993 to the Department of Community Affairs.

Late 1993 -The Heritage Affairs Commission and Department of Community Affairs were successively dissolved, and the documents and artifacts remained in Harrisburg. Upon investigation when spurred by local inquiries, the Council on the Arts retrieved the materials and turned them over to the local project participants with the recommendation that the group organize and publicize what the PCA felt was documentation of an extraordinary, living culture.

January 1994 - The counties of Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter requested that North Central Regional Planning and Development Commission submit feasibility Study Application for the Lumber Heritage Park. Feasibility Study Application was tabled due to re-organization of the state agencies during 1994-1995.

January 1995—Lumber Heritage Region State Park Steering Committee initiates a feasibility study to analyze the significant contributions of the lumber industry.

January 1996—Feasibility Study Application was submitted to DCNR.

August 1996—Feasibility Study Application was approved.

October 1996—A consultant team was hired to conduct the Feasibility Study. Park was renamed to Region and enlarged to 15 counties through the “grass Roots” local level development/input process. A Core Steering Committee assisted the consultants and provided local coordination in their counties. An extensive inventory of recreational, cultural, and historical resources were completed.

September 25, 1997—Lumber Heritage Region Feasibility Study is released

April 1998—Management Action Plan Study Application was submitted to DCNR.

September 1998—Management Action Plan Application was approved.

December 1998—The consulting team of Mackin Engineering Company was hired to conduct the Management Action Plan.

April 21, 2001—The petition for designation as a State Heritage Region was presented to the State Interagency Review Committee in Harrisburg. The petition included resolutions of support signed by the Commissioners of all 15 counties and numerous letters of support.

September 25, 2001—Lumber Heritage Region officially dedicated as Pennsylvania’s 11^th Heritage Region.