About This Collection
The Pennsylvania State Forestry Commission was created by Concurrent Resolution 31 of the General Assembly and approved by Governor James A. Beaver on April 28, 1887. It consisted of five members who were given a mandate to investigate the rapid depletion of state timberlands and to report their findings and recommendations to the 1889 session of the legislature. Washington Townsend chaired the Commission and the other members were William A. Burkhout, George O. Praetorius, George B. Wiestling, and L. F. Colt. Upon completing their task during the closing months of 1888, the State Forestry Commission submitted their final report to the General Assembly in January 1889. After this point the Commission did not disband, and it was known as the State Forestry Reservation Commission through the early years of the 20th century. In 1919, its name was changed to the State Forest Commission. This collection includes the Report upon U.S. Geographical Surveys, West of the One Hundredth Meridan, Engineer Dept., U. S. Army, 1878 and the Final Commission Report submitted by the Commission to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 1895. Disclaimer: Not all records in this collection are digitized. Please visit the PA State Archives to see the rest of the collection.
