Transportation  Museums

Data Explanation

Transportation Museums

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission manages state-owned museums on many different themes in Pennsylvania. The PHMC's administrative regions area shown here to provide some spatial context, even though there is only one PHMC property displayed here. Even though the PHMC is not heavily invested in transportation museums, it is a major promoter of history-based tourism in the state. Many Pennsylvania towns and cities are looking to improve their tourism economy, as well as preserve remnants of the past, with an assortment of historical sites and activities. Museums serve this purpose very well.

Transportation-themed museums are highly appropriate for Pennsylvania across all the modes of transportation shown here. Pennsylvania was a leader in the development and the success of the railroad industry. The railroad was the lifeblood of much of our highly successful early industrial economy, allowing large cities and smaller towns along the main railrad lines to prosper. Larger cities benefited from internal transportation efficiency provided by trolley systems. Many places around the state have kept pieces of that railrad heritage alive; notice that it is the most common type of transportation museum.

Pennsylvania also led the way in the development of early roads and highway transportation with the construction of the Philadelphia-Lancaster Turnpike in the late 1700s and the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the late 1930s. The state excelled in three forms of water transportation: ocean-going ships in Philadelphia, lake vessels in Erie, and boats and barges on canals and rivers. Air transportation, bicycles, and even horse-drawn vehicles round out the variety.

Data Comparisons

	PHMC Regions
Museum Types	Western	Central	Eastern	PA Totals
Automotive	1	4	5	10
Aviation	1	1	4	6
Nautical	1	0	5	6
Railroad	5	11	1	17
Other	2	1	0	3