Why the Historic Districts Were Discussed for Possible Dissolution

According to Upper Allen Township meeting records, the Township reviewed the historic districts because officials said the original basis for creating some of the districts in 1975 was not clearly documented in the available records. At the October 18, 2022 HARB meeting, staff stated that the criteria submitted to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in the 1970s was vague, identified where the districts were located, and showed PHMC approval, but did not clearly define why each district was established. The same minutes state that the reassessment was intended to determine why each district was created, what made each district unique, and whether the Historic District Map and ordinance should be updated with more specific criteria. 

Board of Commissioners minutes from September 21, 2022 state that the Township had begun discussing the existing historic districts in March 2021 using a two-part approach: first, how and why the existing districts were created, and second, whether the Township should consider creating a comprehensive list of historic properties. Those same minutes state that Navarro & Wright was hired in May 2022 to review the Township’s four historic districts and determine whether they met the criteria being used in the reassessment. 

The September 21, 2022 Board minutes state that the reassessment recommended dissolving the Rosegarden, Trout Run, and Yellow Breeches districts and retaining Shepherdstown with revised boundaries and a revised period of significance. The October 18, 2022 HARB minutes repeat that recommendation and state that Navarro & Wright used the limited Township and PHMC records, along with the ordinance, as a starting point for its research. 

The reasons discussed in the public minutes were district-specific. The HARB minutes describe Rosegarden as a single-property district with a house and mill site, noting that the mill is now only a foundation. For Trout Run, the HARB minutes state there was no known criteria for its original creation. For Yellow Breeches, the reassessment presentation discussed in the public meetings led to a recommendation for dissolution as part of the broader map and ordinance review. 

The public record also shows that these discussions were part of a review and amendment process, not an automatic immediate removal of all districts. The Township’s Ordinance Amendments page states that the Board later discussed historic district boundaries on June 4, 2025 and July 16, 2025 and authorized advertisement of an ordinance to amend the official Township Historic District Map and related sections of Chapter 155. The June 4, 2025 Board minutes specifically state that the Board voted to prepare an amended map and ordinance for further consideration and to dissolve Rosegarden.

Upper Allen Township’s historic districts are supported by local ordinance, mapped boundaries, Township district descriptions, and a later consultant reassessment, although Township records indicate the original 1970s documentation explaining why each district was created was limited and vague.