Gifford Pinchot (1865-1946)
Milford Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Noted forester, conservationist and progressive leader. Chief, 1898-1910, U.S. Forest Service (as renamed in 1905 ). Governor of Pennsylvania, two terms, 1923-1927 & 1931-1935. His first term brought major governmental reorganization. His second term was famed for the paving of rural roads throughout the state-- including this road -- to provide unemployment relief & "get the farmer out of the mud." Grey Towers was his family home.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
As the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot built the framework for managing America's national forests, then carried that reforming energy into the Pennsylvania governor's office. His first term overhauled state government; his second became famous for paving farm-to-market roads across the commonwealth to fight Depression-era unemployment and, as he put it, "get the farmer out of the mud." This very stretch of road was among those improved, near his family home at Grey Towers.
Why it matters
Pinchot linked the conservation crusade to practical Progressive governance, and his road-building program reshaped rural Pennsylvania's economy and everyday mobility.
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Related people
- · Gifford Pinchot
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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