Aug 31, 2015 2 min read

In a Sunday editorial, we noted the terrible toll the Islamic State has exacted on antiquities and relics across Iraq and Syria. Irreplaceable artifacts from civilization’s dawn are being heedlessly destroyed and plundered. It’s a loss not just for the Middle East, but for all of humanity.

At the same time, this region is also in possession of many historic sites and relics that help tell the story of how Southwestern Pennsylvania was built and the country was founded. They are inherently fragile; as we learned two weeks ago, with the destruction of the 220-year-old Century Inn in Scenery Hill, it can take only a couple of hours for decades’ worth of history to be reduced to ash.

That’s why it was reassuring to read in Monday’s Observer-Reporter about the steps those who oversee local historical sites and institutions have taken to make sure structures, documents and other items remain safe. In Washington, the LeMoyne House on Maiden Street is equipped with a top-of-the-line fire alarm system that immediately alerts the fire department when it goes off; at nearby Washington & Jefferson College, documents signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson are preserved in a bunker below the U. Grant Miller Library; and the Greene County Historical Society in Franklin Township is outfitted with state-of-the-art fire and security systems. Greene’s historical society also has a detailed protocol in place of what should be grabbed first in case of a fire or some other calamity.

“We know if something happens, this is the plan of attack,” according to Eben Williams, the director of the Greene County Historical Society.

We can take comfort in this fact, and hope individuals who oversee other sites of historic value in Washington and Greene counties – and there are many – have given “the unthinkable” similar thought and preparation.