Feb 7, 2017 2 min read

Theodore Roosevelt once sagely observed that “the more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”

But our past is in almost constant danger of disappearing. Crucial documents can be lost or dissolve. Photographs, films and recordings can disintegrate. Structures can crumble due to disrepair or be bulldozed into dust to make way for parking lots or office towers.

For the last couple of years, it’s been looking like Moon Lorn, home of the late painter Malcolm Parcell, was going to fall victim to neglect. But there’s now hope that it can be saved, thanks to its designation by the nonprofit organization Preservation Pennsylvania as an endangered property.

It’s one of 11 locations to make the group’s list this year. The designation could help jump-start efforts to save Moon Lorn, which is now owned by Consol Energy. The company purchased the property in 2014 with an eye toward carrying out longwall mining in the area, which has not occurred. It was previously a private home and then an artist’s retreat run by a foundation using Parcell’s name.

Now, we just need to hope that the will and the dollars are there to restore and preserve it.