Historic Markers

For those who may not have noticed or not be US-based, there are historic markers all over the US countryside. They exist in other countries as well, (Facebook link, may not work if you don't have an account. Let me know and I'll find another way to post that one.) but they are truly prolific in the US, especially near sites from the Revolutionary or Civil Wars. For certain readers, those wars can often be referred to by other names including the War of Independence or the War of Northern Aggression, etc.

In any case....how do such markers get placed? It turns out that in the US, such markers are placed on a state-by-state basis. In Pennsylvania, for example, there is a commission assigned to placing these signs. Apparently there is more oversight now, but in the past they placed them based on petitions from the general public and had the right to place a sign anywhere. ANYWHERE in Pennsylvania, be it public or private property. Thus you get signs from the savvy (and silly) types such as historic marker placed on a pile of rocks by a group of Penn State students some time back. Since there was indeed a pile of rocks at the given location, the marker was deemed valid and placed, at the cost of who knows how much state funding.

Sigh.

Now, since I can't locate it on the site they may have removed this marker or it may be an urban legend. If someone has more information on this you are welcome to post it in the comments.