Established by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) manages the National Register program. To qualify to be on the National Register, your home must be of national significance (i.e. having significance within the context of United States history). Our house probably does not meet the requirement for national significance, but still remains an important historical resource to Ridley Township, Delware County, and Pennsylvania. For that reason, we plan to seek SHPO state-level registration.
Contrary to popular belief, registration on the National or State-level Registers does not protect a preserved resource from future demolition. Only municipal and county preservation ordinances provide enforcable protection to presere historic places. Currently, Ridley Township does not have any such ordinances and we strive to partner with the Heritage Commission of Delaware County and our local municipality leadership to create ordinances to protect the few remaining historical places within the township.