John M. Phillips (1861-1953)
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Creator of the state game land system. Known as the Pennsylvania System, it was a model throughout the nation. Phillips helped establish the Pa. Game Commission. A conservationist, industrialist, and engineer, he was among the first to introduce Boy Scouting in Pa. His home was here.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
John M. Phillips was a Pittsburgh industrialist and engineer who turned his energies to a cause ahead of its time: protecting wild land and game for the public. He helped establish the Pennsylvania Game Commission and created the state game land system, known nationally as the Pennsylvania System and copied across the country. An early champion of the Boy Scout movement in Pennsylvania, he lived at this site.
Why it matters
Phillips helped pioneer the Progressive-era conservation model of publicly held lands, shaping how Americans came to steward wildlife and open space for future generations.
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Related people
- ¡ John M. Phillips
Themes & tags
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