diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk b/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
index 94c7bb8..8a852d4 100644
--- a/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/openpower-pels.mk
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 phosphor_log_manager_SOURCES += \
 	extensions/openpower-pels/bcd_time.cpp \
 	extensions/openpower-pels/entry_points.cpp \
-	extensions/openpower-pels/manager.cpp
-
+	extensions/openpower-pels/manager.cpp \
+	extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7611a75
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#include "private_header.hpp"
+
+#include <phosphor-logging/log.hpp>
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+using namespace phosphor::logging;
+
+PrivateHeader::PrivateHeader(Stream& pel)
+{
+    try
+    {
+        pel >> *this;
+        validate();
+    }
+    catch (const std::exception& e)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Cannot unflatten private header",
+                        entry("ERROR=%s", e.what()));
+        _valid = false;
+    }
+}
+
+void PrivateHeader::validate()
+{
+    bool failed = false;
+
+    if (header().id != privateHeaderSectionID)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Invalid private header section ID",
+                        entry("ID=0x%X", header().id));
+        failed = true;
+    }
+
+    if (header().version != privateHeaderVersion)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Invalid private header version",
+                        entry("VERSION=0x%X", header().version));
+        failed = true;
+    }
+
+    if (_sectionCount < minSectionCount)
+    {
+        log<level::ERR>("Invalid section count in private header",
+                        entry("SECTION_COUNT=0x%X", _sectionCount));
+        failed = true;
+    }
+
+    _valid = (failed) ? false : true;
+}
+
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph)
+{
+    s >> ph._header >> ph._createTimestamp >> ph._commitTimestamp >>
+        ph._creatorID >> ph._logType >> ph._reservedByte >> ph._sectionCount >>
+        ph._obmcLogID >> ph._creatorVersion >> ph._plid >> ph._id;
+    return s;
+}
+
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph)
+{
+    s << ph._header << ph._createTimestamp << ph._commitTimestamp
+      << ph._creatorID << ph._logType << ph._reservedByte << ph._sectionCount
+      << ph._obmcLogID << ph._creatorVersion << ph._plid << ph._id;
+    return s;
+}
+
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, CreatorVersion& cv)
+{
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(CreatorVersion); i++)
+    {
+        s >> cv.version[i];
+    }
+    return s;
+}
+
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, CreatorVersion& cv)
+{
+    for (size_t i = 0; i < sizeof(CreatorVersion); i++)
+    {
+        s << cv.version[i];
+    }
+    return s;
+}
+
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d9353ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/private_header.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,256 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "bcd_time.hpp"
+#include "section.hpp"
+#include "stream.hpp"
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+struct CreatorVersion
+{
+    uint8_t version[8];
+};
+
+static constexpr uint16_t privateHeaderSectionID = 0x5048; // 'PH'
+static constexpr uint16_t privateHeaderVersion = 0x01;
+static constexpr uint8_t minSectionCount = 2;
+
+/**
+ * @class PrivateHeader
+ *
+ * This represents the Private Header section in a PEL.  It is required,
+ * and it is always the first section.
+ *
+ * The Section base class handles the section header structure that every
+ * PEL section has at offset zero.
+ *
+ * The fields in this class directly correspond to the order and sizes of
+ * the fields in the section.
+ */
+class PrivateHeader : public Section
+{
+  public:
+    PrivateHeader() = delete;
+    ~PrivateHeader() = default;
+    PrivateHeader(const PrivateHeader&) = default;
+    PrivateHeader& operator=(const PrivateHeader&) = default;
+    PrivateHeader(PrivateHeader&&) = default;
+    PrivateHeader& operator=(PrivateHeader&&) = default;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Constructor
+     *
+     * Fills in this class's data fields from the stream.
+     *
+     * @param[in] pel - the PEL data stream
+     *
+     */
+    explicit PrivateHeader(Stream& pel);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the creation timestamp
+     *
+     * @return BCDTime& - the timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime& createTimestamp()
+    {
+        return _createTimestamp;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the commit time timestamp
+     *
+     * @return BCDTime& - the timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime& commitTimestamp()
+    {
+        return _commitTimestamp;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the creator ID field
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the creator ID
+     */
+    uint8_t& creatorID()
+    {
+        return _creatorID;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the log type field
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the log type
+     */
+    uint8_t& logType()
+    {
+        return _logType;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the section count field
+     *
+     * @return uint8_t& - the section count
+     */
+    uint8_t& sectionCount()
+    {
+        return _sectionCount;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the OpenBMC log ID field
+     *
+     * This is the ID the OpenBMC event log that corresponds
+     * to this PEL.
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t& - the OpenBMC event log ID
+     */
+    uint32_t& obmcLogID()
+    {
+        return _obmcLogID;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the Creator Version field
+     *
+     * @return CreatorVersion& - the creator version
+     */
+    CreatorVersion& creatorVersion()
+    {
+        return _creatorVersion;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the error log ID field
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t& - the error log ID
+     */
+    uint32_t& id()
+    {
+        return _id;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the platform log ID field
+     *
+     * @return uint32_t& - the platform log ID
+     */
+    uint32_t& plid()
+    {
+        return _plid;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the size of this section when flattened into a PEL
+     *
+     * @return size_t - the size of the section
+     */
+    static constexpr size_t flattenedSize()
+    {
+        return Section::flattenedSize() + sizeof(_createTimestamp) +
+               sizeof(_commitTimestamp) + sizeof(_creatorID) +
+               sizeof(_logType) + sizeof(_reservedByte) +
+               sizeof(_sectionCount) + sizeof(_obmcLogID) +
+               sizeof(_creatorVersion) + sizeof(_plid) + sizeof(_id);
+    }
+
+    friend Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph);
+    friend Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph);
+
+  private:
+    /**
+     * @brief Validates the section contents
+     *
+     * Updates _valid (in Section) with the results.
+     */
+    void validate() override;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The creation time timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime _createTimestamp;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The commit time timestamp
+     */
+    BCDTime _commitTimestamp;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The creator ID field
+     */
+    uint8_t _creatorID;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The log type field
+     */
+    uint8_t _logType;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief A reserved byte.
+     */
+    uint8_t _reservedByte;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The section count field, which is the total number
+     * of sections in the PEL.
+     */
+    uint8_t _sectionCount;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The OpenBMC event log ID that corresponds to this PEL.
+     */
+    uint32_t _obmcLogID;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The creator subsystem version field
+     */
+    CreatorVersion _creatorVersion;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The platform log ID field
+     */
+    uint32_t _plid;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The log entry ID field
+     */
+    uint32_t _id;
+};
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream extraction operator for the PrivateHeader
+ *
+ * @param[in] s - the stream
+ * @param[out] ph - the PrivateHeader object
+ */
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream insertion operator for the PrivateHeader
+ *
+ * @param[out] s - the stream
+ * @param[in] ph - the PrivateHeader object
+ */
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, PrivateHeader& ph);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream extraction operator for the CreatorVersion
+ *
+ * @param[in] s - the stream
+ * @param[out] cv - the CreatorVersion object
+ */
+Stream& operator>>(Stream& s, CreatorVersion& cv);
+
+/**
+ * @brief Stream insertion operator for the CreatorVersion
+ *
+ * @param[out] s - the stream
+ * @param[in] cv - the CreatorVersion object
+ */
+Stream& operator<<(Stream& s, CreatorVersion& cv);
+
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower
diff --git a/extensions/openpower-pels/section.hpp b/extensions/openpower-pels/section.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7214e17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/openpower-pels/section.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#pragma once
+#include "section_header.hpp"
+
+namespace openpower
+{
+namespace pels
+{
+
+/**
+ * @class Section
+ *
+ * The base class for a PEL section.  It contains the SectionHeader
+ * as all sections start with it.
+ *
+ */
+class Section
+{
+  public:
+    Section() = default;
+    virtual ~Section() = default;
+    Section(const Section&) = default;
+    Section& operator=(const Section&) = default;
+    Section(Section&&) = default;
+    Section& operator=(Section&&) = default;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns a reference to the SectionHeader
+     */
+    SectionHeader& header()
+    {
+        return _header;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Says if the section is valid.
+     */
+    bool valid() const
+    {
+        return _valid;
+    }
+
+  protected:
+    /**
+     * @brief Returns the flattened size of the section header
+     */
+    static constexpr size_t flattenedSize()
+    {
+        return SectionHeader::flattenedSize();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @brief Used to validate the section.
+     *
+     * Implemented by derived classes.
+     */
+    virtual void validate() = 0;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The section header structure.
+     *
+     * Filled in by derived classes.
+     */
+    SectionHeader _header;
+
+    /**
+     * @brief The section valid flag.
+     *
+     * This is determined by the derived class.
+     */
+    bool _valid = false;
+};
+} // namespace pels
+} // namespace openpower