The fireworks may have been set off and the food may just be a faint, charcoal-tinged memory, but one thing we should strive to maintain beyond the celebrations of the nation’s 250th birthday is a sense of our history.

While this year may have prompted thoughts of where we came from as a nation, holding our shared roots in safe keeping for generations to come is no less important.

In our Thursday, June 30, edition, we published a look at some local-level organizations around the Pittsburgh region and the important work they’re doing to preserve the past for the future.

The article, shared through Pittsburgh Media Partnership, featured, among others, the Evans City Historical Society and its unique place in American cinematic history. However, it’s hardly the only organization in the county keeping record of the notable parts of its community’s past.

Across the county, small groups just like the one in Evans City work in conjunction with the county historical society or on their own to ensure the stories of their communities remain available for people to experience now and into the future.

Whether it’s Saxonburg and its ties to suspension bridge building, Butler and its ties to military transport or Harmony and its origins as a haven for those fleeing religious persecution, the county is steeped in a history that goes hand-in-hand with that of the nation as a whole.

Whether at the municipal, regional or county level, the organizations and individuals preserving our past — often largely through volunteer efforts and donations — should be applauded for their dedication to the important work they do and offered all the support we can give them.

— JP