Jenn,
Growing your own herbs and having them at hand when you want to use them is one of gardening's great joys! I'd suggest the following:
Find a spot in your yard that gets at least 6 hours of sunlight and has good drainage (if the drainage isn't so wonderful, you can make a raised bed, since even 3-4" will help). Most of the herbs you mention need more room than they will have in a strawberry jar.
The herbs you mentioned are all perennial except for the basil and parsley (which is biennial, but grown as an annual). Buy them once and you'll have them for years. The rosemary, thyme, and parsley are difficult to start from seed, so you may want to buy transplants. The others can be started from seed, preferably indoors with a dome for humidity. Frankly, if you don't mind spending a bit more to save a lot of time, just get transplants. You only need one of each variety unless you eat a LOT of basil!
Herbs are usually left alone by deer, chipmunks, etc. because of the strong taste. If you have pest predation, a short fence around the herbs should deter all but the deer, who probably would gag at the taste of the herbs anyway!
Don't fertilize. Herbs like a lean soil, and develop their distinctive tastes through adversity. Fertilizer gives big lush plants that taste blah.
A word about tarragon. Lovely herb, comes in three varieties that I know of. The Russian is invasive and has little taste. The French is beautiful, both to the eye and the tongue, but here in Texas it can't take the humidity. I don't know how humid SE Penn. is, so take that into consideration. There is a Mexican Mint Marigold, otherwise called Mexican tarragon (tagetes lucida) that has the taste of tarragon and can be used interchangeably with the French. It can take heat and humidity.
Herbs are addictive--soon you'll want marjoram, then lemon thyme, and that cute variegated oregano, and on and on. Go for it! I hope you enjoy your herb garden.

Thank you so much!!! My husband had agreed to give me some real estate in our fully fenced in raised garden for my herbs! I guess I should wait a little bit before planting plants from the nursery since we are still in the danger zone for frost? Oh and we have adversity...the soil is very much clay : ) I am going to go with transplants. They were only 2.99 each. The seeds were 1.89 so I am willing to pay a bit more for sure.

Jenn

Jenn,
Your husband is a gem! Since you are going with transplants, you are correct in saying you should wait until danger of frost is over. A frost won't kill most herbs (but it will basil!) but it will set them back a bit. Herbs generally like heat.
So glad you are going to have an herb garden. Let us know how it grows!