Linda A. Ries is head of the core services section of the Pennsylvania State Archives. She has contributed articles to Pennsylvania Heritage on the aerial photographs of Samuel W. Kuhnert and the bird's-eye views of T. M. Fowler. She is the author of Guide to Photographs in the Pennsylvania State Archives, and co-author, with Jay W. Ruby, of Directory of Pennsylvania Photographers, 1839-1900, both published by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
Jane Smith Stewart is an archivist for the Pennsylvania State Archives. A specialist in paper and parchment preservation, she is a professional associate of the American Institute for Conservation and a graduate of the Queen's University Conservation Program in Kingston, Ontario. She served as conservator for the Penn Land Survey Project, 1995-1998, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, which preserved examples of the Commonwealth’s earliest land records held by the Pennsylvania State Archives.
The authors wish to thank contributors to the Pennsylvania Heritage Society's 1997 campaign to preserve the Charter, especially Timothy Buchanan of Harrisburg. They caution readers that preservation techniques mentioned or described in this article should not be attempted without the advice and assistance of a professional conservator.
Individuals interested in contributing to the Charter Endowment Fund are encouraged to write: Pennsylvania Heritage Society, Post Office Box 11466, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1466; telephone (717) 787-2407; or e-mail mgobrecht@state.pa.us.
Full-color facsimiles of the 1681 Charter, with descriptive text and in an attractive folder, are available from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at $3.95 each. Pennsylvania residents please add six percent states sales tax. Handling and shipping is $3.50. Send check or money order, made payable to the Pennsylvania Heritage Society, to: PHMC Publications Sales Program, Pennsylvania Heritage Society, P.O. Box 11466, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1466. To order by telephone or to place credit card orders, telephone toll free 1-800-747-7790 or (717) 783-2618. Please allow two to four weeks for delivery.