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Pennsylvania History, Geography, Population, State Facts

Independence National Historic Park Gettysburg Drake Well Museum - Titusville Crayola FACTORY - Easton Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom

The Keystone State

Great Seal of the State of Pennsylvania

Adopted in 1791.

The Pennsylvania State Seal is the symbol used by the Commonwealth to authenticate certain documents. It is impressed upon the document by an instrument known as a seal-press or stamp. The State Seal has two faces: the obverse, which is the more familiar face and the one most often referred to as the "State Seal," and the reverse, or counter-seal, which is used less frequently. The State Seal is in the custody of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. When Pennsylvania was still a province of England, its seals were those of William Penn and his descendants. The transition from this provincial seal to a state seal began when the State Constitutional Convention of 1776 directed that "all commissions shall be . . . sealed with the State Seal," and appointed a committee to prepare such a seal for future use. By 1778, there was in use a seal similar to the present one. The seal received legal recognition from the General Assembly in 1791, when it was designated the official State Seal.

Rich in historic lore, Pennsylvania territory was disputed in the early 1600s among the Dutch, the Swedes, and the English. England acquired the region in 1664 with the capture of New York, and in 1681 Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn, a Quaker, by King Charles II.

Philadelphia was the seat of the federal government almost continuously from 1776 to 1800; there the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the U.S. Constitution drawn up in 1787. Valley Forge, of Revolutionary War fame, and Gettysburg, site of the pivotal battle of the Civil War, are both in Pennsylvania. The Liberty Bell is located in a glass pavilion across from Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

Capital City: Harrisburg

Capitol Tour

Pennsylvania: State of Pennsylvania Official Web Site

Admission to Statehood: Click for Date & List

Airports: Airports Map | Airport Links

Amtrak: Northeast

Area: 46058 sq.mi, 33rd ? Land 44820 sq. mi., 32nd ? Water 1239 sq.mi., 28th ? Great Lakes 749 sq.mi., 7th

Area Codes: Pennsylvania

Biographies: Famous People from Pennsylvania

Bird: Ruffed Grouse.

Border States: Regional List ? Delaware ? Maryland ? New Jersey ? New York ? Ohio ? West Virginia

Cam World: Live Web Cams

Cities & Towns: Pennsylvania

Climate: Pennsylvania

Community Pages: Pennsylvania Cities, Towns, Communities List

Constitution: 2nd State

County Profile: County Map ? 67 Counties

Courts: Judicial System

Current Events: Pennsylvania News Headlines

Driving: PennDOT

Economy: Agriculture: Dairy products, poultry, cattle, nursery stock, mushrooms, hogs, hay.? Industry: Food processing, chemical products, machinery, electric equipment, tourism.

Flag: Pennsylvania (PA)

Flower: Mountain Laurel? Kalmia latiflolia

Cyndi's List ? Historical Societies

Geographic Center: Centre, 2.5 miles southwest of Bellefonte

Geology Maps: Pennsylvania

Ghost Towns: Ghost Towns

Governor: Office of Governor

Highest Point: Mt. Davis; 3,213 feet, 33rd

Highways: Pennsylvania Highways

History: History Timeline ?? Historical ? Pennsylvania Civil War History: web site Pennsylvania (Gettysburg): web site

Hotels, Motels & Inns:

Kids Corner: State of Pennsylvania Kids Site