The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Penn State Mont Alto, in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Pennsylvania Forest Fire Museum Association, will participate in the dedication of a formal marker recognizing George Wirt, the first professional forester in the nation, at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. The marker will be unveiled on the Penn State Mont Alto nursery property adjacent to the entrance of the campus. The event is free to the public.
Wirt was appointed director of the Mont Alto Forest Academy in 1903, the founding year of the academy. Wirt, born in 1880 in McVeytown, was the state's first technically trained forester. Wirt attended Biltmore Forest School in North Carolina and became Pennsylvania's first state forester in 1901. He served as director of the academy until 1910.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has installed and maintains more than 1,900 markers commemorating important people, places and events in Pennsylvania. This is the fourth marker near the Penn State Mont Alto campus. The first commemorates John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, Va.; the second honors the founding of the Pennsylvania State Forest Academy in 1903; and the third honors Ralph Brock, the first African-American forester in the nation.
For more information on the historical marker program, call (717) 787-8823 or (717) 214-9511 or visit http://www.phmc.state.pa.us online. For more information on Penn State Mont Alto's Historical Marker Dedication, call the Office of University Relations at (717) 749-6112.