Preservation Pennsylvania will honor the Marker Advocates of Tobyhanna Township for its excellence and innovation in preservation, at the annual Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Awards to be held on September 27, 2018 at the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. The Marker Advocates of Tobyhanna Township (MATT) received the Initiative Award for Communications.

A grass-roots initiative funded entirely by donations was started in 2015. As a result, the history of Tobyhanna Township is communicated along the roads within the community, by telling each story through a series of twenty-five Roadside Historical Markers.

The stories don’t end there. MATT’s website extends each story with more information, including photographs, at www.TobyhannaTwpHistory.or/markers. A graphic tour map is also available on the web site, to take the tour of the markers through Tobyhanna Township. Printed copies are available at the Tobyhanna Township Government Center, Clymer Library and three area post offices. While visiting each roadside marker on the tour, a QR label is available, affixed to each pole. Just scan with a smart device to see more on the internet web page for that marker’s topic.

Fifteen volunteers came together to preserve and tell the community’s story, to create pride within the community, and to create an atmosphere for heritage tourism. This is the second award earned by MATT. This past February, the Monroe County Historical Association recognized MATT’s efforts with its Heritage Resource Award. The entire basis of its success, however, are the individual donors that made it all possible.

Preservation Pennsylvania has been awarding groups within the state since 1979 for their efforts to preserve history of local importance. “The annual awards program is a wonderful celebration that honors passion for the past, applauds achievements in the present. and inspires a history-rich future for Pennsylvania,” said Mindy Crawford, Executive Director of Preservation Pennsylvania.