This collection contains the records of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. The holdings reflect the efforts of the Conservancy to buy and transfer land, some of which has led to the creation of the state's most visited parks. The collection contains records from the acquisition of land necessary for McConnell's Mill, Ohiopyle, Ferncliff, Moraine, and Raccoon Creek State Parks. More common in this collection, however are purchases made by the WPC from individuals that have not been consolidated into a park or incorporated into a game preserve. These documents are primarily legal in nature and are identified by the county in which the property lies. Particularly large tracts that took longer to purchase and involve more paperwork are housed in their own folders and are identified by the individual. This land has remained under the auspices of the WPC, has been transferred to the state, or resold with the intent of preserving its scenic, cultural, and/or historic value. Beyond land purchases, transfers, and deeds, the collection also features projects dedicated to historic preservation. The largest of these efforts was the Old Stone House Village in Butler County (Box 30-31). The Johnston Tavern restoration project, albeit smaller than the Old Stone House village is contained herein (Box17). The collection also holds various correspondence and political jockeying on virtually all of the above topics. Some of the oldest documents in the collection are those regarding the Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association, with letters and meeting minutes dating back to the early 1930s (Boxes 15-16). The WPC, as a non-profit agency, relied on funding from many sources to conduct their efforts. The items detailing Project 70, a lobbying effort to secure $70 million in state and federal funding by 1970 was the largest of such efforts (Box 22-23 relate to this). Despite being a cornerstone of WPC organizational growth and identity, researchers should note that this collection does not currently contain records or items pertaining to Fallingwater except in passing mention or in brief statements. While there are deeds from private owners extending back to the nineteenth century, the vast majority of this collection dates between the early 1950s and the late 1970s.
