Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026:
PRESERVING THE PAST IN TIMES OF CHANGE
Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2022

Cover: (Left) Habersham Community Theater (Courtesy of Fox Theatre Institute); (Right) Peachtree Center, Atlanta; (Bottom) Lookout Mountain Hotel, Dade County.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026:
PRESERVING THE PAST IN TIMES OF CHANGE

Historic Preservation Division Georgia Department of Community Affairs 2022

CENTRAL OFFICE 60 EXECUTIVE PARK SOUTH, NE ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30329
404.679.4840

Credits
Editor: Jennifer Dixon
Prepared By: New South Associates, Inc.
Layout and Design: New South Associates, Inc.
Photography: HPD staff unless otherwise noted
Historic Preservation Planning Team: David Crass Jennifer Dixon Allison Asbrock Dona McKenzie

With Contributions From: Allison Asbrock Jennifer Bedell Stephanie Cherry-Farmer David Crass William Hover Melissa Jest Dona McKenzie Molly McLamb Stacy Rieke

Note: The quotations throughout were taken from responses to the 2022-2026 Georgia State Historic Preservation Plan public input survey conducted in 2021.

Department of Community Affairs Christopher Nunn, Commissioner Historic Preservation Division David Crass, Director
Allison Asbrock, Christy Atkins, Cynthia Catellier, Stephanie Cherry-Farmer, Moira Church, Jennifer Dixon, Effie Greer, Marah Grossman, Laura Beth Ingle, Paige Jennings, Melissa Jest, Aspen Kemmerlin, Dona McKenzie, Molly McLamb, John McLaughlin, Caitlyn McSwigan, Santiago Martinez, Rose Mayo, Hannah Murphey, Caroline Rainey, Camille Reed, Stacy Rieke, Leslie Spencer, Ayesha Tarek
Acknowledgments
This publication has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, through the Historic Preservation Division, Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Interior, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or consultants constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, or disability in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire more information, write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.


Table of Contents

Acronyms

i

Section I: Action Plan

1

Introduction

Accomplishments from the Previous Plan

4

Conclusion

17

A Snapshot of Georgia

18

Population Trends

19

Housing Trends

22

Transportation Trends

26

Agricultural Trends

27

Tourism Trends

28

Government Trends

33

Natural Hazards and Disaster Response Trends

38

Growth and Development Strategies

39

Partnerships

41

Conclusion

44

Mission, Vision, and Goals

46

A Community Centered Vision for Historic Preservation in Georgia

47

Goals, Objectives, and Strategies

47

Section II: Georgia's Historic and Archaeological Resources

57

Defining Historic Properties

58

What Makes a Property "Historic?"

58

How Do We Decide What is Historic?

59

How Are Properties Determined to Be Historic?

61

Conclusion

61

Georgia's Historic Resources

62

Buildings

62

Structures

65

Objects

65

Sites

66

Historic Districts

67

African American

68

Conclusion

69

Georgia's Archaeological Resources

70

Precontact Periods

71

Historic Periods

75

Conclusion

77

Historic Properties in Georgia

78

How Many Historic Properties Are in Georgia?

78

Why Do the Numbers of Historic Properties Change?

79

Why Are More Historic Properties Identified?

79

How Many Historic Properties Have Been Lost?

80

What's on the Horizon in Terms of "New" Historic Properties?

81

Conclusion

83

Section III: The Planning Process

85

Developing the Plan

86

Public Participation

87

Conclusion

96

References Consulted

99

Acronyms

ABPP American Battlefield Protection Program

ACHP Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

AGO America's Great Outdoors

ARC Atlanta Regional Commission

BLM Bureau of Land Management

BRAC Base Realignment and Closure

ii

BP Before Present

BRT Bus Rapid Transit

CDBG Community Development Block Grant

CLG Certified Local Government

DDA Downtown Development Association

ER Environmental Review

ESF Emergency Support Function

FAST Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act

FCC Federal Communications Commission

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FHWA Federal Highway Administration

GAAHPN Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network

GDA Georgia Downtown Association

GDAg Georgia Department of Agriculture

GDCA Georgia Department of Community Affairs

GDEcD Georgia Department of Economic Development

GDNR Georgia Department of Natural Resources

GDOT Georgia Department of Transportation

GEFA Georgia Environmental Finance Authority

GEMC Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

GEPA Georgia Environmental Policy Act

GFBF Georgia Farm Bureau Federation

GFC Georgia Forestry Commission

GIS Geographic Information System

GLCP Georgia Land Conservation Program

GMA Georgia Municipal Association

GNAHRGIS Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS

GNFA Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter

GPR Ground Penetrating Radar

GRHP Georgia Register of Historic Places

GSU Georgia Southern University

GTC Georgia Transmission Corporation

GTHP Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

HOPE Hands-On Preservation Experience

HPC Historic Preservation Commission

HPD Historic Preservation Division

HPF Historic Preservation Fund

HUD US Department of Housing and Urban Development

ITOS Information Technology and Outreach Services

LGBTQ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

MARTA Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NCPTT

National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

NCSHPO National Council of State Historic Preservation Officers

NHA National Heritage Area

NHPA National Historic Preservation Act

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

iii

NPI National Preservation Institute

NPS National Park Service

NRHP National Register of Historic Places

NRI Natural Resource Inventory

NRT National Recreation Trail

NTHP National Trust for Historic Preservation

PA Programmatic Agreement

POW Prisoner of War

REIT Real Estate Investment Trust

RUS Rural Utility Service

SAFETEA-LU Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users

SB Senate Bill

SEAC Southeastern Archaeological Conference

SERO Southeast Regional Office

SGA Society for Georgia Archaeology

SHPO State Historic Preservation Office

TBAG To Bridge a Gap

TCP Traditional Cultural Place

TIMO Timber Investment Management Organization

TPD Tourism Product Development

UGA University of Georgia

US United States

USACE US Army Corps of Engineers

USDA US Department of Agriculture

USFS US Forest Service

USFWS US Fish and Wildlife Service

Section I: Action Plan

Introduction
Georgia has a strong preservation constituency that works in partnership to protect our irreplaceable historic places. Like all of the US, Georgia faces challenging economic realities that continue to have an impact on the lives of its citizens. Preservationists need to continue to assess where we are, adjust our course, evaluate the choices we have made, and envision a better future. We need to reaffirm our vision of community, shared experiences, and shared heritage. It is a vision that blends treasuring our past with developing a new course for the future. It is a vision that includes people from all walks of life, joining forces to protect and use historic places in order to make Georgia a better place to live, work, and play.
Planning for our future must include planning for the preservation and protection of our heritage. Historic places and cultural patterns tell the story of who we are, those who came before us, and who we are becoming. Historic places are tangible evidence of Georgia's history. They give us a sense of place and a compelling reason to protect our history and share it with others. Historic places enhance the quality of people's lives, providing a continuous source of information about the past. They can be studied, interpreted, rehabilitated, and used to benefit present and future generations of Georgians and visitors to our state. Historic preservation also creates much-needed jobs and has positive benefits for the environment by utilizing existing resources, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

While the 2017-2021 preservation plan focused on technology and innovation in preservation, the undeniable

theme for this current plan is maintaining responsiveness to the mission of preservation through times of great

change. As in previous years, the need to continue to innovate will be a constant goal in the work of preservation,

and this goes along with the ability to adapt and stay flexible when facing change. Never before has the need for

technology been so pronounced as when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted during 2020, forcing many to begin

working from home, including the Georgia Historic Preservation Division (HPD) staff. As communities had to put

3

their preservation projects on hold during the pandemic, HPD staff were able to maintain supportive connections

with their constituents and work moved forward. Thanks to HPD's previous efforts in the realm of technology, much

of the day-to-day work was able to continue.

Another important change for HPD, also occurring in 2020, was the transition of HPD from the Georgia Department

of Natural Resources (GDNR) to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GDCA). During the 2020 legislative

session, as part of a wider governmental reorganization, the Georgia General Assembly transferred all State Historic

Preservation Office (SHPO)-related duties and personnel from GDNR to GDCA. Personnel associated with the Office

of the State Archaeologist (OSA) remained in GDNR as those duties relate primarily to

agency land management issues. HPD's administrative transition became effective July 1, 2020, and the division's physical move (including all its paper files) was completed in December 2020.

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?

HPD's move to GDCA was predicated on the agency's role leading the state's efforts to support local leaders in their efforts to build strong, vibrant communities. GDCA has a broad reach that includes comprehensive planning, safe and affordable housing, downtown development, community infrastructure, and economic development
finance. There are many programmatic intersections between HPD and the other divisions in GDCA, including in the areas of downtown development, deployment of federal pass-through funds requiring Section 106 review, tax credits, and the Main Street program, which has been

"Historic buildings give Georgia's cities a sense of place and tell the story and evolution of a place. The authenticity and craftsmanship that they hold cannot be reproduced. Understanding and creating ways to honor these truths through programs and incentives for historic rehabilitation is important as it is often more expensive to rehabilitate than to build new. It is a quality of life choice."

housed in GDCA since it's inception. As

this preservation plan goes to press, HPD is capitalizing on these

programmatic links to leverage, extend, and deepen our historic

preservation reach to Georgia's diverse communities.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026: Preserving the Past in Times of Change is the guiding document for the state historic preservation program administered by HPD. Our state plan covers the years 2022 through 2027. It follows the previous plan, Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2017-2021: Integrating Innovation with Preservation, and builds on its firm foundations.

The Historic Preservation Division moved to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in Atlanta in 2020.

Accomplishments from the Previous Plan

For the last five years, the goals and objectives of Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2017-2021: Integrating

Innovation with Preservation, served as a focus for many activities and initiatives that resulted in significant

accomplishments. These accomplishments were made while facing challenges in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic,

4

the economy, and many changes within HPD, including the transition of the division to GDCA. Additionally,

retirements, new hires, and a new office building, which required a rather complicated move required flexibility,

adaptation, and a re-focusing of our preservation mission. Many of the accomplishments

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?

highlighted here (and keyed to the goals and objectives from the previous plan) were possible because of the adaptability and resilience of HPD staff and, of course, the contributions of partners. As you review the following accomplishments, we invite you, our preservation partners and fellow Georgians, to consider how these goals may align with your own projects.

"We have to understand our history to understand where we are today and where we want to go. We need to tell all stories of Georgia's rich past."

Archaeology In an effort to build a larger, more diverse constituency, HPD Archaeology participated in several public-facing GDNR activities throughout 2017-2019. Each October, the GDNR Coastal Resources Division sponsors Coastfest, an event which highlights coastal Georgia's natural

resources. Over 70 organizations throughout the southeast converge in Brunswick to provide

fun, interactive exhibits and displays that people of all ages can enjoy. From 2017- 2019, HPD

set up a booth in order to educate the general public about Georgia's archaeological resources. In addition, HPD

employees who were accepted into GDNR's Leadership Academy, also helped to provide general support for

the event. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.4, 2.A.1, 2.A.2, 2.B.1).

Originally commencing in spring of 2010, Georgia Southern University (GSU) continued archaeological investigations at Camp Lawton, a Civil War prisoner of war camp located at Magnolia Springs State Park and adjacent lands managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Since then, GSU archaeologists have conducted additional field schools at the site, with the intention of defining the boundaries of the stockade at Camp Lawton, locating buildings that may have been associated with the functioning of the camp, and finally expanding investigations to the broader agrarian community that existed near the camp during the 19th century. During the Spring and Summers of 2017-2019, the field school concentrated on completing metal detection and shovel test surveys of Camp Lawton. A segment of each field school concentrated on public education by providing opportunities for the surrounding community to participate in public archaeology days as well as public lectures. So far, the data produced from archaeological work at Camp Lawton has provided for seven research papers, multiple master's theses, numerous published articles, one chapter in a forthcoming edited volume, as well as collaborations with interested stakeholders. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.4, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.A.2, 2.B.1).

Weekend for Wildlife visitors at The Harrington School, a ca.1920's one-room school house for African Americans that has been rehabilitated as an education and community center.

HPD provided support to the GDNR Wildlife Resources Division yearly fundraising event, Weekend for Wildlife. Participants to the event signed up for excursions lead by GDNR subject matter experts that provide a unique chance to learn about the culture, history, and ecology of Georgia's coastal region. For the last several years, HPD-led tours focused on African American coastal resources, including visits to various Gullah-Geechee related

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

sites. The 2017 excursion included excavating shovel test pits in an effort to locate structural remains from the

servant's housing at Red Row on Jekyll Island. The 2019 and 2020 archaeology trips included a mix of African

American archaeological sites, cemeteries, Ibo Landing, as well as the Harrington School. Cultural resources

related to the Spanish Invasion of Georgia were highlighted during the 2018 tour. This trip included educational

tours to Ft. Frederica, the Horton House, as well as the location of the Battle of Bloody Marsh, which took place

during the War of Jenkin's Ear in 1742. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.4, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.A.2, 2.B.1).

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In an effort to facilitate the delivery of transportation projects in the state of Georgia, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Savannah District, and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) commenced the development of a Programmatic Agreement (PA) for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), in coordination with HPD and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP). Development of the PA sought to establish procedures for Section 106 compliance for federal-aid projects administered by FHWA by formalizing and streamlining current protocols. Additionally, the PA sought to develop procedures for Section 106 compliance on state-funded projects that require a permitting action through USACE. HPD Archaeology, along with colleagues from GDOT, USACE, and FHWA, held a roundtable discussion at the To Bridge A Gap (TBAG) Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2018 to help address questions or concerns from our Tribal partners. (2017-2021 Goals 2.A.2, 2.B.2, 2.B.3).

HPD Archaeology focused heavily on enhancing established working relationships with the 20 or so federally recognized Tribal Nations that have ancestral homelands in Georgia. In addition to officially designating a Tribal Liaison and prior to moving to GDCA, HPD fostered the creation of an agency-wide Tribal Consultation Committee. The purpose of the committee was to establish meaningful relationships between the Tribes and GDNR, as well as foster communication and coordination within GDNR for tribal-related concerns. The committee consisted of two HPD representatives who have worked with Tribal Nations for several years, as well as a representative from each GDNR division having land management responsibilities. During the 2020 fiscal year, HPD's Tribal Liaison completed the organization of a three-day Tribal Consultation between GDNR representatives and the Tribal Nations. The agenda was created with tribal input and included topics such as Native American Graves and Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) compliance, cultivating and harvesting traditional plants, and Section 106 compliance concerns. The consultation was originally scheduled to occur at George T. Bagby State Park in May of 2020 but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (2017-2021 Goals 2.A.2, 2.A.3, 2.B.3).

HPD archaeology partnered with UGA and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to organize a workshop focusing on implementation of NAGPRA during the 2019 Southeastern Archaeological Conference (SEAC), held in Jackson, Mississippi. Recognizing the need to initiate, develop, and sustain working relationships between practitioners of NAGPRA, the interactive workshop was a first step in fostering a NAGPRA community of practice within the southeast. The workshop was facilitated by experienced practitioners representing federal agencies and tribes, curators and collections managers, and agencies and institutions considered to be museums. Discussions focused on common issues, practical advice, potential solutions, and the day-to-day realities of implementing NAGPRA. Although the event was originally geared toward individuals who are currently active or soon to be actively engaged with NAGPRA, registration was also expanded to include participation of university students. A recent outcome from this workshop lead to the formation of the Southeastern NAGPRA Community of Practice (SNACP), a community of practitioners who meet (virtually) every two months to discuss ongoing NAGPRArelated topics (2017-2021 Goals 2.A.2, 2.B.1, 2.B.3).

Environmental Review (ER) Between 2017 through 2020 the number of team members and management in the ER section remained
steady at four ER Historians and one Program Manager, which allowed the team to maintain, and even improve, response times during the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.3, 2.B.3).

6

The ER section also saw an increase in the number of projects received from 2017 to 2020 of approximately

37%. During this period, the ER section logged in approximately 7,700 total projects for review under S106 of

the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), GEPA, and State Stewardship and approximately 22,390 separate

reviews: that's an average of approximately 1,925 new projects received and approximately 5,598 separate

(archaeology and history) reviews completed each year. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.C.3, 2.B.3).

From 2017 to 2020, the ER section updated and streamlined the applicant's Environment Review Form and expanded its guidance for the review of communication towers, the production of Permanent Archival Records (PARs), and the resolution of adverse effects. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.C.3, 2.B.3).

HPD continued to work closely with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure the thorough

and efficient review of federal projects through the Section 106 review process. To that end, new PA's

were executed and existing PA's continued to be implemented to aid in streamlining the process for

Signing of the transportation-related projects statewide project reviews within the past five years. Notably, HPD entered into a first-of-its-kind in the nation

PA in 2019.

PA among FHWA, USACE, ACHP, and GDOT in 2019 to facilitate the review of transportation-related

projects statewide. HPD also continued participation in many nationwide PAs, such as the US Department of

Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development PA, National Park Service's (NPS) American Battlefield Protection Program

(ABPP) agreement, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Nationwide PA. HPD signed an extension

of the USDA Rural Utility Service's (RUS) PA concerning construction and modification of energy transmission

facilities statewide and an extension of the U.S. Department of Energy's statewide PA. HPD continues to

participate in the statewide Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Recovery PA and in 2019

began participation in a statewide addendum to the FEMA PA which includes US Department of Housing and

Urban Development`s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program participants. In

2020, HPD began discussions on developing PA's to address Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Yutu and a PA

for Fort Gordon to support their mission change from a signal to a cyber school. Also in 2020, HPD provided

comments related to the USACE reissuance of multiple nationwide permits. HPD also looks forward to continued

consultation to finalize an updated PA for USDA National Resources Conservation Services projects. (2017-2021

Goals 1.A.2, 1.C.3, 2.B.3).

The State Stewardship program, which requires state agencies to identify and protect state-owned and/or -administered historic properties, continues as an important preservation tool. Of particular note, HPD's role under this program has been refined within the last five years in order to make it clear that our review and comments are advisory and that they are offered only when a state agency has determined a project could impact historic properties and requests our review. This refinement has led to a decline in HPD reviews under State Stewardship overall, mainly due to a large number of this type of review now being handled solely by the OSA. Additionally, the cultural resources manager at one of our biggest State Stewardship partners, the Georgia Board of Regents (BOR), recently retired and the BOR is currently searching for a replacement (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.B.5, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.B.3).

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

HPD continues to review state-funded projects for some state agencies under the Georgia Environmental Policy

Act (GEPA), which recommends that state agencies consider the effects their projects could have on historic

properties, similar to Section 106 of the NHPA. Projects funded through GDCA's Low Income Housing Tax Credit

program and GDNR's Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program are reviewed by HPD under GEPA. GEPA continues

to exclude GDOT projects that are under a certain funding amount from completing consultation with HPD.

The effects of this exclusion on historic properties is not fully known; however, a number of these state-funded

7

projects also require a USACE permit, which triggers a project review under Section

106. The review of these state-funded projects is conducted efficiently according to the PA noted above between the USACE, FHWA, ACHP, GDOT, and HPD. Additionally, a contract, updated in 2020, between GDOT and HPD for FHWA projects continues to provide opportunities between our agencies to benefit preservation in the state. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.B.5, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.B.3).

What do you consider are the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?

Given the high and growing number of projects reviewed by the ER program under Section 106, GEPA, and State Stewardship over the last five years, it is inevitable that some of those projects resulted in an adverse effect/significant impact determination. Although adverse effects are few and far between, the willingness of applicants and agencies to engage in creative and thorough mitigation when

"Balancing development with preservation, particularly with historical/cultural resources that cannot be easily seen (for instance archeaological resources or community memory)."

a project adversely effected historic properties has resulted in several outstanding

examples of mitigation efforts during this time period. Examples include public and

educational outreach efforts that brought students and community members (virtually) into an archaeological

dig, which is documented in the Facebook group "2021 Archaeological Excavation at Parker Plantation" and a

variety of preservation-related activities, including at seven historic properties located along the Bartow Black

History Trail in Bartow County. These included improvements at the Noble Hill Rosenwald School in Cassville, the

Summer Hill Rosenwald School in Cartersville, and to the Black Pioneers Cemetery in Euharlee. (2017-2021 Goals

1.A.2, 1.B.5, 2.A.1, 2.A.2, 2.A.3, 2.B.1, 2.B.3).

Transportation Enhancement (TE) projects, funded variously under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) Grant, and/or the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act beginning in 2005 through 2015, have been undertaken by GDOT and reviewed by HPD statewide. As of the end of 2020, the last 35 TE projects are nearing completion and final HPD review. TE projects have included streetscape and pedestrian facility improvements, train depot rehabilitations, the enhancement/construction of greenways and multi-use trails, and highway interchange beautification projects, among others, in urban, rural, and suburban communities all over the state. (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.3, 2.B.3).

The program comment (PC) for Army Inter-War Era Historic Housing, Associated Buildings and Structures and Landscape Features (19191940) was issued by the ACHP in July 2020. HPD provided several rounds of comments related to this PC as it was being drafted and notes its applicability, for example, for future reviews of a large grouping of this type of historic resource particularly at Fort Benning. Similarly, HPD provided comments during the drafting phase of the Veteran Administration's Vacant and Underutilized Properties PC that was issued
The Noble Hill Rosenwald School in Cassville. (Source: Jimmy Emerson, Flickr)

by the ACHP in October 2018. HPD has also provided consultation on the proposed FCC program comment

to address potential collocations on "twilight towers" nationwide. Twilight towers are cellular communication

towers constructed across the U.S., including in Georgia, between March 16, 2001 and March 7, 2005. These

towers did not undergo review under Section 106 of the NHPA at the time they were constructed, and many

have still not undergone after-the-fact review. In 2020, the ACHP declined to comment on the FCC's request

8

to issue the program comment, but committed to continuing to work with the FCC, SHPOs, and Tribal Historic

Preservation Offices to resolve the issue of collocation on the "twilight towers." HPD continues to utilize the

Positive Train Control (PTC) program comment to address these project reviews. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.C.3,

2.B.3).

In 2019 and 2020, the ER program continued its use of technology by rebuilding our tracking system for a third time. This third re-vamp addressed a growing concern with the existing technology platform, as well as to move further toward an all-digital process. Additionally, minimum reporting capabilities were added to the system during this process so that annual reports required by federal and state agencies can be more easily completed (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2).

While the groundwork was laid for a digital submittal process, the system and the team were not quite ready in early 2020 to "go live" with the process due to the need to work out kinks as well as lay further groundwork for an external submission portal. In March 2020, however, HPD's traditional workflow was disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and by mid-March all HPD staff were working remotely from home. Before the pandemic, ER had a mostly paper-based project review process and most materials were physically mailed to the HPD office for processing and review. A quick shift from paper to electronic materials was necessary to keep reviews on track and within the mandated 30-day review window once the full extent of the pandemicrelated quarantine situation was understood. While the pandemic forced ER to "go digital" quicker than planned, the ER section is proud that, considering the circumstances, the process has gone very smooth. Because of HPD's recent technical infrastructure improvements, the ER team was able to meet this unexpected challenge and smoothly transitioned to a mainly digital review process. Until the external submission portal is complete, however, submittals are received via email (with programmatic emails coming soon from our new Department) and submittals are attached to the project in the system, allowing for any reviewer to access the documentation for a project whether working in the office or from home. The ER team looks forward to expanding opportunities for efficient digital review options over the next five years (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2).

HPD has continued training for the ER program within the past five years, sending staff in person to National Preservation Institute (NPI), NPS, GDOT, FHWA, and ACHP training, along with regional and national National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO) meetings (pre-pandemic). Multiple site visits for various projects were also completed (pre-pandemic) throughout the past five years allowing reviewers a more complete understanding of projects, including NPS, FHWA, and FCC projects. During the pandemic, ER training transitioned to digital formats with programs offered through engaging with the ACHP's, NPI's, and HUD's digital training modules. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 2.B.1).

Concurrent with staff education, HPD has continued training for the public and consultants involved in the ER process within the past five years, presenting at GDCA, HUD, FCC, and NPS training sessions, along with more local Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and similar organization trainings (pre-pandemic). ER staff has also presented at digital events during the pandemic, including GDCA's Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) digital training conference and NPS biannual meetings. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 2.B.1).

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

ER staff also engages in GDCA's weekly "Training Thursday" digital events to learn more about the different divisions within GDCA and the agency's mission and goals. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 2.B.1).

Identification and Evaluation of Historic Properties

Georgia remains one of the highest-ranked states in the number of listings in the National Register of Historic

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Places (NRHP). In September 2016, Georgia had 2,133 NRHP listings with 82,601 contributing resources. As of

March 2021, Georgia NRHP listings increased to 2,181 comprising 86,934 contributing

resources. Highlights of this past planning cycle included amendments and

expansions of several large historic districts listed more than 20 years ago, such as Old Town Brunswick Historic District in Brunswick, Glynn County, and Fort Frederica on St. Simon's Island, as well as the listing of new types and eras of properties, such as the Peachtree Center Historic District, the nationally significant work of developerarchitect John Portman, in 2018. That district's period of significance is one of the most recent ever to be listed in the National Register in Georgia, ending in 1988. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.B.4).

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"Educate myself about resources and opportunities then share the information with local organizations."

Georgia has invested significant time and effort into facilitating the evaluation of historic resources via nomination to the National Register over the past five years. Beginning in 2018, the National Register program embarked on a reorganization aimed at streamlining our state's nomination process, facilitating more nominations while maintaining nomination quality, and expanding the state's already diverse spectrum of nomination types and sponsors. The program's workflow was overhauled; all program forms and internal guidance reevaluated and where appropriate, revised; and new and additional training and outreach implemented. The full effects of this reorganization will continue to develop long-term, however, nominations are being more efficiently and effectively advanced, and the program's long-held high standard for nomination quality, sustained. The program's expanded approachability and clarity is engendering an increase in the volume of nominations from underrepresented areas of the state, and of underrepresented property types and associations. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.2, 2.A.3).

The Garden Club of Georgia's Historic Landscape Preservation Committee continued through a collaboration between the Garden Club of Georgia, HPD, Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center, NPS Southeast Regional Office (SERO), American Society of Landscape Architects, Georgia Municipal Association, the

Brunswick City Hall, Glynn County.

University of Georgia College of Environment+ Design, and Georgia Department of Economic Development

(GDEcD) to support the state's historic landscapes. HPD continued to partner with the Garden Club of Georgia's

Historic Landscape Preservation Committee in two initiatives, the Historic Landscape Initiative (GHLI) and the

Historic Landscape Preservation Grants. One goal of the GHLI is to promote the research and documentation

of a diverse range of Georgia's historic landscapes and gardens. Using the volume Garden History of Georgia,

10

1733- 1933 as a framework, garden club members and Cherokee Garden Library fellows determined which of

the book's significant gardens remained, which had been destroyed, and what changes had occurred to those

still in existence. This effort was completed in 2018 and resulted in the University of Georgia Press book, Seeking

Eden: A Collection of Georgia Historic Gardens by Staci L. Catron and Mary Ann Eaddy with photographs by James

R. Lockhart in 2018. In 2018, the GHLI initiated Phase 2 of its landscape documentation program focusing on

vernacular landscapes. As of October 2021, 204 historic landscapes have been documented. (2017-2021 Goals

1.A.1, 1.A.5, 1.C.3, 2.A.1).

Efforts toward the formal identification and evaluation of Georgia's mid-20th century buildings continue. The consensus guidelines for documenting and evaluating ranch houses, developed in 2010 by HPD, GDOT, Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC), and various consultants, continue to be recognized nationally and inspire interest in National Register nomination for Georgia neighborhoods with a high concentration of mid-20th century residences. The Longview-Huntley Hills Historic District in DeKalb County (768 properties), the Carver Village Historic District in Chatham County (608 properties), and the Dixville Historic District in Glynn County (156 properties), were listed between 2017 and 2019, and other similar nominations are currently in progress. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1,1.B.4).

As part of ongoing efforts to develop a methodology for analyzing commercial resources dating to the mid-20th century and forward, the City of Atlanta, in partnership with Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, secured a Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant to develop a context study for downtown Atlanta resources built between 1945 and 1990, a time period during which this city underwent unprecedented development. This context, entitled Modern Downtown Atlanta: 1945-1990, along with a National Register of

The Modern Downtown Atlanta: 1945-1990 context, completed in 2018.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form of the same title, was completed in 2018. Additionally, multiple mid-20th century commercial resources and districts that include high concentrations of such have been successfully listed in the National Register during this cycle. As these resources increasingly become historic, an informed analysis of their significance within a local and regional context will be imperative to accurately assess preservation opportunities and challenges, and facilitate their documentation and recognition (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.B.4.)
11
In 2014, HPD, in conjunction with several of our partners, including NPS' SERO and UGA's College of Environment and Design, began a new initiative to broaden our understanding of the landscaped yard of the 18th to 20th centuries and better recognize vernacular landscapes in general within the National Register program, which has continued to date. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.5, 1.C.3).
Recognizing that progressive guidelines and contexts, such as those developed for the ranch house, provide useful models for substantial expansion of the 1991 Georgia's Living Places: Historic Houses and their Landscaped Settings, initial steps toward further development of this context were taken. In 2018, draft modules of this expansion were developed for the bungalow and the American Small House and are currently going through multiple rounds of review. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.5).
Georgia has prioritized focus on Criterion D, and the intersection of information potential, archaeology, and the National Register, during the past five years. Targeted and creative outreach has facilitated an increased rate of nominations of battlefields, cemeteries, districts, and individual resources statewide under this criterion, and a strong partnership with the GDNR, OSA connects property advocates and nomination sponsors with the necessary technical assistance to support these projects. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.5, 1.B.1).
During the past five years, the number of surveyed historic buildings in HPD's computerized database increased from 107, 200 to 118, 685. This increase was due in large measure to the continuation of the innovative "FindIt" field survey partnership with the Georgia Transmission Corporation, or GTC (an electrical utility company), and the Center for Community Design and Preservation at the University of Georgia's (UGA) College of Environment and Design. As part of its Section 106 compliance activities under USDA, GTC provides funding for an expanded field survey program. Surveys are carried out by the Center for Community Design and Preservation and survey data is recorded in HPD's web-based geographic information system known as Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS

The innovative FindIt survey program continues to expand identified historic resources throughout the state.

Historic resources surveys are important in identifying historic buildings such as this modern building located in LaGrange.

(GNAHRGIS). The ongoing partnership between HPD, GDOT's Offices of Environmental Services, and Information Technology and Outreach Services (ITOS) of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA continues to oversee and implement the system. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.2, 1.A.5, 1.C.3).

HPD has continued to prioritize historic resources survey as an eligible activity for HPF grant support, enabling

12

historic resources survey in many communities that have not undertaken such in decades. Expanded guidance

materials completed in 2020, including a revised Georgia Historic Resources Survey Manual, have helped to

facilitate survey and standardize deliverables. During 2018, HPD implemented a new program aimed at

encouraging locally funded survey work, helping to better meet the needs of communities that are willing

and able to undertake historic resources survey outside of the HPF grant program. A complete inventory and

analysis of HPD's survey archives, completed in 2020, has improved access to and analysis of older, non-digitized

survey data, thereby facilitating resurvey statewide. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.A.5).

Throughout the last five years, Georgia has become integral in the Traditional Cultural Places (TCPs) discussion happening nationwide as exemplified by the recent NRHP nomination sponsored by GDOT for a boundary expansion of the NRHP-listed New Echota near Calhoun in Gordon County. This nomination will be the state's first to explore a place's traditional cultural significance. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1,1.A.4).

Recognizing that geographic information systems (GIS) technology is continuously evolving, Georgia continues to identify and harness opportunities to enhance GNAHRGIS. Enhancements during the past five years include: improved resurveying capabilities; improved search and reporting capabilities; and improvements to the retention of "legacy" survey data when previously surveyed properties are resurveyed. In 2020, HPD embarked on a multi-year GNAHRGIS enhancements project aimed at increasing the system's usability and ensuring its sustainability. Enhancements underway include a database rebuild that will simplify data input and allow querying. Advances in mapping and development will improve the quality of the dataset overall, and allow for new digitization initiatives, such as reconnaissance survey, district/polygon entry, and collection of survey data via field application. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.A.5).

Preservation Grants and Tax Incentives Georgia continues to be a leader in promoting federal and state preservation tax incentives. Georgia has seen
a regular increase of new tax projects in the last few years and ranks among the top 10 states in the number of certified projects annually. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.2).

Fort Screvens Enlisted Men's Barracks, Tybee Island. (Source: Andrew Frazier, Ward Architects)

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

In State Fiscal Years covered by the previous plan (2017 through 2021), tax incentive program activity in Georgia included completion of 305 projects. The economic impact of these projects includes direct private investment of nearly $592 million, creating or supporting over 9,000 jobs, and backing personal income earnings of over $256 million. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.2).

In May 2021, the Georgia General Assembly made changes to the State Income Tax Credit for Rehabilitated

13

Historic Property. Senate Bill (SB) 6 extended two additional categories of projects, subject to an annual cap, and

the sale of earned tax credits. The law also added an annual cap for projects

earning less than $300,000 in credits. The amended law went into effect July

2021. Beginning in January 2022, projects earning $300,000 or less are limited

to a statewide cap of $5 million for all projects. Projects earning over $300,000

in credits are capped at a statewide limit of $25M. SB 6 is in effect through

calendar year 2022, at which point it expires. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.2).

In an effort to promote the new state tax credit, as well as Georgia's other tax incentives programs, HPD averaged at least 10 presentations a year within the past five years, to homeowner associations, local HPCs, local governments, nonprofits, and real estate associations (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.2, 1.B.3. 2.A.1, 2.B.1, 2.B.2, 2.B.3).

In 2019, the tax incentives program expanded its use of technology with a more flexible and sustainable database to track tax incentive projects. The new database allows for easier and quicker access to project information as well as reporting functionality. The new database system has also allowed the development of an electronic state application which will begin testing in the near future and will be implemented in 2021. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.B.2).

Braselton Cotton Gin Tax Credit Project.

Georgia's preservation grants program assisted in the recognition and rehabilitation of many of Georgia's historic properties. From 2017 to 2021, a total of 41 projects were awarded $479,881 through the federal HPF Grant Program. The HPF grant program funds all types of planning, survey/National Register, information/education, and sitespecific predevelopment grants for Georgia's federally-designated CLGs. Beginning in 2013, development grant projects for properties listed in the NRHP also became an eligible activity, with the requirement that an eligible property have an existing planning document, such as a preservation plan, conditions assessment report, or feasibility study. From 2013 to 2021, 13 projects have been awarded $220,289 for development activities ranging from window/plaster/foundation/water damage repair to gateway rehabilitation and tree removal within a historic cemetery. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.2).

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"Connect people to the appropriate resources and keep abreast of development in my local community."

From 2017 to 2021, 10 projects were awarded $103,715 through the Georgia Heritage Grant Program. This state-funded program provides predevelopment and development (bricks-and-mortar) grants to both local governments and non-profits for the rehabilitation of historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the Georgia and NRHP. Since 2009, this grant program has been funded solely through the revenue generated from the sale of Georgia's preservation license plates, which are currently being redesigned. (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.1, 2.A.1).

Two additional sources of grant funding became available in 2019 through the NPS' Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF): one for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria Recovery and another for Florence, Yutu and Michael Recovery. HPD applied for these grant funds to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Michael in 2018. (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.1, 2.B.2, 2.B.3).
14
Preservation Planning HPD continued to expand the CLG program. Four new communities were certified in the past five years, for a
statewide total of 99 CLGs as of April 2021. Multiple training opportunities were offered in partnership with a wide variety of state and local partners including the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA, Downtown Development Association (DDA), GDCA, Georgia Downtown Association (GDA), Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), the Georgia Alliance of Preservation Commissions, and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation (GTHP), in an effort to reach new audiences. CLG grants have also been used in part to facilitate participation by cashstrapped local governments. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.3, 2.A.1).
Within the past five years, many more county and city governments completed comprehensive plans that include a historic preservation component, bringing the total well into the hundreds. In addition to this planning practice, regional commissions across Georgia began developing regionally important resource plans that include historic and archaeological resources. Regional preservation planners throughout the state have assisted communities and contributed in these endeavors. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.B.3, 1.B.5, 2.B.3).

Historic Preservation Division

Volume XVII, No. 2

August 2021

As Above so below: The Promised lAnd of GwinneTT CounTy

John McLaughlin, Contributor Candidate for Masters of Arts, Anthropology with emphasis in Archaeology, Georgia State University

Publications and Outreach
HPD's monthly electronic newsletter Preservation Posts, featuring articles written by staff on a variety of preservation subjects, continues to draw new subscribers and positive reviews. In the beginning of 2016, guest columns on similar topics have been added to the newsletter line-up bringing additional insight and interest to preservation in Georgia. These electronic media improvements have enabled HPD to present preservation-related information to a wider audience. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.B, 2.A).

Freedman Robert Livsey transformed the Maquire Farm worked by enslaved ancestors into a haven for Black economic mobility.

Photo Credit: HPD/Melissa Jest

At first glance, it would be easy to consider the Maguire-Livsey House as just another old, country, home in need of repair in its suburban location just outside of Snellville, Georgia. Yet the history and legacy of this African American farmstead is remarkable and irreplacable for its time and its potential as an archaeological resource.
With nearly 200 years of cultivation and occupation, the Promised Land has a rich historical value testifying to all periods of the African and African American experience. This also suggests that the site may serve as a significant archaeological site, perhaps even garnering listing on the National Register under its Criterion D.

government in 2016.1 Over time, the Livseys built a thriving community that supported the local Black residents with access to food, education, spirituality, and day to day services. With Gwinnett County currently attempting to preserve the farm, also known as The Promised Land, it is important to spotlight the individuals that created it this oasis in the middle of the Jim Crow era. The Maguire-Livsey farm was originally established by Thomas Maguire, a white Irish immigrant who came to America in 1818. He acquired 250 acres in the 1820 Georgia land lottery2 and
1 Yeomans, Curt. "Promised Land house purchase seen as big win for Gwinnett history." Gwinnett Daily Post. Promised Land house purchase seen as

constructed a plantation that produced cotton, corn, wheat, cattle and livestock. The property was one of the few that survived the destruction of the Civil War, and in fact, Maguire's diary informed much of Margrett Mitchell's novel "Gone With the Wind."3 Maguire retained ownership of the property until 1886. After a period of serving as a tenant farm,4
County's Black History: The Promised Land Black Gwinnett Magazine. Accessed 4/18/2021. 3 Estep, Tyler. "Gwinnett's Promised Land, a plantation turned beloved Black community." Atlanta Journal Constitution. Gwinnett restoring plantation home that became hub of black life (ajc.com). Accessed 4/14/2021. 4 Tenants typically bring their own tools and animals. To that extent it is distinguished from being a sharecropper, which is a tenant farmer who usually provides no capital and pays fees with crops. Wikipedia con-

The historic main house and adjacent farm big win for Gwinnett history | News | gwinnettdai-

tributors (2021 June 5), "Tenant farmer," Wikipedia,

was owned by the Livsey family since 1920 until it was sold to the Gwinnett County

lypost.com. Accessed 4/14/2021 2 Livsey, Tom. "There is a Real Promised Land in Georgia!" Black Gwinnett Magazine. Gwinnett

The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/ index.php?title=Tenant_farmer&oldid=1027054925 (accessed June 22, 2021).

Reflections is HPD's African American Program quarterly newsletter.

HPD continues to host an annual photo contest for Preservation Month to engage members of the public interested in preservation and to celebrate the state's historic resources. A different resource theme is selected each year, and so far themes have included State Historic Sites, Mid-Century Modern, downtown Georgia, Civil War, railroads, theaters, cemeteries, and barns. Since the contest's inception, photos submitted have been viewed by thousands of people across each of HPD's electronic media platforms. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.2, 1.B, 2.A, 2.B).
HPD's African American Program (AAP) continued to contribute to the use of electronic media by utilizing a digital format to publish the Reflections quarterly newsletter, which began in 2011. The publication has documented hundreds of Georgia's African American historic resources since its inception in 2000. Past articles are indexed and searchable on HPD's website. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.2, 2.A.1, 2.A.3).

HPD's partnerships increased during the past five years. HPD staff regularly presented a variety of preservation topics at conferences, meetings, and trainings hosted by GMA,

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

GDCA-Office of Downtown Development, GDEcD, ARC, and GDA. Additionally, HPD participated in the Main

Street Institute, Georgia Downtown Conference, and Georgia's DDA Training to reach the broader audience

involved directly with local communities across Georgia. HPD staff also partnered with the Tourism Division of

GDEcD through resource teams that focused on individual communities to provide direct assistance for tourism

development. Due to these efforts, state agencies are able to provide technical assistance in integrating historic

preservation as part of tourism and economic development strategies at the local level. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A,

15

1.B.3, 1.B.51.C.3, 2.A).

HPD also promoted and assisted more than 20 local, regional, and statewide preservation non-profit organizations throughout Georgia in the past five years. Many of these organizations, including Historic Columbus, GTHP, and the Georgia Alliance of Historic Preservation Commissions, offer training in conjunction with HPD. Additionally, HPD assisted preservation non-profits by promoting their events on HPD's website along with participating in many of the events. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A, 1.B.3, 1.B.51.C.3, 2.A).

In partnership with Georgia Farm Bureau Federation (GFBF), GFC, Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter (GNFA), Georgia Electric Membership Corporation (GEMC), and Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDAg), HPD honored 101 additional historic family farms through the Centennial Farm program in the past five years, bringing the total number of Centennial Farms in Georgia to 583 as of March 2021. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A, 2.A.1, 2.B).

HPD continued to partner with the Garden Club of Georgia in two initiatives, the Historic Landscape Initiative, noted above, and the Historic Landscape Preservation Grants. HPD supports these initiatives along with Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center, NPS SERO, UGA, the Atlanta Preservation Center, American Society of Landscape Architects, Georgia Municipal Association, and GDEcD to identify and support the state's historic landscapes. The grant program awards annual grants for the preservation of the state's historic gardens and landscapes. HPD continues to support the preservation grants by advertising the grant application, supporting potential applicants, and reviewing grant applications. From 1998 through 2018, over $213,000 in matching grants were awarded to ninety projects in forty-four Georgia counties. This project continues to promote the preservation, enjoyment, continued use, and management of individual properties in accordance with national standards. (2017-2021 Goals 1.A.1, 1.A.5, 1.C.3, 2.A.1).

Cherry Grove School, Wilkes County (Source: The News-Reporter)

In 2017, HPD reestablished the Annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. HPD partners with the

GTHP, the Georgia Alliance of Preservation Commissions, and local partners to host a 3-day conference

with lectures, site visits, and tours to educate and inform preservation professionals. One track of this

conference provides specialized training for HPCs, while the tours and site visits showcase preservation

16

successes of the local host community. Conferences have been held in Madison, Macon, and Rome, with a virtual conference in 2020 and 2021. Approximately 250 individuals attend each year. (2017-2021 Goals

1.A, 1.B.3, 1.B.51.C.3, 2.A).

In partnership with the Fox Theatre Institute, and the Georgia Department of Community's Main Street Program, HPD completed phase three of the Georgia Historic Theatres' project. This phase surveyed all historic theatres identified from previous phases to identify operational, programmatic, and infrastructure needs of operating historic theatres in the state. The Fox Theatre Institute has used the results of this study to feed resources into their grant programs. (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.B.3).

The AAP at HPD continues to serve as a technical information resource on Georgia's historic resources from sacred burial grounds to historically Black districts to former segregated schools. AAP recommended Georgia's top five Rosenwald school properties for inclusion in a 2019 federal special study regarding the creation of a Julius Rosenwald/Rosenwald School National Historical Park. (2017-2021 Goals 1.B.1, 2.A.3, 2.B.1).

AAP identified and assessed dozens of historic resources as the historic preservation reviewer on several assessment teams conducted from 2017-2020 by the Georgia Tourism Product Development (TPD)

GAAHPN Coordinator Melissa Jest and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Dr. Dave Crass led the recent Gullah Experience tour on St. Simons as part of GDNR's Weekend for Wildlife fundraiser
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

program and as a reviewer for the Georgia Council of the Arts' inaugural Cultural Facilities Grant program in 2020. Both of these programs are under the state Department of Economic Development. (2017-2021 Goals 2.A.1, 2.A.3, 2.B.2, 2.B.3).

AAP successfully brought new funding to boost emerging and ongoing African American preservation

projects in Georgia and to support more diverse attendance to the State Historic Preservation Conference.

17

Among the small grants from this source were ones to help stabilize the hand-stacked piers of Cherry

Grove School in Wilkes County, to capitalize on an emergency assistance fund on Sapelo Island, and to

sponsor community planning workshops in the Harlem community of Albany. AAP's coordinator secured

donations for travel stipends for first-time attendees and session speakers of color to the 2018 and 2019

Statewide Preservation conference. These stipends were managed by conference co-sponsor the GTHP.

(2017-2021 Goals 1.C.1, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.A.3, 2.B.).

The AAP office continues to extend its outreach through participation in educational events hosted by partner agencies as well as HPD. The AAP's coordinator led a Gullah immersion tour as part of the 2020 GDNR Weekend for Wildlife event and contributed to prior tours in 2018 and 2019. AAP also worked to enhance the educational offerings at the annual statewide preservation conference in order to attract diverse and under-represented groups. (2017-2021 Goals 1.C.1, 1.C.3, 2.A.1, 2.A.3, 2.B.).

AAP made significant strides in expanding the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN) as this network marks 30 years as an HPD advisory committee. HPD received a grant from the National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Funds to build GAAHPN's capacity to reach grassroots individuals and organizations working to preserve historic places, spaces, and stories that tell of African American contributions throughout Georgia. This initiative has engaged new volunteer leaders on the GAAHPN steering board and a new partner, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, to help the board plan future interactions with its statewide constituency. (2017-2021 Goals 2.A.1, 2.A.3, 2.B).

Conclusion
Regardless of economic health and despite the challenges presented by the recent COVID-19 pandemic, HPD has accomplished much in the past five years, while continuing to build on past achievements and adapting to continuous changes in order to further preservation in the state. We have adjusted and planned for, studied and interpreted, and provided assistance in rehabilitating and using historic places throughout the state. From below ground resources through our archaeological programs to above ground resources through our environmental review, survey, NRHP, grants, and tax incentives programs; from planning for the future through our preservation planning initiatives to aiding others in doing the same through our publications and outreach program; HPD will continue to adapt to meet current and future challenges to ensure the state's preservation health is maintained over the next five years.

A Snapshot of Georgia
As the 21st century continues to unfold, historic preservation remains an integral part of the social, economic, and political landscape of the state, as well as the nation. However, in our modern world with an ever-growing list of challenges, including a global pandemic, historic preservation runs the risk of being lost among the many quality of life issues that Georgians face. Recognition of the impact historic preservation and historic properties have within a neighborhood, community, or region is fundamental to understanding its importance and fostering a preservation ethic.
While the COVID-19 pandemic halted much of normal, everyday business in the state for several months in the last two years, the economy has begun to recover. Georgians' concern for unplanned growth and urban sprawl has remained a concern, particularly in metro areas, as new construction and development flourish. In contrast, concerns remain about flat or declining wages and maintaining a healthy workforce. Rural areas of the state continue to face the added challenges of disinvestment and declining population. Even in this climate of uncertainty though, historic preservation has the ability to assist communities in retaining and regaining vibrancy and stability. Georgians can look to historic preservation as a proven tool to help maintain sustainable communities and bring about sensitive, smart development. Economic studies continue to indicate the positive impact of historic preservation in job creation, added wealth, and increased investment in small and large communities alike.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Planning for the preservation of historic properties should take into consideration both the areas of growth in the

state and the areas where growth has not happened. It also must consider the increasing diversity of Georgia's

residents and ensure that the benefits of preservation are embraced and enjoyed by all. This chapter, therefore,

discusses the following trends and their effects on historic preservation: population, housing, transportation,

agriculture, tourism, government, and climate. It also discusses planning and growth strategies that can help to

address these trends and their effects on the preservation of Georgia's historic and archaeological resources.

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Population Trends

Population Characteristics Between 2010 and 2020, Georgia had the slowest decade in population growth since the 1940s. Although the state's population growth slowed, it continued to outpace the nation as a whole, consistent with the population trends seen during the previous decade. The 2020 population was estimated at 10,711,908, an increase of 10.6 percent from the 2010 census and surpassing the 6.3 percent national average for population growth. The state added the fourth highest number of new residents out of the entire nation, behind Texas, Florida, and California. This estimate maintains Georgia's previous ranking in 2010 as eighth among the 50 states in population size. Georgia's total population is expected to increase to 11,979,787 by 2030.1

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"I see it as another tool to encourage both smart and quality redevelopment as well as necessary to protect areas/ neighborhoods/buildings that produce a specific character or feeling."

More than half of Georgia's population is located within the Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, with a 2019 estimated regional population of 6,930,423, an increase of 15.9 percent from the 2010 Census total of 5,286,728. The other five most populous metropolitan areas in Georgia according to the 2020 census are: Augusta-Richmond County, with an increase of 8.2 percent to 608,980; Savannah-Chatham County, with an increase of 16.5 percent to 404,798; Columbus in Muscogee County, with an increase of 6.5 percent to 314,005; Macon-Bibb County, with an increase of 0.06 percent to 233,802; and Athens-Clarke County, with an increase of 11.9 percent to 215,415. 2

As in the previous decade, Georgia's population continues to trend younger than the national average, even as it ages. According to the 2020 census (2019 estimates), the population of Georgia residents aged 65 and older make up 14.4 percent of the state's population, a decrease from the 16.6 percent national average. Residents between 15 and 64 years of age make up 66.1 percent of Georgia's population, an increase over the national average of 65 percent. The youngest Georgians (0-14 years) make up 19.5 percent of the population, as opposed to the 18.4 percent national average.3

Given that houses make up 80 percent of Georgia's historic buildings, the impacts of these population characteristic changes will impact historic preservation through the need for housing and the aging of the population.

1

"2021 Georgia Census," U.S. Census, accessed August 20, 2021,

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/GA.

2

Ibid.

3

Ibid.

The Augusta-Richmond Metropolitan Area is the most populous area of the state following the Atlanta Metro area. (Source: Augusta Economic Development Authority).

Growth in Urban and Suburban Georgia Georgia's growth continues to be concentrated in urban and suburban areas of the state, with almost all of it associated with its fourteen metropolitan statistical areas covering 81 of Georgia's 159 counties. This growth is further dominated by the Atlanta region, followed by the Savannah area. The City of Atlanta grew 19 percent during the last decade, from 420,000 people in 2010 to 498,000 people in 2020.4
20
The proportion of recent population growth and development in established areas indicates that they will continue to grow, but at a much slower pace than that in the past two decades. Even so, population growth in urban and suburban areas does not preclude further expansion into undeveloped areas, as more of Georgia transitions from rural to metropolitan. This potential appears highest for growing counties with direct major highway routes between Atlanta and nearby metropolitan areas such as Athens-Clarke County and Gainesville in Hall County.

Also, while the rate of growth and development maintained before 2008 is not likely in the foreseeable future, there does appear to be a trend toward densification. This shift will place additional pressure on existing infrastructure as the need for clean water, sewers, utilities, new roads, and other transportation options increases, and will further blur the distinctions between urban and suburban. Demonstrating this trend, Georgia's larger cities, including Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Savannah, are experiencing an urban renaissance as they continue to attract people who desire an urban setting. While basic lifestyle choices factor into this population shift, part of it is a reaction to the costs of commuting from the suburbs to jobs in the cities, including vehicle and transportation expense, time consumption, and mental and physical health considerations.

The urban renaissance is characterized by renewed interest in traditionally developed and historic areas and the use of existing historic resources. Individuals, couples, and families are buying and rehabilitating historic housing in intown neighborhoods, while developers are converting warehouses, mill buildings, and office buildings to mixed use and residential purposes. A similar movement is occurring in edge cities or suburban areas where there are efforts to better establish urban cores through programs such as ARC's Livable Centers
Initiative.

What do you consider are the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?
"The loss of rural African American historic resources. Hands down."

The movement to urban living has, and will continue to have, mixed results on historic resources. Pedestrian-friendly urbanized areas, including intown neighborhoods and central business districts, with their higher concentrations of historic resources, provide opportunities for the preservation of historic structures and districts. Many homeowners and developers of historic rehabilitation projects are taking advantage of the Federal Investment Tax Credit, State Income Tax Credit, and State Preferential Property Tax Assessment programs.

At the same time, historic areas are targets of increased development pressures, which can result in the loss of historic properties through higher-density or"upscale"

4

Jeff Amy, "Georgia gets More Urban and Diverse as White Residents Dip," AP News, August 12, 2021, https://apnews.

com/article/georgia-census-2020-234b0a23975b19f682cf37a2517ee364.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

redevelopment. Loss also occurs when the scale or qualities of suburban living are transferred to historic intown communities causing the unintended consequence of destruction of the historic character of these communities as new owners tear down existing housing stock to build larger houses.

Other challenges associated with the movement to more urban living include gentrification, limited greenspace,

and school needs, as many intown school buildings do not meet current educational facility standards and may

21

even have been divested and converted to private sector use. Meeting these challenges often threaten, or are at the

expense of, historic buildings, open space, and historic landscapes.

Growth in Rural Georgia Contrasting with the considerable growth experienced by urban counties over the past 20 years, rural Georgia is continuing to experience a decline in population. Population stagnation or decrease is especially notable in the rural counties comprising the southwestern and central-eastern part of the state and even includes thirteen of Georgia's 23 US Census identified micropolitan statistical areas.5

These areas face an uncertain future because of lack of employment opportunities and low levels of services. This

decline is especially evident in county seats and market towns that thrived in an era of smaller-scale agriculture.

With little economic activity, historic buildings in these smaller communities face high vacancy rates, deferred

maintenance, neglect, and abandonment. As working-age people continue to leave, housing needs diminish for

larger houses in these areas required by families with children. While older residents may remain, their ability to

maintain larger homes is questionable, leaving additional historic properties at risk. Too often, if any interest is shown

towards these buildings, it is for the salvage potential of their materials or features, such as wood flooring and

fireplace mantles. Illegal attention can also be a risk factor as looters strip historic

structures of copper wire and plumbing or squatters take up residence.
Other rural areas of the state appear to be in a better position. Both northern and coastal rural counties continue to experience modest growth associated with proximity to the regional economic centers of Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Savannah

What do you consider are the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?

along with attractive living environments. Growth in these and other rural areas may also benefit from Georgia's military installations, including Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Kings Bay Naval Base, and Robins Air Force Base. As these areas have scenic vistas of mountains, marshes, rivers, and shorelines coinciding with their farmsteads, agricultural fields, and commercial forests, uncontrolled growth and development have a greater potential to impact the natural and historic rural environment.

5

Jeff Amy, "Georgia gets More Urban and Diverse as White Residents Dip," AP News,

August 12, 2021, https://apnews.com/article/georgia-census-2020-234b0a23975b19f682cf37a

2517ee364.

"Looking forward and creating context statements for late 1960s and 70s resources before they come of age and before they're lost. It takes people a long time to accept that things built within their lifetime can be `historic' and the sooner we know what's significant about these resources the sooner that convincing can start."

Housing Trends

Housing Pattern Characteristics

Georgia's population growth, recovery from the Great Recession, availability of land in desirable locations, and

22

recent history as an automobile-oriented society is driving significant change in housing patterns that will have a

long-lasting impact. Lifestyle attitudes have changed, especially in the post-Baby Boomer generations, about the

"American Dream" of homeownership, living in the suburbs, and traveling long distances to work. Contributing to

this change of attitude is experience with highway and road design principles that funnel traffic to busy routes

with few alternatives, traffic congestion, ever-longer commuting times, evolving views about public transportation,

geographical expectations about work opportunities, desire for nearby or walkable amenities, and greater overall

mobility and experience with living in a variety of community settings. Taken together, these considerations, and

others, influence decisions about where and how to live, in a manner that is generally driving housing development

away from outlying expansion to targeted development and redevelopment closer to urban centers.

The outcome of these influences is a trend towards greater density by filling in existing gaps in already developed areas, redeveloping properties that have become obsolete, and modifying and/or expanding existing properties. However, this trend is not universal. Where land availability, cost factors, and market forces provide competitive opportunities, traditional suburban housing development still occurs. For example, while housing trends in rural areas are not nearly as dramatic as those in urban and suburban areas, they can have long-lasting effects on Georgia's natural and agrarian landscapes. Rural-area housing continues to be impacted by consistent depopulation contributing to neglect and vacancy, while agricultural land in desirable areas is subject to suburban developmental pressure.

The global COVID-19 pandemic, beginning in early 2020 and still on-going in 2021 during the preparation of this plan, has shifted housing trends on a national level. Large cities like New York and Los Angeles have seen fluctuations of home buying outside of urban cores into suburban areas as people look to live in less dense areas with larger houses and with the increased ability to work from home. However, this trend has largely not occurred in the Atlanta metro area. While there has been growth in suburban areas, the city has not seen an exodus of residents moving out to more suburban areas because of the pandemic.6

Urban Redevelopment Urban housing redevelopment impacting historic resources can generally be divided into three distinct focal points: intown residential areas, residential conversion in commercial and industrial areas, and replacement of public housing.

Intown residential areas are expected to continue evolving from their original development in the 1920s through the 1960s as bungalow, American Small House, and ranch house neighborhoods. However, not all of the movement is market-driven revitalization and growth; there are still neighborhoods suffering from neglect and disinvestment. At one end of the spectrum are attempts by government agencies and partner organizations to stabilize declining neighborhoods, which often involves demolition of "blight" properties and abandoned buildings. In these cases, infill housing on existing vacant lots may not be a preservation issue, especially when HPD is involved with the

6

Josh Green, "A Year Into the Pandemic, Metro Atlanta's Real-Estate and Development Industry is Damaged, Uneven,

Relatively Strong, and Absolutely Killing it," Atlanta Magazine, April 21, 2021, https://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-

articles/a-year-into-the-pandemic-metro-atlantas-real-estate-and-development-industry-is-damaged-uneven-relatively-strong-

and-absolutely-killing-it/.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

development of appropriate design guidelines, such as with CLGs and through the Section 106 process. The preservation challenge comes from responding to demolitions, which are justified in cases of severe deterioration, but are often applied more because arbitrary cost factors or economies of scale push a "clean slate" approach to redevelopment with new construction instead of dealing with individual historic building rehabilitation.

At the other end of the spectrum is redevelopment in desirable neighborhoods. It also includes new infill housing

23

on available vacant lots, along with demolition and replacement housing.

Furthermore, these neighborhoods commonly are targets for the hybrid type of

house, where large additions are built atop and around the original house. In all

these cases, high property values and resale marketing are generally driving a trend

for larger homes. The result is frequently new or altered houses that significantly

contrast with the original scale and context of the neighborhood, even when

imitating the existing style. A substantial number of these changes in a historic

area can effectively remove an established neighborhood from consideration as a

NRHP historic district as well as threaten the integrity of an existing NRHP district.

While this trend to "supersize" continues, the slow recovery in home values from the Great Recession and greater appreciation of sustainability and energy savings, appear to temper the appeal of these larger homes and comparatively, has appeared to decrease the threat to the integrity of existing historic districts, for now.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation acquired this historic house in West Atlanta to rehabiliate and sell as affordable housing. (Source: GeorgiaTrust.org)

Residential redevelopment is also expected to continue to increase in historically commercial and industrial areas as buildings are adapted to other uses because market forces and changes in technology, transportation, or other factors have rendered them obsolete to their original function. Residential adaptive use generally falls into one of three categories: (1) entire building conversion, which includes space for shared amenities and possibly limited commercial space; (2) residential component of a mixed-use development; and (3) upper-floor residential component of a commercial building.

The good news for preservation in adaptive use residential redevelopment is that this type of development often involves participation in tax incentive programs, which requires listing in the NRHP and appropriate rehabilitation for approval. The projects can also be catalysts for further adaptive use redevelopment and contribute necessary density to revitalize an area. Every large metropolitan area and numerous smaller metropolitan areas in Georgia have utilized residential "loft" development in their historic downtowns as a revitalization strategy.

Preservation challenges primarily involve situations where successful rehabilitation stimulates nearby redevelopment that involves demolition of historic buildings to take advantage of a "hot" market, over-scaled new construction on available vacant or parking lots, or replacement construction that encroaches into adjacent residential neighborhoods, all of which can result in significant change to an area's historic character.

Federally supported public housing, for the most part, and even considering its significance in the nation's history, is considered a failed model due to its unsustainable financial foundation, with neglect and poor maintenance as consequences, and a societal perspective of"the projects"as crime incubators, among other reasons. While a maturing residential housing trend, replacement of public housing is also expected to continue until most complexes have been demolished/replaced and smaller-scale developments renovated. Few complexes and high rises built in the initial public housing building era from the 1940s through the 1970s remain in Georgia and those that have been

24
A rural historic store in Forsyth County. renovated often no longer represent the era in which they were built.
Generally, public housing built in urban areas originally, and intentionally, contrasted with the adjacent historic built environment in both style and scale. With their "mixed-income community" replacements, preservation concerns mainly involve encouraging compatible new design and construction.
Suburban Development and Redevelopment Suburban development has been gradually shifting from tract development and planned (gated) communities with clubhouse amenities to residential development more integrated with nearby work, shopping, and recreational/ entertainment opportunities. This movement is seen in older, closer-in suburban areas where divested mid-20thcentury large-area, manufacturing sites, and sub-performing shopping malls are being converted to mixed-use developments utilizing varying levels of demolition, rehabilitation, and new construction, while incorporating a traditional town center. The same concept is also seen in areas transitioning from rural to suburban. This trend can also be seen in edge city areas where high-density housing is being added in the vicinity of existing commercial, office, and shopping development to better integrate with nearby suburban neighborhoods. In the Atlanta suburban area, this model is supported by the ARC's Livable Centers Initiative.
Housing, in the cases involving redevelopment, typically includes apartment buildings, townhouses, and singlefamily houses that provide a scaled transition from denser development at the town center core to adjacent existing neighborhoods.
Preservation concerns for suburban redevelopment are similar to that for urban redevelopment in that new construction on the edges can spill over into adjacent historic neighborhoods. While it can include demolition and replacement, of particular interest may be concerns about neo-traditional housing styles, such as modern versions of the Craftsman style, encroaching into existing neighborhoods and diminishing the integrity of recent-past historic districts primarily composed of ranch houses, split-level houses, and their derivatives.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Rural Development

Rural housing development is primarily concentrated in gap areas between major population centers, where

diminishing farmlands and open spaces are subject to suburban development pressure and settings with scenic

beauty or recreational opportunities are marketed for vacation or retirement homes. Juxtaposed with these

locations are rural areas challenged by population stagnation or decline where there is little, if any, development

opportunity. However, any of these scenarios can result in threat or loss of historic resources. Where there is

25

impending development, historic farmhouses and agricultural buildings are likely destined for demolition to clear

sites for infrastructure and platting; where there is no development interest, rural structures are threatened by

demolition through neglect.

As preservation advocacy organizations of influential scale do not yet exist for rural resources, the preservation challenge is primarily one of establishing a preservation ethic in rural communities and local governments. This ethic will need to promote an awareness of rural historic character, and convey its importance, to help guide present planning and future development so that some context of the rural past is retained, including preserving at least some part of its built environment.

Rehabilitation Issues Aside from the larger considerations of development that threaten historic resources with demolition or loss of integrity, the continued preservation of historic homes is complicated by trends that are not new but continue to receive attention. These trends include misconceptions about energy efficiency and "upgrading" of historic materials. Frequently, "drafty" historic wood windows are replaced with vinyl assemblies and plaster walls are removed to enable the addition of insulation throughout a house. Historic features are sometimes perceived as being wastes of time and money rather than worthy of proper repair for their inherent durability and historical value. Wide advertising of new "maintenance-free" and super-efficient building products promote this perception. Further, there is the lack of practitioners of traditional building trades and skills able to repair historic features. As modern building techniques and materials have resulted in a different set of standard construction skills, the teaching and application of traditional skills has fallen by the wayside. If a homeowner or contractor cannot easily locate skilled craftsmen, it should be expected that easier, and perhaps inappropriate, methods of renovation will be undertaken.

Fortunately, there is continuing movement to address these issues. Technical information has been developed by NPS that refutes marketing claims of manufacturers providing replacement products for historic materials and features and there are training programs focusing on traditional building skills, including involvement of disadvantaged youth, such as National Trust for Historic Preservation's (NTHP) Hands-On Preservation Experience (HOPE) crews, or the programs at Savannah Technical College. The challenge is to build a critical mass of information, training, and career opportunities so that the concepts of preservation and sustainability become more integrated into the culture to the extent that it supports a renaissance in craftsmanship and trades work.

Savannah Technical College's Historic Preservation Department has the only public hands-on preservation program in the state. (Source: Savannah Technical College Historic Preservation Facebook)

Transportation Trends

Transportation Enhancements

With the end of SAFETEA-LU, the majority of Federal funding remaining continues to focus in areas that are either

26

in historic districts or near resources that are eligible for listing in the NRHP in Georgia. With the introduction of the

FAST Act in December 2015, opportunities continue to arise between FHWA, GDOT, and HPD regarding mutually

beneficial projects. An inter-agency agreement between HPD and GDOT has been extended and revised to include

agreed-to solutions to streamline federally-funded transportation projects, funding for HPD staff working on federal

transportation projects, and special projects, which it is hoped will create new opportunities for transportation

enhancements.

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"Because it is our community and it matters; all aspects. Every historic place is important, as they all represent a part of our collective history. "

Local Transportation Alternatives While fuel price spikes often raise an awareness of the need for alternatives to automobile transportation, a more important driver of alternatives is ever-increasing traffic congestion in Atlanta and other large metropolitan areas. Serious as these concerns are though, many local transportation alternative initiatives have only just begun to reach the critical mass to significantly address transportation issues. The problem is further exacerbated by the longterm planning and financial commitment required to build and maintain transportation infrastructure. As a result, the default preference of users and the overwhelming response to transportation issues remains road construction. Even so, and considering the ability to make road infrastructure enhancements is not limitless, discussion and conceptual planning continues and small-scale alternative transportation projects are being put into place.

In Georgia, alternative transportation plans and projects are primarily associated with the

Atlanta metropolitan area and focus on providing service in three areas local connectivity,

metropolitan connectivity, and inter-regional connectivity. Of these, inter-regional

connectivity is furthest from development, although conceptual planning has

been initiated for commuter rail connecting the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid

Transit Authority (MARTA)system with Athens and Macon, along with providing

additional connections within existing commuter rail. Metropolitan connectivity

continues to improve, primarily through greater coordination of adjacent county

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems with MARTA. This shift reflects a slowly changing

attitude politically and socially about the necessity of mass transit. Work

completed or in progress to make mass transit more efficient includes dedicated

bus or carpool lanes, along with highway entry/exit ramps, and restructuring

MARTA's financial model to provide greater flexibility in allocating its funding. All

metropolitan Atlanta mass transit systems will need to adjust to meet expanding

service needs, but expansion of MARTA's heavy rail system, last extended in

The Downtown Loop Streetcar in Atlanta has been a fixture through the historic downtown since 2014. (Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Atlanta_Streetcar#/media/File:Atlanta_Streetcar.JPG)

2000, will be limited. More likely to be constructed are light rail systems for local connectivity, such as the Downtown Loop Atlanta Streetcar that went into service in 2014 and travels through the Fairlie-Poplar, Sweet Auburn, and Edgewood historic districts. Plans in place call for its expansion in all directions

to the Atlanta Beltline, which is a multi-use trail (pedestrian, bicycle, light rail)

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

utilizing abandoned rail line right-of-way that will eventually encircle the entire metro-Atlanta area. Studies have also been completed for developing light rail to connect select employment centers with existing MARTA stations.

Mass transit supporting local connectivity reinforces the traditional development pattern of dense, walkable,

commercial, and residential districts. However, the development of these types of systems could be a double-edged

sword for historic structures, reinvigorating historic districts and areas developed before the post-World War II rise

27

of the automobile and its effect on land planning and use. Alternatively, land values in these areas could rise to the

point that larger structures would replace historic buildings.

Agricultural Trends
Agriculture remains Georgia's largest industry, with the state's market value of agricultural products sold at over $9.6 billion. Its wide crop diversification includes cotton, peanuts, grains, corn, hay, soybeans, market vegetables, onions, pecans, peaches, and blueberries along with livestock production primarily centered on poultry. Georgia leads the nation in poultry production, with 5,217 poultry farms producing $5.4 billion worth of poultry products. Other leading agricultural products in the state include hay and peanut crops, cotton, cattle, and dairy.7
USDA 2017 agricultural census and Natural Resource Inventory (NRI) 2012 statistics indicate that while Georgia has experienced an overall decline in farms during the last decades, Georgia has slightly increased its number of farms from 42,257 in 2012 to 42,439 in 2017. Between 2012 and 2017, the state's number of small (10-179 acres) and midsize (180-999 acres) farms decreased while both micro farms (1 to 9 acres) and large farms over 1,000 acres increased slightly. The acreage of land farmed in Georgia also increased 3.5 percent, from 9.6 million acres in 2012 to 9.95 million acres in 2017. Although there were some gains for farms in the last decade, the overall trend is still that farms are declining, with the loss of 6,904 farms since 1997.8
While the conversion of farmland to developed use is slowing, from approximately 129,000 acres/year in the period from 1997 to 2007 to approximately 21,000 acres/year in the period from 2007 to 2012, it continues to threaten cultural landscapes and rural historic resources already significantly diminished when looking from a longer perspective: in 1950, Georgia had 198,191 farms/25.7 million acres comprising 68.8 percent of the state; in 1982, there were 49,630 farms/12.3 million acres comprising 33.1 percent. Between 1982 and 2012, farmland acreage declined by one-third.9
Forestry and forest-related industry also contributes substantially to Georgia's economy, providing over 141,000 jobs and $8.6 billion in payroll. Forestry's importance can also be viewed from a strictly land-use perspective: forest land covers approximately 67 percent of the state's land.10 Although there is some year-to-year fluctuation in available acreage, forestry has a long trend of stability dating back to the 1970s as naturally regenerated forests went through a conversion to planted and managed timber stands. However, this stability has the side effect of replacing forests lost to development with land converted from more typical agriculture uses.

7

Georgia Farm Bureau, "Ag Census Results Show Size of Georgia Farms Shifted," Ag News, 2021, https://www.gfb.org/media-

and-publications/news.cms/2019/489/ag-census-results-show-size-of-georgia-farms-shifted.

8

Ibid.

9

Lee Shearer, "Georgia Landscapes Changing Fast- Urban Land Doubled in 30 Years as Farmlands Faded," Athens Banner-

Herald, May 1, 2017, https://www.onlineathens.com/local-news/2017-05-01/georgia-landscapes-changing-fast-urban-land-

doubled-30-years-farmlands-faded.

10

Georgia Forestry Association,"#1 Forestry State,"https://gfagrow.org/advocate/numberone/, accessed September 5, 2021.

A different type of loss threatens historic and cultural resources in acreage used for timber production. This land is

typically not owner-occupied and under current business models, ownership is frequently in the form of Timber

Investment Management Organizations (TIMOs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). In a non-engaged,

absentee-owner scenario where there likely is little, if any, awareness of any extant historic resources, combined

with the process used for replanting after timber harvesting, the survival prospects of historic properties in timber

28

production areas are grim.

The extensive and continuing loss of farms, and the historical record they represent, underlines the necessity of recognizing their importance as a starting point for preservation efforts. Movement in this direction began back in 2001 with HPD and GDOT funding the publication of Tilling the Earth: Georgia's Historic Agricultural Heritage. This document provides an overview of the importance of agriculture throughout the state's history and identifies associated types of historic buildings, structures, landscapes, and archaeological sites. Additionally, some tools are in place that have the potential to assist in the preservation of rural historic and cultural resources, including the Georgia Land Conservation program and the Georgia Land Conservation Tax Credit. More recognition has come in the form of the Centennial Farms Program, which since 1993 has recognized the importance of maintaining historic family farms, in partnership between HPD, GFBF, GFC, GNFA, GEMC, and GDAg. Unfortunately, these efforts fall short of historic and cultural resources preservation needs in agricultural and forest land, and additional tools are necessary to promote their long-term protection.

Tourism Trends

Economic Impact Tourism is one of the world's largest industries and can be a fundamental aspect of a community's economic vitality and sustainability. In Georgia, tourism is the state's second largest industry and heritage tourism is its fastest-growing segment. As of 2018, tourism accounted for $36.9 billion of spending in Georgia with $3.4 billion in state and local tax revenue generated, up from $1.9 billion in 2014.11 The tourism industry generated 478,000 jobs within Georgia in 2018. Despite shutdowns and other COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, tourism remained consistent in the state, with an increase of domestic visitation trips from 150.9 million trips in 2019 to 151.8 trips in 2020. Still, the pandemic took a toll on the industry, prompting the state to provide $5.8 million in COVID-19 relief funding to help bolster tourism.12

Heritage Tourism The 2010 Heritage Tourism Handbook: A How-To Guide for Georgia observes that the historic and cultural resources associated with people, events, or aspects of a community's past give that community its sense of identity and help tell its story. These resources are the most tangible reflections of a community's heritage. History can and should be used as a selling point for a community. The recognition of an area's historic resources can bring about neighborhood revitalization, increased and sustainable tourism, economic development through private investment, and citizenship building.

Centennial Farm award winners celebrate their recognition in 2018.

11

Explore Georgia, "Georgia's Tourism Industry Breaks Visitation Records," Georgia.org, January

21, 2020, https://www.georgia.org/newsroom/press-releases/georgias-tourism-industry-breaks-

visitation-records.

12

Georgia.org, "Governor Kemp Directs $5.8 Million to Aid Georgia's Tourism Industry,"

September 1, 2021, https://www.georgia.org/press-release/governor-kemp-directs-58-million-aid-

georgias-tourism-industry.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

The heritage tourist is interested in visiting destinations with a distinctive sense of place. Georgia has much to offer the heritage tourist: Civil War battlefields, African American and Native American historic sites, house museums, antebellum plantations, historic downtowns, military forts, gardens, lighthouses, presidential sites, courthouses, railroad depots, and more.
29

Studies by the Travel Industry of America, the NTHP, Louis Harris, Inc., and Decima

Research indicate that the heritage tourist tends to be:

well-educated; older; cosmopolitan; interested in authenticity; and a generous spender.
According to the 2013 Cultural & Heritage Traveler report by Mandala Research, 76

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"We learn from the past, it shapes our future, there are huge ecomomic benefits, and it connects our generations and communities."

percent of all US leisure travelers enjoy cultural and/or heritage activities while

traveling, which translates to 129.6 million adults each year. Cultural and heritage

travelers spend an average of $1,319 per trip and contribute almost $171 billion annually to the US economy.13

Heritage tourism can aid in preserving a wide range of historic properties at all levels local, regional, and state and can also contribute to historic preservation by keeping history and historic properties in the public eye. Accordingly, the NTHP has identified five basic principles that make heritage preservation programs successful: focus on authenticity and quality, preserve and protect resources, make sites come alive, find the fit between your community and tourism, and collaborate and form partnerships. The synergy between preservation and heritage tourism is illustrated by NRHP nominations offering the facts and documentation to tell the story of a place's people and its past, and preservation tax incentives encouraging private investment in historic properties that support heritage tourism, such as shops, restaurants, and bed and breakfast inns. However, while historic preservation makes heritage tourism possible, and heritage tourism supports preservation in many distinct areas of interest, their relationship comes with the important challenge of protecting historic and archaeological sites, while still giving tourists an authentic experience and understanding of these places.

13

Mandala Research, LLC., "The Cultural and Heritage Traveler," 2013, http://mandalaresearch.com/wp-content/

uploads/2017/01/free_download_CH_2013.pdf.

New Echota State Historic SIte in Calhoun continues to be a popular heritage tourism destination. (Source: https:// gastateparks.org/newechota)

The Civil War

The year 2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, and its commemoration continued

through 2015. The Civil War continues to generate great interest, and Georgia tourists find a vast array of historic

sites and other attractions associated with the conflict including battlefields, forts, markers, houses, relief maps,

monuments, statues, museums, mills, churches, depots, cemeteries, grave sites, bridges, parks, ferries, courthouses,

30

prison sites, plantations, arsenals, and lighthouses within the state. The 2010 publication Crossroads of Conflict: A

Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia provides a comprehensive and informative list of these sites. These Civil War sites

and other pertinent information, including upcoming news and events, are also available on GDEcD's official Civil

War website.

There also are a number of special Civil War-related trails in Georgia, many of which are listed in Crossroads of Conflict and the Georgia Civil War website, but several have their own websites including the Atlanta Campaign Heritage Trail, Blue & Gray Trail, Chickamauga Campaign Heritage Trail, Georgia's Antebellum Trail, and March to the Sea Heritage Trail.

The Civil Rights Movement A growing interest in African American tourism destinations has encouraged their preservation and development and continues to expand. Several significant Civil Rights Movement sites across Georgia are now open, including Dorchester Academy in Liberty County, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Mt. Zion Albany Civil Rights Institute, Atlanta University Center Historic District, and Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah.

National Heritage Areas The US Congress designates National Heritage Areas (NHA). This regional collaborative effort includes residents, businesses, and government joining together to preserve, promote, and celebrate the heritage and culture of a region. Heritage areas move beyond the boundaries of local governments and specific local identity to thematically link multiple cultural landscapes. Designation of NHAs comes with limited technical and financial assistance from the NPS. Georgia has three designated NHAs: the Augusta Canal (Georgia's first National Heritage Area), Arabia Mountain, and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. Initial findings from a 2020 study by Mandala Research reveal that public interest in visiting the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is strong and placed a value on potential tourism in the four states that make up the corridor- Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Florida- at $ 34 billion.14

14

Emily Williams, "New Gullah Geechee Alliance to Explore $34 B Tourism Potential," The Post and Courier, August 29, 2021,

https://www.postandcourier.com/business/new-gullah-geechee-alliance-to-explore-34b-tourism-potential/article_4f34e7c6-

0742-11ec-89a4-4fcee1d7c922.html.

The Center for Civil and Human Rights opened in 2014 in Atlanta. (Source: Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites)

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

The Arabia Mountain NHA continued to build upon its previous accomplishments, even during the COVID-19

pandemic. Visitorship to the NHA remained strong, as Georgia residents and visitors sought to spend more time

in the outdoors. Two important preservation projects at the NHP reached milestones as well. The stabilization of

the historic Vaughters' Dairy Barn, a popular landmark in the NHA, was completed in 2019. The historic Lyon farm

house was stabilized and dedicated in 2019, with plans set for guided tours and interpretive signage regarding the

31

important building's association with African American history and the Flat Rock community.

National Trails The National Trails System celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act in 2018, with the nonprofit group American Trails designating the years 2008-2018 as the "Decade for National Trails." This Act opened the door to federal involvement in trails of all types, from city centers to the remote backcountry. Almost all trails in the country have benefited from the Act. The NPS, US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service (USFS), USFWS, and USACE play key roles in administering and managing these trails, while the FHWA has been an important source of funding. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LCWF) has been instrumental in the National Trails System, having funded the acquisition and protection of land and trails in all 50 states since its creation in 1965. Today, the National Trails System totals over 60,000 miles in all 50 states.
In 2019, the BLM completed a methodology and field guide to inventory and monitor trails categorized as National Scenic and Historic Trails. The program was pilot-tested in 2019 in Arizona, focusing on the Arizona National Scenic Trail and Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. The program will contribute to research and technical assistance to both State grantees and Federal Land Management Agencies. In addition, the Partnership for the National Trails System collaborated with the Pacific Crest Trail Association to produce Saving Land on the Trinity Divide: A Pacific Crest Trail Success Story, a report that exemplifies how key partnerships can work together to protect trails from potential threats.
National Historic Trails are designated by Congress and include extended trails that closely follow a historic trail or route of travel of national significance. Designation identifies and protects historic routes, historic remnants, and artifacts for public use and enjoyment. There are over 5,343 miles of 19 National Historic Trails in the US, including the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail in Georgia.
National Scenic Trails are designated by Congress and include extended trails that provide maximum outdoor recreation potential and for the conservation and enjoyment of various qualities scenic, historical, natural, and cultural of the areas they traverse. There are 11 National Scenic Trails in the US, including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Georgia.
National Recreation Trails (NRT) may be designated by the US Secretary of Interior or the US Secretary of Agriculture to recognize exemplary trails of local and regional significance. Nearly 1,100 recreational trails throughout the US are available for public use and, ranging from less than a mile to 485 miles in length, have been designated as NRTs on federal, state, municipal, and privately owned lands. Currently, there are 16 NRTs in Georgia, including the famous William Bartram Trail, Silver Comet Trail, and Anna Ruby Falls Trail. These trails help preserve historic resources and connect historic communities.

Emerging Tourism Trends The tourism industry has developed into many specialty "niche" markets. Below are some of the newer types of tourism that will increasingly attract visitors in the coming years.

Ecotourism

32

Ecotourism is a form of low-impact, small-scale tourism that involves visiting natural areas in order to observe wildlife

and plants. Activities include hiking, climbing, road cycling, horseback riding, river rafting, kayaking, zip lining, bird

watching, and more. Ecotourism provides incentives to preserve natural areas, including archaeological sites, and,

by its small-scale nature, has less of a potential to impact historic properties. Ecotourism activities are popular on

Georgia's coast, with bike tours in Savannah, wildlife tours on Jekyll Island, and ecology themed tours on Tybee

Island.

Agritourism Agritourism involves agriculturally-based operations or activities that bring visitors to a farm or ranch. Activities include organic produce and meat markets, corn mazes, apple or pumpkin picking, animal encounters, staying at a farm bed and breakfast, or visiting living history farm museums. Agritourism provides added revenues that help
maintain the viability of historic farms. The Georgia Agritourism Association is comprised of the state's farms that offer tours, events, and other activities throughout the year, including apple picking, farm tours, and pumpkin patches.

Edu-Tourism Edu-Tourism focuses on learning. Activities include short- or long-term academic programs, conferences and seminars, sabbaticals, and student exchange programs. Edu-tourism overlaps with heritage tourism by bringing an educated public to areas with historic properties they may wish to explore. The GTHP's annual "rambles" draw audiences from all over the state to learn about the history, architecture, and preservation of Georgia's cities, towns, and communities.

Urban Tourism

Anna Ruby Falls Trail is a National Recreation Trail. (Source: ExploreGeorgia.org)

Urban Tourism is the number one industry in many cities, not only contributing to rising income but also generating many rehabilitation

projects. Activities include visiting museums or art galleries, historic sites

or districts, theaters and cinemas, concert halls, nightclubs and casinos;

attending festivals, sports events, conventions, and other organized events;

or simply shopping and eating in unique restaurants. From its larger cities like Atlanta and Savannah, to its smaller

cities, towns, and communities, such as Milledgeville, Athens, and Cartersville, Georgia has many urban tourism

destinations that combine the arts, shopping, and eating.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Government Trends

Federal Support for Preservation

With the celebration of the NHPA's 50th anniversary taking place in 2016, the chance to look back and view its

accomplishments across the nation were inspiring and something to keep in mind as SHPOs continue to face

33

challenges, the latest in the form of a global pandemic. Executive Orders issued by President Trump in 2017 sought

to streamline and weaken environmental review laws, posing another challenge to preservation and the role of

the SHPO in recent years. The impact of the NHPA has had on the nation's historic landscape includes a historic

preservation program in every state of the union, hundreds of thousands of historic properties identified and

protected, millions of private dollars invested in the adaptive reuse of historic properties, thousands of archaeological

sites studied, and communities all across America invested in their downtowns and residential neighborhoods.

Since the passage of the NHPA, the federal government has provided support for preservation through legal protection, creation of a national preservation system, educational programs, technical assistance, tax incentives, and funding through the HPF.

For Federal Fiscal Year 2020, Congress provided $118.6 million for the HPF, of which $52.68 was awarded to SHPOs. While predicting congressional budgets is difficult, as this plan is finalized, it appears a continuing resolution is likely. Overall, the current federal budget outlook is one of stability for the near term.

Tax Incentives Through the investment and low-income tax credit programs, the Internal Revenue Service allows investors to receive

a tax credit on the rehabilitation of historic, income-producing property. These tax credit programs have stimulated private investment in historic properties throughout Georgia, and in many cases have provided low-income housing. Between 2017 and 2021, the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit program has assisted in rehabilitating 181 buildings in Georgia, representing direct private investment of over $696 million.

What do you consider are the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?

Technical Assistance NPS, through its Technical Preservation Services program and National Center for Preservation Technology and Training, develops and provides technical

"Cemeteries falling to ruin because either thier location has been forgotten by the living generations or the living families cannot afford the massive costs of restoring it."

information about preservation issues. The General Services Administration, which is responsible for maintaining federal government properties including many historic buildings, also has developed technical assistance and best practices information. This information is available to the public from these federal agency's websites.

National Parks The NPS operates many historic sites providing valuable public access, interpretation, and protection to their historic resources, as well as supporting tourism in neighboring communities. In Georgia, National Park units with primarily historic associations include Andersonville National Historic Site, Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Fort Frederica National Monument, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

Federal Grants and Loans

Besides the HPF, there are other federal funding sources for preservation, including HUD's Community Development

Block Grant (CDBG) program. The CDBG program provides funding for the development of viable communities,

which often involves revitalization of historic neighborhoods and business districts. Between 2017 and 2020,

Georgia's portion of CDBG funding directed toward neighborhood revitalization was over $76 million. The NPS also

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has the LWCF program, mentioned earlier, which provides funds to safeguard natural areas, water resources, cultural

heritage, as well as providing recreation areas for the public. In addition, FHWA's Recreational Trails Program (RTP)

provides funds to States to develop and maintain recreational trails, which are sometimes associated with cultural

resources.

Preserve America While still authorized, the Preserve America program has been on hiatus since 2010 due to a lack of funding, and this remains true for FY 2020. Preserve America was initiated in September 2003 by the White House and the ACHP. The program provided cities and neighborhoods interested in historic preservation the opportunity to become a Preserve America community and receive recognition and grants for a variety of preservation and heritage tourism projects. By May 2011, when funding was halted, 38 communities in Georgia had received this recognition.

Save America's Treasures

After a ten-year hiatus, the Save America's Treasures program is funded for FY 2020, with $16 million in grant funding

available. Save America's Treasures was established by Executive Order 13072 in February 1998 and is administered

by NPS in partnership with the NTHP, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities,

Institute of Museum and Library Services, and President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. The program

has helped to preserve nationally significant historic properties and collections that

convey our nation's rich heritage for future generations of Americans. From 1999 to

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"Work with local leaders to explain the importance of preserving history."

2010, Save America's Treasures grants awarded over $318 million, matched by over $400 million from states, localities, corporations, foundations, and individuals, for 1,241 projects. By the time the funding was halted for the program in 2010, Georgia had received over $5.6 million for 23 projects.
Military Base Redevelopment

In many cases, federal ownership of historic properties can result in their protection.

When the federal government no longer needs these properties, new uses need to be

identified to ensure their future viability. The Department of Defense's Legacy Program

helps to preserve historic resources located on military bases. The BRAC 2005 legislation

resulted in the closure of various military facilities in Georgia. The Naval Supply Corps School in Athens-Clarke County

was transferred to UGA in April 2011. Fort Gillem in Clayton County, and Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Fulton County,

closed in September 2011. In compliance with Section 106 of the NHPA, the Navy and Army, respectively, consulted

with HPD and other consulting parties to develop memorandums of agreement that stipulate treatment of historic

properties. The majority of Fort Gillem was purchased in 2012 by the City of Forest Park and its ownership was then

transferred to a redevelopment authority, which is currently focusing on commercial and industrial redevelopment

of the installation. Fort McPherson was also transferred to a redevelopment authority and a significant portion was

sold to a movie and TV studio, including the majority of the historic buildings. Between continued consultation

under HPD-held covenants and talks of another round of BRAC, federal ownership of historic resources continues to

influence preservation in Georgia.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Other Federal Preservation-Related Initiatives

Sustainability and energy efficiency, and their relationship to historic preservation, continue to be important issues.

While Executive Order 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance, issued in 2009,

has been revoked, its replacement Executive Order 13693, Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade,

issued in 2015, also requires federal agencies to prepare Strategic Sustainability Performance Plans to achieve high

performance for operating and maintaining federal facilities, including historic buildings. To assist federal agencies

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in addressing these issues, ACHP developed a guide entitled Sustainability and Historic Federal Buildings, while NPS

has produced the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability

for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Additionally, federal agencies are charged with developing, planning, and

implementing strategies to address the effects of climate change on historic resources. While this change has not

resulted in any direct programs as of yet, NPS' National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT)

has compiled a series of case studies that identified the challenges climate change brings to cultural and historic

resource management.

State Funding HPD's state appropriation has been stable over the last five years with the exception of a budget reduction in 2019. Budget stability has allowed the division to continue to plan strategically so that HPD uses taxpayer dollars as efficiently as possible. Additionally, state employees were paid a one-time bonus in early 2021, thanks to an appropriation by the Georgia General Assembly.
As indicated in the introduction, HPD moved administratively from GDNR to GDCA effective July 1, 2020. HPD's physical move to GDCA was completed in December 2020. Duties and positions associated with SHPO moved to GDCA with HPD; those associated with the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) remained with GDNR.
HPD's transition to GDCA had several budget implications. First, GDCA's budget and budget projection processes required HPD to deconstruct its own budget and then reconstruct it in the GDCA framework. Second, GDCA's budget development process is also different; as this document is under preparation, HPD is building revenue projections and a new state fiscal year budget that will take effect July 1, 2021. Finally, effective with the transition to GDCA, HPD now collects and re-invests fee revenue realized from the state tax incentive program into the division. Those funds are being deployed to drive program efficiency and address long-standing recruitment and retention issues.

Plant Riverside in Savannah is an example of a successful tax credit project. (Source: John T. Campo and Associates)

Additionally in 2015, Governor Deal signed legislation that significantly improved the State Income Tax Credit for

Rehabilitated Historic Property. The new program started in January 2016 and increases the credit for non-residential

properties from $300,000 to $5 million, while establishing a $25 million annual statewide program cap. It further

established a special category of projects, eligible for up to $10 million in credits, which comes with a requirement

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to create 200 full-time jobs or $5 million in annual payroll in the first two years the structure is in service. Response to

the changes in the program was remarkable; after the law's passage, the number of proposed project applications

jumped by 50 percent with associated private investment tripling compared to prior years. The entire State Income

Tax Credit for Rehabilitated Historic Property is currently slated to expire on December 31, 2022.

As the economy has improved, so has the outlook for historic preservation. The increased cap for the State Income Tax Credit for Rehabilitated Historic Property helped promote the preservation and use of historic buildings while increasing the visibility of HPD across the state. Budget stability, combined with increased outreach to the Georgia General Assembly, has allowed for longer-range planning than was feasible during the Great Recession. Finally, moving to new facilities has created opportunities for closer coordination with GDCA and has provided some muchneeded budget flexibility allowing HPD to more effectively engage in state-level preservation projects and to take advantage of other preservation-related opportunities when they arise.

Other State Preservation-Related Initiatives GDCA is the state agency responsible for assisting local communities with planning, economic development, and affordable housing. This assistance includes its Main Street program, of which historic preservation is an integral component. GDCA also assists communities with preservation projects through its Local Development Fund. Additionally, as the state agency providing local and regional planning assistance, GDCA includes historic preservation in local comprehensive plans, which results in better integration of historic preservation into the larger comprehensive planning process, now and in the future.
GDCA also provides regional planning assistance, which is directed through twelve regional commissions. Associated rules require Georgia's regional commissions to identify "regionally important resources," which includes "...any natural or cultural resource identified for protection by a Regional Commission following the minimum requirements established by the Department."By including historic and archaeological resources within the broader context of managing environmental resources and landscapes of regional importance, regional commissions provide an important mechanism for the consideration of resources in planning and protection.
The Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Program was enacted in 2018 to provide dedicated funding to support parks and trails and protect and acquire lands critical to wildlife, clean water and outdoors recreation across the state. Grant funds can be applied toward the stewardship of conservation land and acquiring area for protection, land which may have cultural resources present.
Another past state initiative that has impacted the conservation of Georgia's natural and cultural resources was the Georgia Land Conservation Program (GLCP), which was established in 2005 and administered by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA). The purpose of the program was to acquire and protect sensitive lands for conservation historic properties and archaeological sites also benefited under this initiative. Through 2014, 43 projects resulted in 48,574 acres being acquired by the state, 53,628 acres are protected under 49 conservation

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

easements held by the state, and GLCP provided funding assistance that facilitated 645 projects resulting in 300,378 acres being protected by conservation easements held by non-state conservation organizations.

Local Historic Preservation Commissions and Certified Local Governments

The Georgia Historic Preservation Act of 1980 (O.C.G.A. 44-10-2) is the state's enabling legislation that gives local governments the authority to designate historic properties and establish a design review process for their

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protection by means of local historic preservation ordinances and commissions. As well as locally designating

historic properties and districts, the commission functions as a design review board to make citizen-based

decisions about the appropriateness of new design and changes to historic buildings to ensure they respect

the historic character of a property and its setting. The number of HPCs in Georgia continues to increase. Prior

to the Act, Georgia had only seven commissions, but by the year 2000 there was 90, and in 2021 there are 154

commissions.

Many communities in Georgia with HPCs have also elected to participate in Georgia's CLG program. Along with passing a preservation ordinance and establishing a local commission that complies with the Georgia Historic Preservation Act, becoming a CLG also requires a community to meet certain other requirements to more actively protect their historic properties. CLGs enter into a preservation partnership with HPD and NPS to better integrate historic preservation programs at local, state, and federal levels. CLGs benefit from this status by receiving direct technical assistance and being eligible for grant funds passed through HPD from NPS. Furthermore, CLGs benefit by having a voice in federal preservation decisions, such as nominating properties to the NRHP and participating in the NHPA Section 106 process.

Adairsville became Georgia's 99th CLG in 2019. (Source: ExploreGeorgia.org)

Natural Hazards and Disaster Response Trends

Response planning for natural hazards already associated with weather and climate-induced phenomena has

received increased attention within the past five years. While distinguishing between cause and effect allows

scientific data and observations to be considered for planning and technical guidance, it also fixes preservation

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attentions more on disaster preparedness and response to severe weather events, including wind damage caused

by hurricanes and tornadoes, flood damage caused by extreme rainfall and storm surge, and fire damage associated

with drought conditions, as well as less suddenly dramatic events such as impacts from sea level rise and erosion.

Preservation efforts in addressing disaster preparedness and response are challenging because there is no central repository of information or agency/organization dedicated to developing guidance specifically directed to preservation issues and concerns. Rather, information is available through a number of different sources. These sources include federal agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which are responsible for collecting data on climate and weather, and FEMA, which is tasked with providing national planning guidance under the National Response Framework, along with state and local agencies with experience preparing for particular types of severe weather events, such as Florida and Miami-Dade County (FL) for hurricanes.

Unfortunately, the dispersed availability of information aggravates the task of compiling and customizing it for use in disaster events due to the limited capacity of SHPOs and other preservation organizations to dedicate staff to creating plans that would only be used on relatively rare occasions (as compared to first responders where planning for emergency situations is an active part of their mission). Recognizing these difficulties, however, should not mean disregarding disaster planning because the obstacles are challenging, but rather to initiate efforts with realistic expectations.

With expectations and limitations in mind, disaster response planning by SHPOs should include:

Identifying and understanding risks and vulnerabilities to historic resources in regions and localities; Identifying and understanding the functions of federal, state, and local government agencies in disaster
response and recovery; Identifying partner agencies and organizations and coordination opportunities; Compiling available technical guidance for preparing for severe weather events and developing distribution
strategies; Compiling available technical guidance for disaster recovery planning and developing distribution strategies; Identifying SHPO resources that could be of potential assistance in disaster response and recovery and
developing strategies to make them readily available when needed; Establishing a liaison plan with emergency responding agencies (at both initial response and recovery
operations phases); Establishing a standby plan for administering disaster recovery assistance if a temporary program is
established and funded; and Evaluating the effectiveness of the disaster response plan as part of post-action planning activities.

In Georgia, there has been slow progress in HPD's attempts to develop a practical and sustainable historic resources preservation disaster response plan. Past attempts have been hindered by targeting efforts on an independent, comprehensive approach that would include disaster response activities beyond the normal capacity of existing staff with expectation that additional resources would be made available for implementation. Recent efforts have

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

concentrated on ensuring HPD affiliation with Georgia's existing disaster response system under the National Response Framework, the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan, Emergency Support Function (ESF) 11 Agricultural and Natural Resources, by fulfilling the basic responsibilities identified in the Georgia Historic Resources Emergency Plan Appendix to ESF-11, and incorporating guidance provided by ACHP Unified Federal Review streamlining initiatives where applicable.
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In addition, hurricane disaster grants received from NPS are being used to strengthen and increase identification of historic properties, as well as lay the ground work for more and better digital processes, in order to be prepared for any future disasters, while pass-through grants from these same sources are being used to rehabilitate and preserve resources that were impacted by past disasters at a more local level.

Growth and Development Strategies

Land Use and Zoning Managing growth and development requires planning and political interest along with suitable tools to support planning decisions. One tool used to regulate development and land use is zoning. In 2000, only 44 percent of Georgia's 159 counties had enacted a zoning ordinance. According to 2016 data from the Georgia Association of Zoning Administrators, that number has grown to 73 percent (116 of 159 counties). Additionally, 76 percent (401 of 525) of incorporated cities and towns have zoning ordinances. Significantly, cities, counties, and regions that have experienced rapid growth or recognize development as an issue have almost universally embraced zoning for regulating land use. Land use and zoning ordinances that take historic preservation into account can help preserve a region's historic properties.

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"I can demonstrate the value of the stories and the human populations who valued the sites that are preservable by the GHPD. By interpreting the human/lived histories of these locations, we can reinvest these sites with significance in their communities that not only warrants historic preservation but also ushers in a new era of inclusive participation in the developments that lie ahead."

Comprehensive Land Use Planning As required by the Georgia Planning Act of 1989 and GDCA regulations, local governments

have produced comprehensive plans that include existing and future land use maps. Statewide planning goals

adopted by GDCA include the preservation and protection of Georgia's historic resources. Comprehensive plans are

required to include consideration of natural and historic resources and to integrate this information into future land

use decisions. In addition, GDCA's regulations for local planning emphasize the identification of character-rich areas

and development patterns and an interest in how communities look and feel. Community involvement is stressed,

and implementation measures are required. These activities offer opportunities for historic properties to be taken

into account in comprehensive planning.

Producing a comprehensive plan and implementing it is an important step for communities as they prepare for the future. Planning and zoning are not in conflict with growth but are tools for local governments to help them preserve and enhance their quality of life while guiding growth. Preparing and implementing a comprehensive land use plan can be an effective way to achieve both growth management and historic preservation goals.

Regional Planning Under some circumstances, a regional perspective on planning is desirable. One example is the Georgia coastal area, which is experiencing rapid growth and also has a wealth of scenic and natural beauty as well as cultural and

historic resources. GDCA updated components of a Coastal Regional Commission Comprehensive Plan in 2017

and 2019 for the six coastal Georgia counties: Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, McIntosh, Glynn, and Camden. Additionally,

the Coastal Regional Commission's The Regional Plan of Coastal Georgia (updated 2012), which includes discussion

of preservation issues and opportunities, and the 2012 Regional Important Resources Plan, which includes detailed

information and maps of the region's historic properties as well as recommendations for their protection, were

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created as companion plans.

The Main Street Approach The Main Street Program was developed by NTHP to assist in the economic revitalization of declining downtowns. Communities utilize the Main Street Approach by creating a vision of success based on market realities, identifying transformation strategies, applying the strategies through the Main Street Four Points, and then measuring their outcomes.
Participation by Georgia communities in the Main Street Program began early and, as of 2021, has grown from five to 105 communities with 1,170 business opening or expanding, 3,764 jobs created, 1,219 buildings rehabilitated, and $950 million in public and private investment in 2020 alone. It is administered in Georgia by GDCA and includes participation under three classifications: Tier 1 Downtown Affiliate Network, Tier 2 Classic Main Street Program, and Tier 3 Georgia's Exceptional Main Streets.15
With Main Street's emphasis on capitalizing on existing infrastructure and historic building stock, the program has helped revitalize many historic communities across Georgia and its success is demonstrated by the 5,613 new businesses that opened or expanded their doors in Georgia Main Street downtowns from 2017 to 2021.16

Heritage Tourism Development Increasingly in Georgia, tourism is a key economic development strategy used by communities. Heritage and cultural tourism create opportunities for communities to identify, package, and market their existing historic assets. Increased tourism can translate into local job creation, additional revenue to local governments through increased occupancy and sales taxes, and provide an economic boost that encourages the rehabilitation of historic properties. As tourism has received greater emphasis as a local development tool, it has also been recognized that collaboration among various local, state, and federal agencies is essential in its initial development and for long-term success.
The TPD Resource Team was created in 2009 to help Georgia communities make the most of their tourism assets. GDEcD, through its TPD Office, created the program to evaluate a community's potential for tourism growth and development through innovative and unique local experiences. Drawing from a variety of state, regional, federal, and local economic development agencies, including GDCA. TPD Resource Team members provide in-depth analysis of a community's tourism potential in the areas of Agritourism, Arts and Culture, Culinary, Festivals and Events, Heritage/Historic Preservation, Industrial Tourism, Nature and Adventure, and Sports and Recreation, as well as associated aspects including lodging and downtown redevelopment. Between 2010 and 2020, 84 communities have taken advantage of TPD Resource Teams.17 As of 2021, the program has paused, but HPD will be available for technical assistance on an as-needed basis once the program restarts.

15

Georgia Main Street, "Fast Facts," http://www.georgiamainstreet.org/, accessed October 14, 2021.

16

Georgia Main Street Program, "2017-2021 Community Impact Report.

17

Explore Georgia, "Tourism Product Development, https://industry.exploregeorgia.org/tourism-product-development,

accessed October 14, 2021.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Partnerships

Georgia is fortunate to have strong state and local preservation partners with which to form the crucial links between

the private, public, and nonprofit sectors that are the foundation of Georgia's broad-based and widely respected

preservation programs. Partnering with groups that have common goals supporting preservation is fundamental to the way preservation takes place in Georgia. At the local level, such collaborations are evidenced by preservation

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organizations, historical and archaeological societies, foundations, heritage museums, commissions, neighborhood

associations, chambers of commerce, local governments, and homeowners regularly joining forces to champion

preservation causes and develop innovative solutions to difficult preservation challenges. With greater frequency,

collaboration is including non-traditional partners, such as real

estate agents, developers, commercial interests, and local, state,

and federal development agencies, working with preservationists

to achieve a shared vision for enhancing quality of life, creating

jobs, and strengthening economic development.

Georgia also benefits by having multiple universities with historic preservation and/or public history programs. These programs continue to educate preservation professionals and even directly assist with preservation projects throughout the state. Universities also train students in other disciplines relevant to the historic preservation field, such as anthropology, archaeology, architecture, geography, and planning. Their importance as partners is underscored by the volume of preservation activity created by students, including surveys, National Register nominations, and historic resource research projects, completed every year.

Statewide organizations with direct involvement in preservation,

such as GTHP, Georgians for Preservation Action, Society for

Georgia Archaeology (SGA), Georgia Council of Professional

Archaeologists, Georgia Civil War Commission, and GAAHPN,

to name a few, continue to support preservation interests and

achieve preservation goals, often coordinating through HPD.These

associations frequently expand to include other groups such as

The Georgia Trust hosted the Fall Ramble in Rome in 2020.

(Source: Georgia Trust Facebook Page).

GMA, Georgia Cities Foundation, Association County Commissioners

of Georgia, Legislative Black Caucus, regional commissions, and the

large number of smart growth, land conservation, natural area, transportation, recreation, planning, and tourism

organizations, when common-interest issues and challenges need to be addressed.

HPD's partnership with the GTHP continues to be our most important strategic alliance outside of state government. HPD's involvement with the GTHP includes our partnership as sponsors of the annual statewide historic preservation conference as well as individual projects in the course of the year. The GTHP routinely recognizes historic

preservation tax projects in its annual awards ceremony, and HPD personnel serve in a variety of capacities on GTHP committees and task forces, as well as on the Board of Directors. HPD also maintains strong partnerships with other non-profits around the state in cities like Augusta, Savannah, Macon, and Thomasville.

The GTHP, like all organizations, underwent significant restructuring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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While certain activities were postponed, others were reconfigured. For instance, the fall 2020 Ramble, held

in Rome, involved a combination of outdoor activities and low-density indoor tours of historic properties. As

a result of the pandemic, HPD and GTHP moved our annual statewide historic preservation program to an

all-virtual format in the fall of 2020 and again in 2021. Audience response was gratifying; 288 and 249 people

attended, respectively, a state conference record.

HPD continued to maintain its relationships with various divisions in GDNR, which manages historic resources, through the reporting period. In addition to routine project reviews with federal involvement and technical assistance, HPD conducted archaeological field schools in conjunction with universities on several of the barrier islands that GDNR manages. HPD also maintains a strong relationship with UGA's Archaeological Site Files, and is managing a GIS-based archaeological predictive modeling project funded by a Hurricane Irma HPF grant.

HPD monitored damages to historic properties as events from Hurricane Irma unfolded at the State Operations Center in 2017.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

One of the most important partnerships that HPD has developed during the reporting period is with the

Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA). GDA is tasked with directing Emergency Support Function (ESF) 11,

which addresses "natural, cultural, and historic resources" (NCR) under the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan

(GEOP). HPD maintains a presence at the Georgia Emergency Management Agency's State Operations Center

during events. HPD also wrote the cultural resources response component of the GDNR All Hazards Manual,

and as this plan was being developed, was authoring a revision of the NCR component of the GEOP ESF-11

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Annex. HPD will also help develop an ESF-11 template for county EMAs to use in the coming months.

Upcoming Partnerships As this document is being compiled, HPD has been a part of GDCA for just over a year, so the extent and nature of the partnership the division is likely to develop over the coming five years is still to some extent unknown. However, some partnerships are already coming into focus. GDCA serves as the state's lead agency in local government assistance, safe and affordable housing, and community and economic development. GDCA is a diverse agency with over 70 programs, funded by over $288MM in state and federal funds. HPD has identified many areas where the division can build on existing partnerships to extend our reach to new audiences.

For instance, in addition to GDCA's office staff, headquartered in Atlanta, the agency maintains regional representatives who serve as the entry point for their local communities to agency services. HPD has never had local representatives who are known in their communities, so access to a trusted local source will help the division reach more constituents more effectively, especially in Georgia's rural communities.

HPD staff assessed damage caused by Hurricane Irma at the Hofwyl-Broadfield State Historic Site in 2017.

Other agency functions hold promise as well. GDCA administers federal community development block grants (CDBG), as well as CDBG disaster recovery funds. HPD already reviews CDBG grants under Section 106 of the NHPA; now that both programs are housed in the same agency, there are opportunities for additional efficiencies that will help GDCA deliver those funds more rapidly to local communities. GDCA also houses

the Main Street program, which in many ways complements HPD's very popular Certified Local Government Program. Cross-fertilization is already taking place between these two community development programs, which will strengthen both.

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As a final example, HPD's state and federal tax incentive programs have been effective economic development tools throughout the state. GDCA administers a low-income housing tax credit program that should pair

effectively with larger historic preservation tax incentive projects. Additionally, GDCA administers several

rural community economic development programs, including tax incentives, and discussions are currently

underway regarding how to link these financial tools in such a way that they better support Georgia's economic

development, especially in the state's rural counties.

Conclusion
Even considering the maturation of preservation in the US as it moves into its second half-century, its fundamental nature is essentially unchanged. Identifying and recording historic resources, especially as new types come into the equation, protecting historic and archaeological resources threatened by development or redevelopment, revitalizing historic neighborhoods and commercial areas, finding adaptive uses for historic buildings, providing financial resources for the stewardship of historic resources, developing guidance for preservation issues, and representing preservation interests in government undertakings continue as preservation goals, many of which are reflected in our past and current plan goals.
In response, preservationists must continue efforts to seek or strengthen partnerships, incorporate new technologies, adapt to continual changes, and expand preservation to new audiences. Proponents of preservation emphasize its role as a basic component of smart growth initiatives and its importance in statewide and community comprehensive planning. Advocates need to continue efforts to grow financial support for preservation and rehabilitation projects and other preservation assistance through increased federal and state grants and tax incentives. Preservation organizations and agencies need to expand outreach and educational programs to inform the public, business community, and governments about the importance and benefits of preservation. Groups with compatible interests need to be convinced to more actively include preservation within their missions. Preservation consultants and businesses should establish a professional association to promote appropriate commercial interests of preservation and expand connections with developers, bankers, and business associations. Furthermore, elected officials should continue to make preservation a priority and to provide the financial support to agencies to enable them to fulfill regulatory and statutory duties to enhance and deliver improved information and tools to sustain preservation.
Ultimately, preservation is about quality of life and sustainability in the environment and economy. It provides the tools, technical assistance, and information homeowners and neighborhood groups need to preserve Georgia's historic buildings that form stable and revitalized neighborhoods and communities. Recognizing archaeological sites, landscapes, and other aspects of the built environment as assets benefits communities by enhancing education, interpretation, and tourism. Preservation is also integral to recognition and appreciation for African American and Civil Rights-era resources. It is also fundamental to recognizing and appreciating

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

resources of the recent past and under-represented communities. And again, with increased awareness of the myriad of resources present in the state, preservation will be more flexible and able to handle any pandemic or disaster that approaches.

Even with the tangible aspects of preservation, such as rehabilitation projects and existing financial incentives,

its value is often under appreciated and the case still must be made that keeping and using Georgia's legacy of

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historic properties not only enhances our collective sense of place and quality of life, but also makes economic

sense. Growing the network, understanding what we have, and systematic planning, will provide the basis

needed to be flexible and continue to adapt to whatever comes our way.

Mission, Vision, and Goals
Mission Statement: To help build strong, vibrant communities.
A plan is only useful if it is put into action. A vision of a better future is only a dream unless it is accompanied by ongoing commitment, strategic focus, and hard work to turn the vision into reality. Therefore, the heart of Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026: Preserving the Past in Times of Change presents this set of goals, objectives, and strategies that are designed to preserve, protect, and use Georgia's historic resources so that they may exist into the future. The goals respond to the major trends affecting Georgia, the effects of these trends on the preservation of Georgia's historic properties, and to preservation stakeholders' comments gathered through the plan's public participation process. The current goals largely remain the same as in the previous plan, as are several objectives and strategies. In the analysis of the previous plan it was found that there is still work to be done to accomplish those goals, objectives, and strategies. The major differences found between the last plan and this new one include a change in some goals regarding technology advancements, as some of these goals and objectives were met over the last five years. Technology, however, will continue to be on this goal list in perpetuity, as long as technology continues to innovate and can bring efficiency and transparency to the work of preservation.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

A Community Centered Vision for Historic Preservation in Georgia
Our Values Accountability
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Effectiveness
Excellence
Creativity
Collaboration
Our Mission To help build strong, vibrant communities.
Our Vision For Georgians of today and tomorrow to have the opportunity to live and work in thriving communities.
Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
The goals and objectives in this chapter are all considered important. They provide a statewide framework to focus preservation activities throughout Georgia. It is the variety of historic properties within the state that inform the preservation techniques and strategies promoted in this plan as part of HPD's commitment to preserving all of Georgia's history. HPD aims to document Georgia's heritage, identify its contribution to the collective community, and present opportunities to enhance quality of life for all Georgians through historic preservation and related activities.
Many other preservation partners must plan their own set of actions in order for the goals of preservation to be fully realized. For example, preserving Georgia's historic resources and building a preservation ethic across the state will require all of us to spread the word about the value of preservation and to encourage and actively seek participation of groups not traditionally members of preservation organizations. Educating the next generation of Georgians about history and preservation is also an endeavor that involves us all. By utilizing innovative strategies, expanding on existing technologies, and adapting to change, we will become more resilient and come closer to accomplishing our preservation goals.
The two guiding goals of this preservation plan as well as in the last plan, Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan, 2017-2021: Integrating Innovation with Preservation, are to preserve Georgia's historic properties and to build a preservation ethic. Likewise, many of the current objectives and strategies that will be used to meet those goals are the same, as they remain relevant today.

Goal 1: Preserve Georgia's Historic Properties

Objective 1.A: Identify and evaluate historic properties and facilitate the dissemination of information about them for compliance, context, planning, and educational purposes.

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Strategy 1.A.1: Update and expand existing historic resource identification guidance to more effectively

support the state's preservation programs and promote a deeper understanding of Georgia's historic

resources.

Action items:

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"Georgia's material history, and the decisions made to preserve or replace it, shapes the communities we live in today and the issues our communities face. Without a robust effort to understand the industrial, material, and environmental choices previous generations have made, we will only face greater difficulty in interpreting the experiences of our citizens, and we will miss an opportunity to prepare future generations with resources we were not ourselves provided."

Identify categories and eras of historic resources, including recent past resources (mid20th century and later), to systematically direct HPD's activities in developing a series of volumes on evaluation guidance. Prepare individual overviews of historic resource types based on identified categories and eras modeled after The Ranch House in Georgia: Guidelines for Evaluation and post on HPD's website. Identify and evaluate buildings in cooperation with property-owning state agencies to encourage the creation of historic preservation plans.
Strategy 1.A.2: Expand the use of technology to widen the audience for, and provide better access to, information about historic resources and to support program efficiency measures. Action items: Enhance GNAHRGIS to improve user accessibility, expand the types of resources and variety of information the system captures, and facilitate improved integration into HPD's preservation and business processes.

Improve the electronic workflow to increase the number of archaeological sites recorded as Geographic Information System (GIS) shapefiles in GNAHRGIS.

Continue the transition of program databases to new flexible and sustainable platforms.

Execute the plan to transition HPD program applications to all-digital submission formats.

Prepare and implement a plan to allow external applicant digital submittals and research.

Develop and implement a pilot project for digitizing program legacy files.

Provide resources on preservation topics through online outlets including HPD`s website and various social media sites to reach a broader audience.

Implement new technologies to create more interactive experiences with the past.

Strategy 1.A.3: Support and provide opportunities and guidance for non-profits, societies, and municipalities to conduct surveys and preservation projects. Action items:
Direct additional agency resources to the survey and grant program. Continue to identify areas of the state needing initial or updated surveys for historic resources to
systematically direct HPD's survey activities. Explore alternate funding sources to conduct surveys and provide sub-grants.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Continue to refine survey guidance materials for use by applicants and consultants.

Create the ability for the survey program to fully support reconnaissance survey.

Provide funding through sub-grants to local municipalities and CLGs for surveys and preservation

projects.

Provide funding through sub-grants for archaeological research, projects, and surveys. Provide funding through sub-grants for projects that support and provide access to preservation

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survey information.

Objective 1.B: Provide information and guidance about historic preservation techniques and programs to help individuals, organizations, and communities preserve historic resources.

Strategy 1.B.1: Provide information, technical advice, and funding to guide and encourage the protection and preservation of historic properties throughout Georgia. Action items:
Compile and provide information on the different types of historic cemeteries in Georgia and disseminate.
Continue collaboration with organizations, including sponsorship roles for annual conferences and related events.
Attend public meetings and invited lectures to aid in making information about preservation accessible to the public, including distribution of publications.

The Tift Theatre in Tifton was part of the historic theater survey with the Fox Theatre Institute and HPD. (Source: Fox Theatre Institute)

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What do you consider to be the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?
"Establishing enforceable ordinances to help protect the degradation of historic communities and places."

Strategy 1.B.2: Implement state and federal preservation tax incentives programs. Action items:
Review and update tax incentives program procedures for operational effectiveness and responsiveness to applicant concerns.
Review and update public information materials to present the tax incentives programs (procedures, rehabilitation standards, application forms, review process) as clearly as possible to applicants and constituents.
Reestablish and expand collaborative partnerships for promoting preservation tax incentive programs with state and local development agencies and organizations.
Develop and update promotional materials and programming for use in presentations to targeted (preservation tax incentive potential) audiences.
Develop applicant and consultant training materials and programming and provide training workshops (contingent on suitable local sponsorship).
Commission economic benefits study of preservation activities, including tax incentives.
Strategy 1.B.3: Sustain and expand outreach and training for local historic preservation partners. Action items:
Investigate and implement, as appropriate, new training through webinars, interactive websites, and other media, in coordination with stakeholders.
Develop forums in conjunction with regional partners to provide targeted training and increase awareness of non-traditional preservation tools.
Provide regional training sessions to educate commissions, officials, staff, and the public on preservation law, authorities, and best practices of commissions, architectural types/styles, and related subjects.
Strategy 1.B.4: Support the preservation, continued use, and/or adaptive use of recent past historic buildings. Action items:
Prepare and distribute guidance material for the preservation, continued use, and/or adaptive use of recent past historic buildings.
Identify specific challenges and areas of concern regarding the application of the Secretary's Standards to recent past historic buildings and propose solutions.
Prepare or commission contexts for recent past historic resources. Amend and update "legacy" National Register historic district nominations to include
recent past buildings that are now historic so property owners can take advantage of preservation tax incentives.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Strategy 1.B.5: Support state agency preservation planning and projects.

Action items:

Consult with agencies to identify historic properties under the ownership/control of the agency.

Consult with agencies to prepare Condition Assessment Reports, Historic Structure Reports, or other

preservation planning documents for individual historic properties under their ownership/control.

Consult with agencies to create, update, or implement historic property management plans.

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Consult with agencies on supported projects to ensure historic properties are being taken into

account.

Strategy 1.B.6: Support local entities in identifying and nominating historic properties to the Georgia and National Register. Action items:
Review preliminary eligibility determinations and provide suggestions for research, sources of information, and sample nominations.
Review nominations and provide feedback regarding documentation, significance, and integrity. Conduct site visits to document nomination boundaries, contributing components, and additional
features. Organize review board meetings and provide public access. Submit sufficient nominations to the NPS for listing.

Objective 1.C: Identify sources of funding for preservation initiatives.

Strategy 1.C.1: Leverage private and federal grants as sources of additional funding. Action items:
Identify grants to support projects in historic preservation and archaeology and partner with non-profit institutions and universities to apply for the grants.
Administer sub-grants to support projects in the preservation of historic properties and partner with local municipalities and entities to conduct such projects.

Strategy 1.C.2: Develop alternate funding streams to support preservation activities. Action items:
Identify and compile projects with known budget considerations, quick start capability, and short-duration completion periods suitable for funding from intermittent sources, including preservation license plates and regulatory mitigation.
Develop funding request and grant application templates to expedite application submissions.
Identify and approach potential funding sources with project specific proposals, including collaborative efforts with other agencies and organizations.

The Statewide Preservation Conference took place in Madison in 2017.

Strategy 1.C.3: Strengthen current, and develop new, partnerships to collaborate on funding for common

interest preservation projects.

Action items:

Consult to revise the current Section 106 PA providing mitigation funding for the "FindIt" field survey

program in cooperation with USDA, RUS, and GTC.

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Extend the current inter-agency agreement with GDOT to fund HPD staff to provide expedited reviews

of transportation-related Section 106 environmental review projects.

Identify other agencies and/or organizations where PAs or funding could support review of projects

and would be mutually beneficial.

Work with non-profits and similar entities to form agreements and partnerships to handle projects that require funding outside of state funds.

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"I can commit to participating in local and state preservation efforts for education and outreach. I can encourage others to become involved in preservation advocacy. I can lead by example, in my own community."

Goal 2: Build a Preservation Ethic
Objective 2.A: Increase public awareness of historic preservation and its benefits.
Strategy 2.A.1: Enhance awareness of historic preservation through preservation partnerships. Action items: Support Georgia's HPCs to provide education and technical assistance and to facilitate discussion of local issues.

Provide reference material regarding federal, state, and local legal frameworks

for preservation activities through web and other means.

Educate Georgia communities about the benefits of HPD programs (CLG, tax incentives, National Register, etc.).

Expand the Centennial Farm and GAAHPN constituency and programming.

Sponsor the statewide historic preservation conference with GTHP and other public and private organizations.

Coordinate with agencies and entities to incorporate historic preservation programs into community

development strategies.

Participate in programs tangentially related to preservation to provide a statewide preservation perspective, such as Garden Club of Georgia, Georgia Historic Marker Program, Atlanta Regional

Commission (ARC) awards, booths at events, and similar.

Strategy 2.A.2: Expand diversity in the constituency for preservation. Action items:
Develop innovative outreach strategies that will enhance the appreciation and preservation of African American historic properties in coordination with African American community leaders.
Coordinate with GAAHPN to develop and implement educational programs and special events including lectures, classroom engagements, and community and public meetings.
Identify partnership opportunities with Georgia's network of historically black colleges and universities.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Increase circulation of GAAHPN's Reflections publication.

Develop outreach strategies that include younger constituents through schools, special programs, or more general encouragement of community involvement in preservation.

Expand the reach of the Tribal liaison position by attending related conferences, agency-specific

meetings, and additional forms of cooperation and coordination.

Identify other historically excluded groups, develop outreach strategies, and aid in developing

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preliminary historic contexts to encourage their involvement in preservation.

Aid in establishing HPCs and CLGs in underserved areas of the state.

Target preservation projects in underserved areas of the state.

Strategy 2.A.3: Expand the preservation constituency to include non-traditional partners. Action items:
Investigate the linkage between core preservation tools and the larger issues of sustainability, economic development and tourism, quality of life, community health, and education.
Sustain and expand preservation and archaeology awareness training for community-based agencies. Utilize regional commissions to identify local, industry-based partners.

Objective 2.B: Increase engagement of professionals, students, stakeholders, public officials, and the general public in the preservation and use of historic properties.

The 2019 Statewide Preservation Conference brought professionals and Georgia residents together in Madison.

Strategy 2.B.1: Increase educational opportunities for students and professionals in preservation-

related disciplines.

Action items:

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Expand internship opportunities with HPD for students in preservation-related disciplines.

Identify student projects that will enhance information about historic properties in partnership

with Georgia universities that offer courses and/or degrees in public history, historic preservation,

and archaeology.

Provide support for students and professionals to participate in the statewide historic preservation conference.

Provide information about training opportunities for students in preservation publications.

Create or support publication opportunities for students and professionals in preservation related publications.

Strategy 2.B.2: Encourage the involvement of public officials in historic preservation. Action items:
Utilize grants to support training needs for local HPC members and other local staff. Provide preservation education for elected and public officials on a regular basis through
partnerships with pertinent state and local authorities. Support communications to inform and educate local officials regarding general historic
preservation practices and on-going preservation projects. Inform and educate public officials on the regulatory processes their municipalities should be a
part of and provide training on how.

HPD staff attended the Cherokee Archaeology Symposium in 2018, hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians THPO.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Strategy 2.B.3: Encourage historic preservation planning at all levels of government.

Action items:

Provide guidance to communities about preservation planning through partnerships with state

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and federal agencies.

Support the regional historic preservation planning program as an important and cost-effective way of delivering preservation services to all areas of Georgia.

Establish better contact and coordination with state, federal, and local agencies to ensure that

historic properties are taken into account in plans for emergency and disaster preparedness,

land-use and development, and transportation.

Sustain and expand partnerships with state and federal agency programs to emphasize and publicize preservation projects in Georgia communities.

Section II: Georgia's Historic and Archaeological
Resources

Defining Historic Properties
Georgia was founded in 1733 as one of the 13 original American colonies. Its history and landscape have been shaped by the activities and interactions of three peoples: Americans of European decent, African Americans, and Native Americans. For two centuries prior to English colonization, the Spanish with their African servants and slaves explored what would later become Georgia. Yet, the presence of Europeans and Africans in the "New World" was preceded by at least 12,000 of years of Native American occupation.
Thousands of years of human activities have left their mark all across the state. Not only in metropolitan areas, where the signs of civilization are everywhere, but also in the most remote mountain valleys, along and in rivers and streams, across vast stretches of field and forest, deep in seemingly inaccessible swamps, on coastal marshes and islands, even underwater along the coast there is hardly an acre of Georgia untouched by the past.
What Makes a Property "Historic?"
Physical evidence of Georgia's history takes the form of buildings, structures, and objects, historic and archaeological sites, historic landscapes, TCPs, and historic districts these are Georgia's historic properties. Preserving these historic properties, and their associated history, is the goal of historic preservation. To be considered "historic," a property must have three essential attributes: sufficient age, a relatively high degree of physical integrity, and historical significance, according to the NPS.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Age A property must be "old enough" to be considered historic. Generally speaking, a property must be at least 50 years
old, although this standard is just a rule of thumb. Another way of looking at it is that a property must be old enough
that study of it by historians, architectural historians, or archaeologists makes its place in history clear. This latter
perspective allows some types of properties that are less than 50 years old to be considered "historic."
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Integrity In addition to having sufficient age, a property must retain its historic physical integrity. For a building, structure, landscape feature, site, or district, a property must be relatively unchanged. Its essential character-defining features, with respect to its historic significance, must still be present. For an archaeological site, integrity means that the site must be, to a large degree, undisturbed with its patterns and layers of artifacts and other archaeological evidence relatively intact. For a TCP, integrity means that the site must be recognizable to today's affiliated cultural group, demonstrated through tradition, and still used or revered in some way.

Significance Finally, and most importantly, a property must be significant to be considered historic. Significance is defined in three ways: (1) through direct association with individuals, events, activities, or developments that shaped our history or that reflect important aspects of our history; (2) by embodying the distinctive physical and spatial characteristics of an identified architectural style or type of building, structure, landscape, or planned environment, or a method of construction, or by embodying high artistic values or fine craftsmanship; or (3) by having the potential to yield information important to our understanding of the past through archaeological, architectural, or other physical investigation and analysis.

What do you consider to be the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?
"I think the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now are in the small communities that are in economic distress and neglect. We are losing our buildings, neighborhoods, and stories told by the elderly."

How Do We Decide What is Historic?
Each of us may have our own personal opinions about what makes a property historic. Similarly, different social and cultural groups may have different definitions of "historic." Other groups may look at historic properties in entirely different ways or may not value them at all. An important part of historic preservation is establishing public processes to determine what is historic and what is not. Once these determinations have been made, they become public preservation policy. There are several established ways in Georgia of publicly determining whether properties are historic and worthy of preservation.
National Register of Historic Places One of the most important ways in which we determine which properties are historic is through the NRHP. Since its creation by an act of Congress in 1966, the National Register has been one of the foundations of historic preservation across the country and in Georgia. It provides uniform standards, a public process, and a national perspective for determining the significance and preservation worthiness of properties. Although the criteria for determining NRHP eligibility are essentially unchanged since 1966, their interpretation and application to properties are continuously clarified and updated through published guidance, bulletins, and precedent-setting National Register listings. Listing in the NRHP or determining NRHP eligibility are among the clearest statements of public policy about what is historic and worthy of being preserved.

At the present time there are more than 2,181 Georgia properties listed in the NRHP encompassing more than 86,934 historic properties in the state. Historic properties in Georgia are being added to the National Register at the rate of approximately 15 listings, representing nearly 1,000 historic properties, per year. Traditionally, Georgia has ranked in the top 10 states in the nation in the number of National Register-listed properties.

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Georgia Register of Historic Places

Established in 1989, the Georgia Register of Historic Places (GRHP) is our state's companion to the NRHP. Modeled

closely after the National Register, the Georgia Register is Georgia's official statewide list of historic properties worthy

of preservation. Properties listed in the National Register are automatically listed in the Georgia Register.

Local Designations Another important way of determining the significance of properties in Georgia is through local landmark or historic district designation. Under the provisions of the Georgia Historic Preservation Act of 1980, local governments can pass ordinances that specify standards and procedures for naming historic properties in their jurisdictions. Criteria and designations may vary from community to community, reflecting local conditions, needs, goals, and prerogatives. At the present time, 154 local governments in Georgia have established local HPCs or have designated local historic landmarks or districts.

The First African Baptist Church in Dublin was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Section 106 Environmental Reviews

The same act that created the National Register also established that federal

agencies are required to take into account the effects of their undertakings on properties that are listed or eligible

for listing in the NRHP. A national review process established by the federal ACHP, Section 106 prescribes the method

by which these agencies carry out this legal responsibility and part of the process includes consulting with the SHPO

to determine if properties in the project areas are listed or eligible for listing in the NRHP. Interested parties and the

general public are also invited to comment. This public process identifies hundreds of historic properties each year

in Georgia.

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"I am a member of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and will be a part of any efforts to promote minority group preservation efforts in the state."

Planning Another way that local communities can define their historic properties is through local comprehensive development plans. As required by the 1989 Georgia Planning Act, local plans must include consideration of historic properties. These plans provide an opportunity for communities to make a public statement about what they consider historic and worthy of being preserved. Other local land use tools, including zoning, sign, and tree ordinances, can be used to delineate or designate historic properties.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

How Are Properties Determined to Be Historic?
Although there are several different ways of determining whether properties are historic, all of these processes share three fundamental steps:

The first step consists of gathering information about a specific property, including a physical description and

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historical documentation. Maps, plans, and photographs supplement this information.

The second step involves putting the individual property in its place in history or its context. Documenting what role it played in our history, ascertaining what it might tell us about the past, and determining if it is a good and representative example are all important components to this step. Comparing and contrasting the resource to similar properties, to historically related properties, or to other properties in the same vicinity aids in this process. Determining how the property relates to the distinctive aspects of Georgia's history and how well it retains its character-defining features are important. Formal studies called "historic contexts," prepared according to NPS standards, provide information by which to determine whether or not a property is historic.

The third step consists of applying criteria for evaluation to the property and what is known about it. The NRHP's Criteria for Evaluation, or the designation standards found in a local historic preservation ordinance, are commonly used to measure the significance of a historic property.

Each step of the process involves public input and participation along with professional involvement. Taken together, these three steps constitute the basic methodology for determining the significance of properties.

Conclusion
As can be seen, the identification of historic properties is a process that involves many components and characteristics of a property. It can be completed through multiple routes, including regulatory, survey, planning, and others. While the process is something that can be completed by anyone, it may help to involve experienced consultants, including historians, archaeologists or other Secretary of the Interior's qualified professionals. HPD, of course, can also be used as a resource for technical assistance and guidance through the NRHP, regulatory, survey, or other processes.

The Chi Omega House in Athens was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Georgia's Historic Resources
As defined by the NRHP, historic resources include buildings, structures, objects, sites, or districts. Buildings are created mainly to shelter human activity and include houses, community landmarks, and commercial, agricultural, or industrial buildings. The term can also refer to groups of related buildings, such as a house and outbuilding or courthouse and jail. Structures are defined by the NRHP as "functional constructions made usually for purposes other than creating shelter." Objects are works that are largely artistic in nature or are small and simple. Objects are typically associated with a specific setting or environment although some may be movable, by nature or design. A site is defined as "the location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined, or vanished, where the location itself possesses historic, cultural, or archeological value regardless of the value of any existing structure." Districts, on the other hand, are a combination of some or all of the above buildings, structures, sites, and objects where the overall grouping the ensemble takes on an identity and significance apart from its individual components. All of these types of historic resources can be found in Georgia.
Buildings
Georgia's historic buildings include a wide variety of houses, stores and offices, factories and mills, outbuildings on farms and plantations, and community landmarks such as courthouses, churches, and schools.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

About one quarter of historic buildings in Georgia are located in the state's larger urban areas, about one quarter are in smaller cities and towns, another quarter are in the state's mid-20th-century suburbs, and the remaining quarter are dispersed across rural areas.

An estimated five percent of Georgia's historic buildings date from the antebellum period (pre-1861) and even less

date from the Reconstruction period (1865-1877). About one-third of the state's historic buildings date from the

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New South era (1877-1919) with its prosperous cotton agricultural and industrial economy. Another third date from

the period between World Wars I and II (1917-1945), with the greatest number dating from the 1920s and fewer

from the Great Depression years. The remainder of Georgia's historic buildings, approximately 25 percent, date from

World War II to the 1970s, and this number is continuously increasing as more mid-20th-century buildings become

50 years of age or older and thereby cross the general age threshold at which most resources can be considered

historic.

Houses Houses are the most prevalent type of historic building in Georgia. They make up an estimated 80 percent of all existing historic buildings. Houses range from large, high-style mansions to small, vernacular dwellings. The oldest well-documented house in Georgia continues to be the Rock House in McDuffie County, dating from 1786, although Wild Heron Plantation, outside Savannah, may predate it by three decades. The youngest well-documented historic houses in Georgia are mid-20th century ranch and split-level houses like those that comprise the Longview-Huntley Hills Historic District northeast of Atlanta in DeKalb County, which was listed in the National Register in 2017. New variants of types, like the two-story mid-century traditional house and the geometric cedar house, continue to be discovered, particularly as study of mid-20th century residential resources moves into the 1970s. The most common type of 19th century house in the state is the Georgian cottage, and the most common types of historic houses in the state overall are early 20th century front-gabled bungalows and mid-20th century ranch houses. In Georgia, single-family house types are largely identified using the statewide context, Georgia's Living Places: Historic Houses and Their Landscaped Setting. Mid-20th century multi-family residential development, including public housing, has become a subject of increasing study in Georgia over the past five years.

(Left) Historic houses in Georgia include early 20th century examples such as these in the Stone Mountain area, and (Right) bungalows such as this example in the Atlanta midtown area.

Commercial Buildings

Commercial buildings, including stores, offices, and other places of business, are the second most numerous

type of historic building in the state. Most of these tend to be concentrated in communities, often forming

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cohesive central business districts, although some, like the country store, are found in sparsely settled rural

areas and others, like the corner store, are often situated in mostly residential areas. Georgia's commercial

building stock is diverse, with common commercial resources including one- to three-story small-town

"storefront"buildings, larger city business blocks, and urban skyscrapers. Survey, contexts, and National Register

documentation are helping to better define Georgia's mid-20th century commercial landscape. Commercial

building and district design catering to and resulting from the automobile and highway development, and

related commercial phenomenon such as chain businesses, are at the forefront for further examination and

more detailed documentation needs in the coming years.

Industrial Buildings Industrial buildings in Georgia are not numerous, yet they represent some of the largest, most highly engineered, and most economically important historic buildings in the state. They include factories, textile, grist and saw mills, warehouses, cotton gins, ice and power plants, and loft-type manufacturing buildings. Rural gristmills with their dams and millponds often are located in isolated areas near sources of waterpower. Most often in smaller Georgia cities and towns, industrial complexes, which are usually late 19th and early 20th century textile mills, are surrounded by a mill village, a form of self-contained community which commonly includes
residences, community buildings, and limited commercial resources. These types of buildings are continually being abandoned or adapted into residential or mixed-uses, requiring continued education and use of historic preservation tax credits and similar financial incentives.

Community Landmark Buildings

Community landmark resources are a small, but diverse, group of important

historic resources that house community institutions such as local governments,

religious groups, civic organizations, and schools, or serve important

community functions, such as railroad transportation. Common examples

include courthouses, city halls, post offices, churches and other places of

worship, lodges, clubhouses, theaters, auditoriums, gymnasiums, libraries, jails,

hospitals, fire stations, depots, and community centers. Although they account

for a relatively small percentage of all surveyed historic buildings, community

The English Avenue School in Atlanta is

landmark buildings are often prominent due to their large size, architectural

a community landmark that was listed

in the NRHP in 2020.

treatments, strategic locations, community functions, and historical associations. They are often focal points

in their communities. Community landmarks also often include landscapes, such as parks and cemeteries.

The focus on community landmarks moving forward will continue to emphasize their continued use and

rehabilitation, which will aid in their long-term preservation. Numerous community landmarks, such as the

First African Baptist Church in Dublin and the Fairview School in Cave Spring, have been listed in the NRHP in

recent years. There is no doubt that NRHP listings will continue to include many community landmarks in the

years to come.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Agricultural Buildings

Agricultural buildings are found in most areas of the state, usually grouped with other buildings, structures, and

landscape features on farms or plantations. They typically include farmhouses, tenant farmhouses, barns and sheds,

storage and processing buildings, detached kitchens, smokehouses, blacksmith shops, and offices. Historically,

agriculture dominated land use in the state and agricultural buildings were numerous across the entire state.

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Today, they are relatively rare and in more urbanized areas of the state, have virtually disappeared. Coupled with the

continuous redevelopment of farms and other agriculture properties into industrial or residential developments,

programs like Centennial Farms and Section 106 become more important

in order to aid in their preservation in the coming years.

Structures
Common kinds of historic structures in Georgia include water towers, wells, windmills, agricultural outbuildings such as corncribs or silos, fortifications, bridges, icehouses, power plants, railroads, and roads. Other familiar structures include lighthouses, tunnels, dams, and bandstands. Historic structures also include railroad locomotives and other rolling stock, as well as ships, boats, and other watercraft. Structures such as water towers need additional context and evaluation within the state and the next five years will most likely focus on gathering research that has been completed in order to support such aspects in Georgia.

Another kind of historic structure, less commonly recognized, is the structured environment, which is a large-scale, two-dimensional plan or pattern that underlies historic development. Historic structured environments include city plans, courthouse squares, agricultural field patterns, land-lot lines, suburban subdivisions, and the layout of parks, gardens, cemeteries, and yards. Thankfully, the structures are often coupled with other types of historic resources, such as buildings, and can be included within such boundaries to aid in identification. While moving forward, these resources can be further expanded when additional context is uncovered.

Grave markers such as this one at the Gullah (German) Village Cemetery at St. Simon's are examples of objects.

Objects
Objects are similar to, but smaller than, structures. Outdoor sculpture, monuments, boundary markers, statuary, and fountains are examples of historic objects. Georgia does not have many NRHP-listed resources that are strictly objects, but some examples include a mausoleum at a cemetery, the cyclorama, and the railroad's zero milepost in downtown Atlanta. Preservation efforts will continue to highlight the identification of objects as well as their potential significance, whether as individual resources, or as contributing features in a district or landscape.

Roads are considered structures, as well as sites, as in this case of a historic Corduroy road located at Ossabaw Island.

Sites

There are several different types of sites in Georgia that range from precontact archaeological sites to Victorian

Gardens. A site does not have to have physical above ground structures or remains, but could include natural

features or buried cultural materials.

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Archaeological Sites

Archaeological sites, both precontact and historic, are the most numerous, although not the most visible, type of site in Georgia. A wide variety of archaeological sites exist in Georgia. Some are "stratified" sites, with various layers representing different periods of occupation and use. Other complex sites include the locations of precontact villages and towns with distinct civic, religious, residential, and even industrial areas. Less complex sites may represent a single activity or use, such as hunting or fishing,

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"Be vocal about the importance about historic preservation. Acknowledge solutions and empowered to make sound decisions."

manufacturing or quarrying, agriculture, or camping. Major river

valleys, ridgelines, and the Fall Line have yielded the greatest

numbers of archaeological sites. Less-well-known sites are being found underwater, on river bottoms, in coastal

marshes, and off the coast on the continental shelf (see "Georgia's Archaeological Resources" section for more

information).

Historic Sites Historic sites are places where an event or activity took place but where there were no buildings or structures associated with the event or activity or where the associated buildings or structures no longer exist. Historic sites are important primarily for the events or activities that took place there, although significant archaeological resources also may be present. Historic sites may have distinctive natural features, such as a mountain, cave, or tree, or they may simply be the place where something important happened, such as an open field where a military engagement took place. The most commonly recognized type of historic site in Georgia is the battlefield. The Brier Creek Battlefield, a 2,686-acre site in Screven County was listed int he NRHP in 2020, in part for its association with the American Revolutionary War.

(Left) The Bowden Golf Course in Macon, Bibb County was listed in the National Register in 2015 for its landscape design, which has remained unchanged since its 1940 completion. (Right) Hard Labor Creek State Park, located in Morgan and Walton counties, was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps workers.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Traditional Cultural Places

TCPs are sites that have distinct historic value to a specific racial, ethnic, or cultural group and that continue to

play a vital role in contemporary cultural life. Such sites may be natural places, such as a mountain top, or historic

environments, such as an ethnic neighborhood, or they may be simply a revered spatial location or special place. The

value of a TCP is demonstrated through tradition, oral history, continuing traditional uses or practices, or common

cultural knowledge. An important difference between TCPs and other types of historic properties is that the TCP

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derives its primary significance, not from its physical, structural, or archaeological features, but rather from its direct

and continuing associations with important historic cultural beliefs, customs, or practices of a living community.

TCPs already documented in Georgia include the Ocmulgee Old Fields in Macon-Bibb County, New Echota in

Calhoun County, and Taylors Creek and Pleasant Grove Cemeteries within the boundaries of Fort Stewart. With

further research devoted to evaluating historic resources in the context

of TCPs, it is expected this resource type will continue to have value for

Georgia's communities in the future.

Landscapes

Georgia's historic landscapes range from small formal gardens to vast

expanses of agricultural countryside. Examples include courthouse

squares (often the largest public landscape space in a community),

city parks, streetscapes with street trees and sidewalks, cemeteries

(ranging from the formal and park-like to the vernacular), institutional

landscaping, like college campuses or vacation resorts, and state parks.

Farmsteads are another important landscape in Georgia with field

systems, woodlands, orchards and groves, hedgerows, fences, field terraces, and roadways. Still other types of landscapes in Georgia include cemeteries and golf courses. Many of the largest historic landscapes in the state are found in state parks and public and private conservation

Constructed in 1944 by African American developer Walter "Chief" Aiken, Fairview Terrace in West Atlanta is an example of a historic district containing American Small Houses.

areas that were developed to reclaim worn-out agricultural and

timberlands while providing opportunities for outdoor recreation. Yards

are a well-documented example of a historic landscape. Fifteen major forms of historic "domestic" landscapes dating

from the 18th century to the mid-20th century have been identified through the Georgia's Living Places context. A

recent NRHP-listing of a cemetery landscape includes Westview Cemetery in Atlanta, which was patterned after the

lawn park cemetery Woodlawn in New York.

Historic Districts
The most common type of historic district in Georgia is the residential neighborhood, while the downtown central business district is close behind. The Springfield Historic District in Effingham County, listed in the National Register in 2021, comprises an entire historic community. Equally important, but less numerous, types of historic districts include industrial and warehousing areas, school campuses, military installations, farmsteads, parks, cemeteries, and waterfronts, among others. Georgia has several vast archaeological districts, such as the Etowah Valley, and several large rural historic districts containing multiple farms, rural communities, and historic rural landscapes, such as the Sautee and Nacoochee valleys in White County and the Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District in Lamar and Monroe counties. The largest historic district in Georgia, in terms of acreage, is McLemore Cove in Walker County with 50,141 acres; the largest historic districts in terms of numbers of contributing historic resources are the Kirkwood Historic District with 1,788 in DeKalb County, and the Collier Heights Historic District with 1,757 contributing resources in Fulton County. The smallest historic district in Georgia is a row of three shotgun houses occupying less than an

acre in Americus in Sumter County all that remains of a once-extensive historic African American neighborhood. Briarcliff Plaza in Atlanta, listed in the National Register as a historic district in 2019, comprises just 2.7 acres and also comprises only three contributing resources.

68 African American

Historic properties associated with African Americans form a distinct subset of the state's historic properties. A large

population of African Americans have lived in Georgia since the late 18th century, making important contributions

to the state's history and culture. Overall, the pattern of historic properties associated with African Americans in

Georgia is similar to the statewide profile in terms of types of buildings and periods of development. However,

significant differences distinguish African American historic properties from other historic

properties.

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"I live here, and love it. Georgia has some very important places that have an important story to tell about our shared American history of all people living on this land."

The primary difference is that there are fewer extant historic properties associated with African Americans. African Americans historically made up approximately one-third of the state's population. However, less than one-tenth of the state's historic properties are known to be directly associated with African Americans. Part of this disparity is due to the fact that many historic properties associated with African American history have been lost through demolition, neglect, or replacement. Additionally, until recently, extant historic properties with African American associations have not been well documented. However,

with continuing advances in historical research, more historic properties associated with

Georgia's African American heritage are being documented.

There are also differences in the relative numbers of the different types of extant historic buildings associated with African Americans. Houses constitute a smaller percentage of recognized, documented historic resources, while community landmark buildings make up a larger percentage. Two-thirds of African American community landmark buildings are churches, yet they comprise one-half of the community landmark buildings statewide. There are also many African American historic schools documented. However, very few historic African American ownedand-operated farms have been documented, although a number are represented in National Register listings and Centennial Farm designations. Conversely, many farms and plantations in the Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Coastal regions were worked and even managed by enslaved African Americans prior to the Civil War and by African American tenant farmers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but relatively few associated buildings and structures remain.

The environmental setting of Georgia's African American historic properties also differs from the statewide profile. Compared to all cities in Georgia, more African American sites are in urban areas, with fewer sites located in rural areas. African American sites are rare in suburban areas the city of Atlanta is an exception with its extraordinary collection of 20th-century African American suburbs stretching westward from the Atlanta University Center to

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Collier Heights. Another difference reflects settlement patterns established under the system of legalized racial

segregation of the late 19th century. In many communities, all African American historic properties are situated

in the same relatively small area. As a result, large and small houses, community landmarks and places of work,

industries and recreational facilities, comprise a distinctive community that is different from white-occupied historic

areas where "zoning," whether by ordinance or practice, tended to separate different land uses and building types.

In rural areas, many African American houses are clustered in hamlets, sometimes with a small country store and

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occasionally a church and school.

There are significant differences in the architectural characteristics of houses associated with African Americans. The percentage of vernacular houses is much higher, and there is a greater prevalence of smaller house types and forms such as shotguns, hall-parlor houses, double pens, and saddlebag-type houses. The smaller, less-adorned structures yield important insight into the African American experience in Georgia.

With regard to historic landscapes, distinctive traditions associated with African Americans date from the antebellum period through the mid-20th century and differ from non-African American landscapes. However, these African American associations are not well documented in existing surveys. African American landscapes, characterized by strong cultural associations and symbolic meanings, rather than visual aesthetics, have recently begun to be recognized. In contrast, documented African American landscapes, such as the swept yard, have virtually disappeared.

Conclusion
With all of the defined types of historic resources, it is no wonder that Georgia contains a vast array of important and irreplaceable historic places. While some resources are more prevalent that others, that does not necessarily mean that those types of resources are scarce or non-existent, rather that type may not have been fully documented and surveyed to date. From the vast amount of buildings and sites to the less common structures and districts to the rare number of objects in the state each is important in telling the story of Georgia's history from Native American to modern day.

Georgia's Archaeological Resources
Georgia has a rich human history that began at least 12,000 years ago. Written records have existed since European contact, yet approximately 96 percent of Georgia's past is unrecorded. Archaeological research provides one way of uncovering this unwritten history. Archaeology is the study of humans and their closest ancestors through the material remains they have left behind.
There are a myriad of types of archaeological sites in Georgia. Precontact archaeological sites range from monumental earthen mounds and platforms separated by broad open plazas, low shell middens in the form of piles and rings, rock quarries, fishing weirs, rock piles, scatters of stone tools, concentrations of broken pottery, house sites, and villages. Historic archaeological sites include Revolutionary and Civil War earthworks, industrial sites, refuse dumps, "dead" towns, Spanish mission sites along the coast, agricultural sites, including antebellum plantations and Depression-era tenant farms, and buried evidence of former buildings, structures, and landscape features. Underwater archaeological sites include prehistoric fish weirs, American Indian dugout canoes, colonial wharf complexes, ferry landings, and shipwrecks. Cemeteries and individual graves can also be considered as archaeological sites, although state and federal laws protecting burial sites severely, and understandably, restrict their archaeological investigation.
The primary means of accessing this past is through excavation or "digging" a site. Depending on the site and the conditions, archaeologists may choose from many different tools ranging from dental picks and paint brushes to backhoes or other heavy equipment. What does not change between excavations is the note taking and recording
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that takes place. Excavation is an inherently destructive process that destroys the archaeological record as the data

are collected. Therefore, it is important to record as much as possible for future researchers, including taking careful

notes about each artifact's location or provenience. Provenience is the term used to describe an artifact's exact

location and its relationship to other artifacts. Most individual artifacts are not that informative by themselves. What

allows archaeologists to reconstruct the stories of past people are the complicated relationships of one artifact to

another. If these artifacts are removed from the ground without careful excavation and recordation, this information

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is lost forever.

However, the real work starts after the excavation is over. Laboratory work, including cleaning, analyzing, stabilizing, cataloging, and storing the artifacts usually takes three to four times as long as the time spent digging and in special cases, can take much longer. Once the artifacts are safely cleaned and stored, archaeologists have an obligation to report on the excavations in order to make the information available to the public and other archaeologists.

Archaeologist working at the Camp Lawton Civil War prison site in Millen record measurements.

People are frequently archaeologically organized by their time periods, creating a series of categories containing cultures with similar traits. Though not perfect, these periods provide a starting point to discuss the commonalities and differences both within and between different time periods.

Precontact Periods

Paleoindian Period The first unequivocal evidence of humans in the southeastern US dates to around the end of the last ice age about 13,000 years before the present (BP) and is termed the Paleoindian Period. This period is associated with a distinctive type of projectile point known as the Clovis point, named after the town in New Mexico where it was first identified. Compared to later time periods, little is known about the Paleoindians. They were hunter-gatherers who lived most of the year in relatively small groups of perhaps 25 to 50 individuals. Some evidence suggests large animals like mastodons and mammoths were an important food resource, though a wide array of plants and smaller game like deer, rabbits, and squirrels were probably also important. No large intact Paleoindian sites have been located in Georgia, but Clovis Period projectile points have been recovered from across the state. The presence of these points indicates Paleoindian people were present in Georgia around 13,000 BP but the total population may have been small.

(Left) Drawing of a Clovis point recovered during excavations at the Macon Plateau in 1935, indicative of the Early Paleoindian subperiod (Courtesy of UGA Laboratory of Archaeology) and (Right) a Kirk Corner Notched spear point, a type indicative of the Early Archaic period (Courtesy of the Peach State Archaeological Society).

Archaic Period By around 10,000 BP, large animals such as bison, horses, mastodons, mammoths, and camels disappeared from the region and the early inhabitants of Georgia continued to refine their lifeways to fit the changing environmental and social conditions. These changes are viewed as the beginning of the Archaic Period which lasted from approximately 10,000 to 3,000 BP. These 7,000 years are typically sub-divided into three sub-periods: the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic.

Life during the Early Archaic (10,000 to 8,000 BP) was probably much the same as it had been during the Paleoindian

Period. People still lived in small groups and remained quite mobile, periodically moving across the landscape to

find food and to meet and trade with other groups. Early Archaic sites are identified by the presence of diagnostic

(i.e. distinctively shaped) stone tools, including spear points and scrapers that may have been used to prepare hides.

People still ate large game like white-tailed deer, black bear, and turkey, as well as turtles, fish, shellfish, birds, and

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smaller mammals. They also harvested wild nuts, roots, fruits, seeds, and berries. Like the Paleoindian Period, Early

Archaic sites are rare in Georgia.

The Middle Archaic Period lasted from about 8,000 to 5,000 BP. The beginning of the Middle Archaic Period is marked by environmental change as the climate became drier and warmer in some areas of the southeastern US. Middle Archaic sites are often identified by the presence of distinctive spear points. Based on the local stone that Middle Archaic people were using to make their tools, they traveled less or had smaller trade networks. As their movement and/or trade were reduced, regional cultures may have developed. During this period, people continued to rely on a broad range of food resources, probably still moving through their territory on a seasonal basis as certain foods became available. No large Middle Archaic habitation sites have been found in Georgia, but small sites are common in upland settings throughout the Piedmont.

A section of the largest Late Archaic shell ring of the Sapelo Shell Ring Complex. Late Archaic shell rings are circular and semicircular deposits of shell, bone, soil, and artifacts.

The Late Archaic Period lasted from about 5,000 to 3,000 BP. During this time, trends that began in the Early and Middle Archaic grew and matured. During the Late Archaic, population size probably increased. At the same time, territories continued to shrink and people constructed more permanent settlements. Late Archaic sites are often identified by large stemmed projectile points, cooking slabs made of soapstone, atlatl weights, grooved stone axes, and metates (grinding stones). Another important marker of the Late Archaic Period is fiber tempered pottery. The earliest pottery in the New World was invented on the South Carolina and Georgia coasts during this period. This pottery often had Spanish moss or palmetto fiber added to the clay to strengthen it when the vessels were fired, the fiber burned away leaving distinctive marks in the pottery.
Additionally, Late Archaic people made extensive use of aquatic resources and their sites often contain large piles of shell. Their use of freshwater shellfish is evident at the Stallings Island site located on an island in the Savannah River north of Augusta. The Stallings Island site consists of a two-acre accumulation of freshwater mussel shells, sometimes over 10 feet deep, with other food remains, pit features, pottery, and artifacts. The Sapelo Island shell ring is an example of a coastal shell construction. The Sapelo Island shell ring is actually the largest of three rings located on the island. While archaeologists do not know why or how these ring-shaped structures form, the food remains recovered suggest Late Archaic people used them year round. They may be the result of ring-shaped villages or communal feasting events. Either way, the rings likely reflect a more complex level of social organization than in the earlier periods.

Woodland Period During the Woodland Period (3,000 to 1,100 BP) people continued to refine developments that began during the preceding Late Archaic Period.The pottery became lighter and stronger, people continued to become more settled and lead less mobile lives, and their societies continued to

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increase in complexity. The Woodland Period is also sub-divided into three parts: Early, Middle, and Late.

The Early Woodland Period lasted from about 3,000 to 2,300 BP. During this time, people lived in villages of around

50 individuals. The villages had more permanent structures, although the inhabitants probably still moved on a

seasonal basis, returning to the site year after year. Sites from this period are recognized by the pottery, which is

often decorated with impressions from wooden paddles that were carved or wrapped with fabric. While direct

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evidence from Georgia is lacking, cultivation of plants increased in other parts of the Southeast during this period.

Early Woodland people practiced small-scale horticulture, growing starchy seed plants like goosefoot, maygrass,

knotweed, and sunflower. These plants formed a small but important portion of their diet.

The Middle Woodland Period dates from 2,300 to 1,400 BP and marks a time of profound political change. Villages continued to grow larger and more permanent. They were often circular and built around a central plaza. Trade appears to have increased as loosely knit, but far ranging, trade networks moved exotic goods like galena and copper from the Midwest to the South and seashells from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. During this period, ceramics became more refined and decoration techniques and designs became more ornate than during the Early Woodland. These designs were impressed into the exterior of the pottery with elaborately carved wooden paddles.
Horticulture increased in importance and maize was introduced throughout the Southeast. However, maize cultivation appears to have been less common in Georgia during this period and did not constitute a significant portion of the diet. There is also evidence people began to clear Georgia's forests to make way for crops during this period.

What do you consider to be the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?
"Archaeology! And, preservation of poorly-managed state-owned historic properties. Preserving the places that reveal the stories of Georgia's most marginalized communities."

Rock and earthen mounds first began to appear in Georgia during the Middle Woodland Period. These mounds were usually coneshaped and were used to bury the dead, but some were flat-topped and might have functioned as stages for ceremonies. The Kolomoki site in southwest Georgia is the largest Middle Woodland settlement discovered in Georgia. The site originally included at least eight flattopped mounds, seven of which are preserved. Kolomoki is the oldest example of this type of mound in the Southeast and foreshadows the size and complexity of sites during the later Mississippian Period.

During the Late Woodland Period (1,400 to 1,100 BP), many trends of the preceding periods may have reversed. Mound building decreased, as did long distance trade. Maize cultivation appears to have increased as this crop became increasingly important in North Georgia during this period. The bow and arrow were introduced during this period and the smaller distinctive chipped stone arrowheads are often used to identify sites from this period. Warfare may have increased as a result of the bow and arrow, as shown by the construction of fortified villages. People lived in small settlements of about 20 houses with the exception of larger fortified sites.

A Kolomoki temple mound at Kolomoki Mounds State Park, in Blakely. Photo Courtesy of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites.

Mississippian Period

The Mississippian Period in Georgia dates from about 1,200 to 400 BP and was a time of tremendous population

growth. During the Mississippian Period, most people were farmers who lived in small villages and hamlets spread

along rivers, with seldom more than 100 inhabitants in a village. Their societies were parts of chiefdoms, with clear

distinctions between commoners and elites. Mississippian people constructed ceremonial centers with large flat-

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topped earthen mounds where hundreds would gather and sometimes live. Research has shown that these mounds

were strongly linked to chiefs who lived on them, performed rituals, and buried their dead. Smaller Mississippian

sites are easily recognizable by their small triangular projectile points and their distinctive pottery styles, which

include stamping, incising, and pinched rims. Like the preceding Archaic and Woodland Periods, the Mississippian is

sub-divided into three periods: Early, Middle, and Late.

During the Early Mississippian Period, which lasted from about 1,200 to 900 BP, the first chiefdoms developed in the state. Ocmulgee National Monument is an excellent example of an Early Mississippian mound center. Pottery recovered from the site shows that emigrants from what is now Tennessee or farther west occupied the site just outside of modern day Macon, Georgia. They built mounds, council chambers, and defensive works during their 300-year occupation of the area. The site has been designated a National Monument and visitors can view the remains of a council house floor that was excavated by archaeologists and enclosed for viewing.

By the Middle Mississippian Period (900 to 650 BP), powerful chiefs ruled much of Georgia from large centers with mounds and palisades. One of the largest and most impressive examples of a chiefdom capital is the Etowah site, located near Cartersville in northwestern Georgia. The site contains six earthen mounds, the highest of which rises 60 feet above the surrounding floodplain. A large town encircled the mounds. The village was protected by a large

Etowah Indian mound at Etowah Indian Mounds State Park, in Bartow County.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

moat and palisade with regular-spaced towers along its length. The site is now owned by the State of Georgia and managed by GDNR, which also maintains a museum on the site.

During the Late Mississippian Period, which lasted from about 650 to 400 BP, the large chiefdoms had lost much

of their power and splintered into small chiefdoms more evenly distributed along Georgia's waterways. These

chiefdoms were in turn ruled by a few powerful paramount chiefdoms that controlled hundreds of linear miles

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of river, perhaps encompassing up to seven smaller chiefdoms. During this period, the Native people of Georgia

first came in contact with Europeans as Spaniard Hernando de Soto and his army traveled through the Southeast.

Natives were devastated by European diseases against which they had no defense. Additionally, the desire for new

European goods and their participation in the deer skin trade caused entire populations to relocate to be near

European settlements. Disease and population movements destabilized the remaining chiefdoms and hastened

their dissolution, bringing an end to the Mississippian Period.

Historic Periods

Early European Colonization After de Soto's exploration between 1539 and 1542, the Spanish began to take a greater interest in Georgia. They built a mission on St. Catherine's Island in 1566, which was part of the Guale Mission Province along the South Atlantic Coast, to convert Native peoples to Catholicism. The mission, Santa Catalina de Guale, included a friary, church, and kitchen, which were surrounded by a defensive palisade. The mission was burned in 1597 and rebuilt before it was eventually abandoned. The site was the subject of a large-scale archaeological excavation during the 1980s, which produced a wealth of information about the effects of the Mission system on Native Americans.

The British were the first to establish European settlements within what would become Georgia. In 1733, General James Oglethorpe and a group of colonists traveled south from Charleston and settled the city that would become Savannah after negotiating a treaty with the Yamacraw Native Americans who occupied the area. The British settled Georgia's coastal region to act as a buffer between Spanish Florida and British settlements in South Carolina by establishing a series of fortifications south of Savannah. Among these were Fort King George in Darian, now operated by GDNR, and Fort Frederica National Monument on Saint Simons Island, now operated by NPS. Both of these sites are interpreted and open to the public.

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you?
"We should strive to use and improve what we already have before building more. There is embodied carbon that gets wasted everytime we tear something down."

American Revolution and the Growth of Agriculture After the colony was settled, it continued to grow and prosper. In 1777, Georgia joined with the rest of the Colonies and sent representatives to the Continental Congress. In 1778, the British tried to retake Georgia, but succeeded only in occupying Savannah. There are many well-known sites significant to the Revolutionary War in Georgia. Examples include the town of New Ebenezer, Kettle Creek Battlefield, and Brier Creek Battlefield. After the war, the economy began to recover and plantations resumed their business. After the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, cotton started to replace rice as Georgia's most important crop. After Sea Island cotton was introduced in 1786, cotton plantations were built on the coast. One example is Cannon's Point on St. Catherine's Island. Cannon's Point was a large plantation and has been the subject of a great deal of archaeological inquiry providing some of the first archaeological data about enslaved peoples in a plantation setting.

Civil War

Cotton and the plantation system continued to be an important part of the Georgia economy until the Civil War. Fort

Pulaski, east of Savannah along Georgia's coast, came under attack in 1862, but Georgia saw relatively little action

until the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863. As Sherman assumed command of the Union forces and began his advance

on Atlanta and eventually the sea beyond, the Confederacy fought a series of delaying battles including the Battles

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of Kennesaw Mountain, Resaca, and Pickett's Mill. Many of the sites of large battles are now federally owned, such

as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, or are state historic sites, such as Resaca, Pickett's Mill, and Fort

McAllister. Important archaeological investigations have occurred at these sites, providing further information to

support firsthand accounts from the battles.

In addition to battlefields, Georgia also had POW camps like Andersonville and Camp Lawton. Andersonville, now a National Historic Site, was a Confederate POW camp built in 1864, in southwest Georgia. The camp was designed to house 10,000 Union prisoners but was soon filled with over 30,000 men. As the population increased, a shortage of supplies and the unsanitary conditions within the prison led to the death of over 13,000 men. In 1998, a POW museum was constructed on the site, which commemorates all American POWs.

Camp Lawton was another Confederate POW camp that was constructed to help relieve some of the burden at Andersonville. The prison was only in use for approximately six weeks prior to its evacuation in advance of Sherman's March to the Sea Campaign. After the camp fell into disuse, its exact location was lost until archaeological investigations found the site in Magnolia Springs State Park and the Bo Ginn National Fish Hatchery. These ongoing investigations have revealed a wealth of information about the lives of the prisoners and the guards who were stationed there. As the excavations proceed, more information about the lives of the prisoners and their story will be forthcoming.

Reconstruction and the Early Twentieth Century The Civil War devastated Georgia's social and economic structures. Slave emancipation changed the face of agriculture as wage labor, and then sharecropping and share-renting, became the dominant forms of agricultural labor organization. Railroads were rebuilt, but slowly, and the depression of the 1870s further slowed economic redevelopment. In the 1890s, cotton mills and their attendant workers' villages began to assume the dominant role in Georgia's industrial development, a position they held until 1940. Urban centers also rebuilt. Savannah became known for naval stores, sugar, and paper; Columbus for its clay works and textile mills; and Atlanta for financial services and an increasingly diversified economic base. Archaeological excavations have taken place at a wide variety of Reconstruction-era sites, including both operator and cropper/ renter houses, rural mills, and urban centers such as Augusta and Columbus.

The Andersonville National Historic Site (Top), a Confederate POW camp built in 1864, is the final resting place of thousands of American soldiers. In 1998, a POW museum (Bottom) was constructed at the site.

The movement of rural families to the urban centers was a defining feature of the early 20th century in Georgia, particularly after the boll weevil decimated cotton fields beginning in 1915. Georgia became a major supplier of war materiel with the advent of World War I, leading to significant industrial growth, particularly in cities like Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah. The war also led to the establishment of Georgia's many military installations, such as Fort Benning in

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Columbus and Camp Gordon outside Atlanta. World War II further suppressed cotton farming, as exports nearly ceased and availability of field labor diminished further. The New Deal programs of the 1930s and early 1940s led to increased food crop production as well as the implementation of land-use practices intended to conserve resources, such as contouring. Early 20th-century site types that have been investigated in Georgia include rural domestic sites, military posts, and industrial sites in the larger cities.
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Conclusion
While archaeological resources may not be as well documented or represented in NRHP listings as historic resources, that does not mean they are any less important in telling the history of Georgia. From precontact periods including Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian to historic periods including Early European, American Revolution, Civil War, and Reconstruction, each period, and the related archaeological resources, tells a portion of the, at least, 12,000 year old history of our state. Through careful excavation, analysis, and reporting, archaeologists have been able to build an intricate story of Georgia's past.

Historic Properties in Georgia
The number, type, and distribution of Georgia's historic properties is continually changing. Between development, expanding professional knowledge, updated guidelines and precedence, and newly identified property types, the number of resources can expand and contract on any given day. Unfortunately, this fluctuation is not something that can be easily quantified, but understanding the reasoning behind these changes helps to plan for continued fluctuations and adapt to ever changing needs.
How Many Historic Properties Are in Georgia?
There is no way to establish an accurate count of historic properties in Georgia at any given time. However, an indicator to aid in estimating overall counts are resources that have been documented to date. More than 118, 500 historic buildings have been recorded through computerized field surveys, while another 50,000 or so are recorded in older paper-based surveys. Previously unsurveyed buildings are currently being added to the inventory at the rate of about 4,000 per year.
Additionally, no one knows how many archaeological sites exist in Georgia. Since they are mostly underground, or under water, sites are difficult to locate without expert field investigation. As with historic resources, a good
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

indicator are the sites that have been documented to date. At the present time, 60,150 archaeological sites have been identified and recorded in UGA's Archaeological Sites File. However, only a very small percentage of the state's land area has been systematically surveyed for archaeological sites. Archaeological sites that have been discovered over the past three years have been reported at a rate of 615 sites per year.
79 Why Do the Numbers of Historic Properties Change?
The numbers of known and predicted historic properties in Georgia change constantly, with good reason. On the one hand, known historic properties are lost or irreparably altered daily. A historic building may burn to the ground or an archaeological site may be bulldozed. Each year nearly 1,000 historic buildings are lost statewide. On the other hand, with the passage of time, properties previously not old enough to be considered historic reach the 50 years of age guideline, thereby being considered historic, and the expanding scope of history and archaeology encompass properties not previously recognized as historic. In addition, ongoing field surveys identify more historic properties every year.

Why Are More Historic Properties Identified?
The process of identifying and evaluating historic properties lies at the very heart of historic preservation, which by its nature, is a continuing process. Just as time marches on, so does history, and historic preservation with it.
The study of history and the science of archaeology that underlie historic preservation are dynamic and constantly expanding. For example, historians are now studying what is called the "recent past" the period from World War II through the 1970s and beyond

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
"I work to advance historic preservation every day of my life through educating, looking after historic buildings, researching local history, and dealing with governments as well as the citizens."

while archaeologists are pushing back the dates of human occupation in Georgia beyond

12,000 years. Architectural historians are analyzing the distinctive characteristics of mid-20th-century ranch houses,

split levels, and two-story traditionals, now recognized as the hallmark houses of their period, as well as Modern or

Mid-20th-century neighborhoods can contain a wide variety of historic resources, including ranch houses, split levels, split foyers, and two-story traditional houses.

International Style-public buildings the state's newest historic community landmark buildings. Historians continue to focus their research on resources associated with the achievements of Georgia's women and African American residents, while archaeologists and ethnologists are documenting previously overlooked TCPs associated with Native Americans.

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Furthermore, an expanding historic preservation constituency is bringing with it a comprehensive view of historic

properties. For example, increased participation by African Americans has encouraged the broader recognition of

African American historic properties from the earliest days of exploration and settlement to the mid-20th-century

Civil Rights Movement. Heightened interest by Native Americans has led to increased sensitivity to many types of

prehistoric sites, particularly burials. The role played by women in Georgia's history has continued to be an important

factor in preserving associated historic properties. Resources associated with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,

and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community are the focus of a growing area of study, as are those associated with

the Asian, Hispanic, and Latino cultures. Ongoing support for the state's Centennial Farm program has re-kindled

interest in the history of Georgia's farms.

How Many Historic Properties Have Been Lost?
The majority of historic buildings that once existed in Georgia have already been lost. In just the last half-century, nearly 90 percent of the 810,000 buildings that existed in the state prior to World War II have been lost through destruction or drastic alterations. In some counties, in just the past 40 years, more than a third of the buildings included in the state's first historic resources surveys, completed in the mid-1970s, are gone. Losses include vernacular buildings of all kinds; modest and high-style houses all across the state; farmhouses, including large plantation houses and smaller tenant houses; entire lower- or working-class neighborhoods; many utilitarian agricultural and industrial buildings and structures; commercial buildings on the outskirts of traditional downtowns and in small rural communities, as well as in downtowns and urban neighborhoods that are redeveloping; and many resources associated with African Americans.

Rural areas have been especially hard-hit, resulting in a skewed impression of Georgia's historic environment today. Historically, Georgia was a predominantly rural state. As late as 1940, nearly twothirds of the state's buildings and structures were classified as rural, but today, nearly two-thirds of the properties identified in historic resources field surveys are located in towns and cities.

Located in Macon, Bibb County, the William and Jane Levitt House is an architect-designed ranch house with Contemporary styling of the Modern Movement that was retained in its recent rehabilitation.

A recent trend in the loss of historic buildings involves houses built between 1910 through the 1960s in urban and suburban neighborhoods that are being substantially altered to accommodate contemporary lifestyles or demolished and replaced with new, larger houses. In one Georgia suburban county alone, the number of mid-20th-century houses being lost each year is equivalent to an entire medium-sized neighborhood subdivision. Another recent trend in communities of all sizes involves the replacement or remodeling of mid-20th-century commercial and community landmark buildings in a faux-historic style. These trends are not limited to mid-20th century or vernacular resources replacement and remodeling of high-style resources from all eras, seemingly with the express goal of building new, are increasingly common trends, particularly in the Atlanta metropolitan area.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

No one knows how many archaeological sites have been destroyed over the decades, but every time ground-

disturbing activity takes place, there is the potential for additional loss. Artifacts are destroyed, physical relationships

among archaeological features are lost, and therefore the potential of the site to yield useful information about our

past is gone. It is likely that more archaeological sites are destroyed each year than the number of newly identified

sites added to the statewide inventory in the same time period.

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What's on the Horizon in Terms of "New" Historic Properties?
During the next few years, buildings and structures dating from the post-World War II "Sun Belt" building boom will continue to command attention. Chief among them will be houses and subdivisions; community landmark buildings including schools, churches, and banks; high-style and vernacular commercial buildings and storefronts; neighborhood and regional shopping centers; engineered industrial buildings; parking decks; and mid-20thcentury college campus buildings. Most numerous will be houses, as new variants of mid-20th-century types, such as split foyers and two-story houses, continue to join the ranks of the well-documented ranch house and split-level house as "historic." Other forms, such as shed and A-frame types, will need to be evaluated, while the mobile home is a topic of ongoing study, as statewide historic resources survey identifies additional numbers of both individual and grouped examples that are 50 years or age or older.
Buildings designed in the mid-20th-century Modern Movement, including International, New Formalism, Brutalism, Mansard, Contemporary, and Organic-styles of architecture, will continue to draw attention as more become 50 years old. First appearing in Georgia in the early 1930s, the Modern Movement in architecture took hold in the 1940s and became pronounced across the state in the 1950s. It is most evident in community landmark buildings such as schools, post offices, libraries, public health facilities, city halls, and courthouses. Other common examples of mid-20th-century buildings designed as part of the Modern Movement are commercial buildings, such as banks. A unique architectural phenomenon is the mid-20th-century updating of older commercial buildings in traditional central business districts with new, "modern" facades. In a similar mode, mid-20th-century additions to older factories, as well as a few new highly engineered industrial buildings, reflect the last major era of the textile industry in Georgia. A 2011 report on these additions entitled, Adapting to Survive: A Historic Context for Georgia's Textile Mills

(Left) Decatur High School in DeKalb County was designed by Georgia architects Eugene Bothwell and Richard Nash. The New Formalist style of the 1965 building, while rare in Georgia, is the style of building that will continue to be surveyed and recorded as historic. (Right) this modern church in DeKalb County was constructed in the early 1970s.

following World War II, has enabled further understanding of how these mills changed in the mid-20th century. However, there is still extensive research to be done to establish a framework for identifying and categorizing mid20th-century commercial resources, particularly vernacular examples. Additionally, the 2019 e-symposium hosted by the University of Georgia, "Kodachrome Commerce: American Commercial Architecture 1945-1980," provided further exploration of this topic through 12 presentations on various aspects of Modern-age commercial buildings.
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New types of resources not extensively studied previously will also need to be assessed. Parking structures, including parking garages and even parking lots, are a good example. The 2013 Downtown Atlanta: Contemporary Historic Resources Survey found that 108 acres nearly 19 percent of downtown Atlanta land is now devoted to parking. Given this statistic alone, it is hard not to argue that the seemingly insatiable need for additional parking in Georgia's cities and medium-sized towns during the mid-20th century did not have a significant impact on the built environment. As increasing numbers of these resources reach 50 years of age, how to assess their integrity and
significance as historic resources, both individually and as part of the broader landscape that

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?

they impacted, will need to be addressed. Difficult social and psychological perceptions attached to such resources, as well as urban renewal projects and resources associated with the Civil Rights Movement, will complicate interpretations and analysis.

"Continue to assist small towns and individuals with preservation issues and finding craftsmen to preserve historic buildings. Disappearing craftsmen is another issue for preservation. Training of contractors in preservation techniques would assist with preservation in the next five years."

With widespread renewed consideration and knowledge of TCPs and with the NPS' 2012 public conversation aimed at producing improved guidance on identifying, evaluating, and documenting places of cultural significance, the recognition and documentation of TCPs will contribute to an increase of nominations for these types of properties to the NRHP. There is a similar statewide interest in the topic, leading to updating existing NRHP-listed properties, such as New Echota near Calhoun in Gordon County, and Georgia's cultural diversity affords a broad opportunity for HPD to build on this experience with further nominations to the GRHP and NRHP.

From a broader geographical point of view, three kinds of large-scale cultural landscapes will require additional study suburban landscapes, pine-tree plantations, and maritime cultural landscapes. These resource types will add to the body of historic properties as they are documented. The emerging "historic"suburban landscape consists largely of contiguous residential subdivisions with mid-20th-century landscaping and street layouts that comprise the majority of suburbs around larger Georgia communities. Within that residential landscape are shopping centers, office parks, industrial parks, and recreational parks as part of the overall landscape. While some of the components of the suburban landscape are already being studied, the larger suburban environment of which they are a part is a focus for research, evaluation, and planning in the future. In rural areas, attention is directed toward a better understanding of the historical significance of silviculture in particular, pine-tree plantations, which in many parts of the state have replaced traditional agriculture as a primary land use. While trees have been grown commercially for years, it has only been since the 1930s that scientific and commercial forestry has been practiced on a large scale, and only recently have these managed forested lands been looked at from a historical perspective. Fundamental questions will have to be addressed, such as the historical significance of silviculture and the significance of establishing and maintaining pine-tree plantations on land that was formerly farmed in more traditional ways. The maritime cultural landscape consists of a unique property lying at the intersection of the land and sea that reflects the dynamic relationship between man and water. This emerging cultural landscape comprises both submerged and terrestrial sites along the Georgia shoreline, within the marshes and estuaries, and along the network of inland

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

waterways. With the added threat of climate change, rising sea levels, and aggressive shoreline erosion, many of Georgia's coastal resources from historic and precontact periods are slowly eroding. Studies, in collaboration with federal and state agencies, will help us better understand Georgia's maritime landscape and learn how to best protect our coastal resources from threats.

By 2030, another 6,000 archaeological sites will have most likely been documented. New kinds of archaeological

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sites will be investigated and these, as well as previously identified sites, will be examined using new techniques

and in light of new information. Heightened awareness of traditional cultural knowledge will continue to benefit

cooperative ventures involving archaeological sites associated with Native Americans and African Americans. The

modern archaeological record will aid in critically examining World War II-era sites based upon current historical

documentation and first-person accounts of wartime preparedness, while landfills may provide critical physical

evidence of 20th-century material culture and associated lifestyles. On a broader scale, archaeological information

derived from pollen, soils, animal bones, and other sources will inform environmental scientists on the scope and

kind of changes to the natural and human environments that occurred hundreds and thousands of years ago and

that may affect us in the future. New technologies such as photogrammetry and 3-D printing will aid in artifact

analysis and will open the door for new and creative ways to engage the public in interpretive efforts.

Conclusion
During the life of this plan, the number of potential historic properties may increase as never before. The closest analogy would be the way that early 20th-century bungalows dramatically swelled the numbers of "new" historic buildings in the 1980s. The decades of the 1960s and 1970s have the potential to double the number of historic buildings and structures that historic preservation must address. Of course, many historic properties will also be lost during the life of this plan. Innovative ways of dealing with new resources and guarding against persistent development and other pressures must be developed along with plain old hard work if historic preservation is to successfully accommodate these fluctuations while adapting in order to preserve and use historic properties in Georgia.

Section III: The Planning Process

Developing the Plan
An effective historic preservation plan must do many things. It must represent views of those who will implement it and those who will be affected by its implementation. It must consolidate the myriad of issues confronting preservation and anticipate how they will evolve in the future. The plan should focus on the highest priorities, effectively addressing threats to historic properties, yet it must also be practical and present a vision and goals that reach beyond the present practices and ways of thinking.
Creation of a preservation plan is just one part of a larger, ongoing planning process. The teamwork of HPD staff, with the assistance and input of other Georgia preservationists, is the foundation of the process, as well as the strength and force behind the continuing evolution of Georgia's preservation goals and activities. The implementation and success of a statewide plan is impossible unless those in the state's preservation community share these common goals and objectives.
This plan was developed as the successor to Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan, 2017-2021: Integrating Innovation with Preservation, published in 2017. The preparation and implementation of a statewide comprehensive plan for historic preservation provides HPD, the preservation community, and other stakeholders in Georgia with the opportunity to consider a wide range of strategies to identify, evaluate, and protect Georgia's irreplaceable historic properties. It is also required by NPS for the participation of a SHPO in the national historic preservation program (36 CFR 61.4). In Georgia, HPD, a division of the GDCA, administers the SHPO programs.
Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Public Participation

Initiation

The planning process began in 2020 when HPD management staff met to discuss strategies for effective staff and

public input for an updated preservation plan. The importance of gathering public input and incorporating it into

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the development of the plan update was emphasized. The public participation strategy included an online survey

regarding preservation-related topics. The survey included 17 questions, 11 of which were asked in the previous

state plan's survey, allowing a brief comparison of the survey results to be included in this section. The 2021 survey

added demographic questions not previously asked to gain a better understanding of the respondents. Because

of the pandemic, the survey was not circulated as widely as it had in previous years since there were not as many

in-person events held, such as presentations, conferences, or trainings. Regardless, HPD attempted to promote the

survey within the constraints of the pandemic by utilizing statewide partners outside of traditional preservation

entities to publicize the survey, bringing in new professions and a wider geographic representation.

Survey Questionnaire Results In an effort to obtain input from as many people as possible, HPD prepared a survey and shared it through multiple streams for a six-month period, from February 2021 to August 2021. HPD publicized the survey through our department's online announcement board and quarterly digest; the Georgia National Register Review Board; the Georgia Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS Steering Committee; the Office of the State Archaeologist; Native American tribes with interest in Georgia; GAAPHN; our university partners at UGA, Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, and Savannah College of Art and Design; Georgia Main Street; the GTHP, who ran a notification for the entire 6-month period in their newsletter; and many of HPD's local historic preservation partners, including Historic Athens, Historic Macon, Historic Savannah Foundation, Historic Columbus Foundation, and Historic Augusta.

The Georgia Statewide Historic Preservation Plan Survey was made available to the public from February to August 2021. Over 190 respondents completed the survey.

In previous preservation planning survey outreach, efforts could extend outside of social media and digital

newsletters into in-person events such as conferences, technical training, and other activities. Because of the

ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, outreach was limited in scope, without the ability of staff to be present at in-person

events. This had an effect on the overall number of respondents to the 2021 survey, which was approximately half

of the over 400 respondents to the 2016 survey. The survey and results were conducted through an online survey

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company, Surveymonkey, which provided the analytics.

Georgians who completed the survey reflect a variety of positions and interests in historic preservation, as evidenced by the responses to Question 1: Which of the following categories best describes your role in historic preservation? The three main respondent groups consisted of non-profit historical societies or preservation organizations (16.8 percent), interested parties (16.3 percent), and local government officials (12.6 percent). This differs from the top three respondents to the 2016 survey, which were "other" (16 percent), interested parties (11.4 percent), and volunteers (10.7 percent). Other roles and interests represented included respondents from regional commissions, federal or state government, archaeological organizations, real estate development companies, Main Street or downtown organizations, preservation or archaeology professionals or consultants, owners of historic properties, heritage tourism affiliates, local historical societies or preservation commissions, educators, architects, students, and volunteers.

Unlike previous surveys, the 2021 survey asked questions about the respondents' demographic backgrounds. Respondents of all ages completed the survey, with the majority (39 percent) ranging in age from 55 to 73, followed by 29 percent in the 39 to 54 years old age group, with respondents in the 24 to 38 age group representing 15.8

The Georgia Historic Preservation Division is updating the
Georgia Statewide Historic Preservation Plan and we need to hear from you!
Check out this survey QR code using your smartphone
or use this link to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GAPreservationPlan
Survey closes August 15, 2021

The announcement inviting the public to take the survey, with a web address included.

2017-2021 State Historic Preservation Plan
Help us continue to preserve Georgia's historic places!

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

percent. Individuals age 74 and older made up 9.5 percent of the respondents. Women made up the majority of respondents with 60 percent. Respondents who described themselves as white were the majority of respondents, at 86 percent, and 6.8 percent of the respondents identified as African American. Less than one percent identified as Asian or American Indian. The demographic of individuals responding to the survey do not reflect the population
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Map of Georgia's Twelve Regional Commision Districts. Image provided by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
demographics of the state, and this is something important for GHPD to note for its outreach efforts in the future. All regions in Georgia were represented in the survey, as noted in the responses to Question 2: In what region of Georgia do you live? However, as with 2016 survey, the majority of respondents were from Metro Atlanta (35.6 percent) and North Georgia (22.9 percent), while Central Georgia and the Georgia Coast followed closely with 12.2 percent and 11.7 percent, respectively. Percentages of responses dropped considerably for the remaining three regions (West, East, and South). Although this may reflect the fact that half of Georgia's population lives in the Atlanta Metro Area, it may also indicate the need to develop more effective methods of communicating the preservation message to the rest of the state. Additionally, 29 percent of respondents described themselves as native Georgians.

The following lists the remaining seven survey questions and summarizes responses:

Which preservation activities should the Historic Preservation Division give priority to during the next five

years to protect historic and archaeological resources?

The question listed 20 preservation activities that could be rated as not important, somewhat important,

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important, or extremely important. The three preservation activities that received the highest average ratings

were:

1. Federal and state tax incentives for historic preservation projects; 2. Partnering with local organizations to preserve and enhance historic downtowns and rural communities; and 3. Surveying to identify historic buildings and structures.

Other activities that received a high average rating included:

1. Funding programs (Certified Local Government grant, etc.); 2. Promoting the preservation of archaeological sites; 3. Nominating properties to the Georgia and NRHP; 4. Promoting the preservation of local landmark buildings such as courthouses and city halls; 5. Review of state and federal projects for impact on historic and archaeological resources; 6. Historic preservation training and workshops and other preservation educational activities; 7. Assisting local preservation commissions; 8. Coordinating efforts with state, regional, and local planning agencies; 9. Strengthening Georgia's preservation network and developing new preservation partners; 10. Promoting cemetery preservation; and 11. Promoting the preservation of local landmarks such as courthouses and city halls.

The Georgia Statewide Historic Preservation conference was adapted to a virtual fomat during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

The question also allowed for respondents to include additional activities. Other responses included

preservation of African American historic resources and LGBTQ resources in underrepresented communities,

partnerships with Regional Commissions and local preservation groups, and protection of historic farms.

These results, in comparison with the survey results from this same question during the last Preservation Plan

update reveal some slight changes in what respondents viewed as being most important. The top three most

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important priorities in the current responses added surveying to identifying historic buildings and structures

at number three, a move up from sixth place in 2016. Additionally, both the preservation of archaeological

sites and nominating properties to the Georgia and NRHP showed an increase in interest in the current survey.

Which historic resources in your area do you consider the most important to preserve? The question listed 17 historic resource types that could be rated as not important, somewhat important, important, or extremely important. The resource type with the highest average rating was Main Street/ Downtowns, followed in descending order by:

1. African American Resources, 2. Houses, 3. Historic Landscapes, 4. Cemeteries, 5. Civic/Public Spaces, 6. Public Buildings (Courthouses, City Halls, Schools), 7. Residential Neighborhoods, 8. Transportation-Related Buildings (Depots, Terminals), 9. Religious Buildings, 10. Agricultural Buildings (Rural Landscapes And Farms), 11. Terrestrial Archaeological Sites, 12. Post-World War II Buildings, 13. Battlefields, 14. Engineering Structures (i.e. Dams, Bridges), 15. Industrial Buildings, and 16. Underwater Archaeological Sites.

Notably, African American resources saw an increase in respondents' ratings from seventh place in the 2016 survey to third place in the current survey.

Respondents also had the opportunity to provide other resource types. These included Native American resources, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Civil War resources, low-income historic residential neighborhoods, and churches and cemeteries.

Which programs of the Historic Preservation Division are you most interested in? The question listed 15 programs in which individuals could rank their level of interest as either not interested, somewhat interested, interested, or extremely interested. The three programs that received the highest average rating were:

1. Grants for rehabilitating historic buildings; 2. Tax incentives for rehabilitating historic buildings; and 3. Historic preservation planning.

Other programs that received a high average rating included:

1. Georgia and NRHP;

2. Architectural technical assistance in rehabilitating historic buildings;

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3. Protecting historic and archaeological properties with state and federal environmental review laws; and

4. African American resources and programs.

Respondents also suggested programs geared to Latino resources, Native American resources, archaeology, funding and grants assistance, and Civil War monuments. Respondent results were overall similar to the 2016 survey results for this question, with the notable exception of the increased interest indicated in the current survey responses for African American resources and programs.

What do you consider to be the most effective methods that the Historic Preservation Division can use for providing historic preservation information to the public?
The question listed 16 methods that could be rated as not effective, somewhat effective, effective, or extremely effective. The methods are listed below, in descending order, from highest average rating to lowest.
1. Ready access to HPD staff by telephone or email; 2. On-site staff assistance; 3. Website; and 4. Training workshops; 5. Tours 6. Public outreach events 7. Volunteer participation opportunities 8. Publications 9. Lectures and presentations 10. Exhibits 11. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) 12. Preservation conferences 13. E-mail 14. Video or slide shows 15. Fact sheets or other info distributed via mail 16. Newspaper articles

Social media ranked 11th, down two spots from the 2016 survey, which may indicate there is a stronger need from the community in being able to learn about preservation through in-person events, something that will hopefully be more feasible once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Respondents also added developing school curriculum materials, updating the HPD website with more information, and pre-recorded webinars.

The survey also included three open-ended questions intended to elicit a more personal response. It was very revealing that almost all of the respondents included detailed answers to these questions. An analysis points to some important themes.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Why is the preservation of Georgia's heritage important to you? The first open-ended question asked why preservation of Georgia's heritage is important to the respondent. Among the main themes expressed were:

1. Pride in Georgia's/personal history;

2. Uniqueness, community value;

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3. Education, tangible links to history and place;

4. Legacy for future generations;

5. Sense of place, continuity with the past;

6. Non-renewable resources that will be lost forever if not preserved;

7. Economic benefits;

8. Document the diversity of history; and

9. Sustainability.

Similar to the responses from the 2016 survey, the current survey responses overwhelmingly reflect an emotional connection between Georgia residents and the state's heritage.. Although the economic benefits and sustainability of preservation were certainly brought up, intangible reasons such as the uniqueness and community value of the state's history; pride in our state's and family history; education; passing information onto children and grandchildren; and sense of place, identity, and quality of life predominated in the responses to this question.

What do you consider to be the most important preservation issues facing Georgia now and in the next five years?
This was the second open-ended question in the survey. As with the previous question, an analysis points to some important themes.

Among the main themes expressed and visualized in the word cloud above include:

1. Balancing development and preservation;

2. Funding;

3. Education;

4. Involvement/support/interest in preservation;

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5. Demolition by neglect;

6. Sustainability and climate change; and

7. Involving youth in preservation.

In general, the respondents answers followed common themes from previous preservation planning surveys over the past decade and they will likely continue to be the main concerns for preservation in Georgia. With the continuation of important national conversations regarding diversity in preservation, survey respondents noted the need to protect our diverse history, including that of African Americans and LGBTQ communities. Other resources specifically identified included main streets and downtowns, cemeteries, archaeological sites of all eras, neighborhoods, landscapes, and mid-20th-century resources.

As it was in past preservation planning surveys, balancing development and preservation continues to be a common theme seen in responses to this question. In regards to funding issues found in preservation, the responses often focused on tax incentives, which is indicative of the recent legislation passed in Georgia to expand the tax incentive program.

What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia? The third open-ended question in the survey specifically asked what a respondent could do to promote or advance preservation. As with all other open-ended questions, an analysis points to main themes. Among the main themes expressed where:

1. Volunteering or being involved; 2. Advocating or promoting; 3. Continuing current efforts; 4. Educating; 5. Lobbying; 6. Awareness; and 7. Raising funds.

Respondents to this question overwhelmingly cite themes of advocacy, volunteerism, and networking. Connecting people to resources and involving community organizations and non-profits was mentioned several times as something tangible that can advance preservation in a meaningful way throughout the state. Promotion of preservation events, trainings, and activities through social media continued to be a theme, carried over from the last preservation planning survey, signaling the continued importance of outreach through various social media to engage the public. Other respondents viewed educating themselves and being aware of preservation activities around them as important, reflecting a desire to be involved. The survey responses conveyed a sense of personal responsibility for the role individuals can play in preservation and a desire to do more.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026 Preserving the Past in Times of Change

Selected Survey Responses
What can you do to advance historic preservation in Georgia?
Continue to be a preservation advocate in our communities within our state.
Continue to assist small towns and individuals with preservation issues and finding craftsmen to preserve historic buildings. Disappearing craftsmen is another issue for preservation. Training of contractors in preservation techniques would assist with preservation in the next five years.
Live, work, play and shop in restored properties and support the communities that prioritize making a solid business case for the leverage of heritage assets in community planning and economic development. Shopping and dining in local establishments retains more revenue for the communities they support, so supporting them results in supporting the business case for historic preservation.
Keep speaking about its importance, advocating for the value of resources where I live, and fighting for preservation.
Continue to learn and to educate the next generation.
Be vocal about the importance about historic preservation. Acknowledge solutions and empowered to make sound decisions.
Learn and share the importance of historic resources and the impact of these resources on tourism, economic development, and sense of place.
Advocate. Provide on the ground technical assistance. Keep myself educated. Tell the stories that interpret and promote preservation.
I can commit to participating in local and state preservation efforts for education and outreach. I can encourage others to become involved in preservation advocacy. I can lead by example, in my own community.
Participate in volunteer groups. Advocate for Georgia's 20th century heritage.

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Advocating for post-World War II-era resources was among the responses to the survey question. Photo
of the Trust Company Bank of Georgia Building, Fulton County.

Conclusion

Georgians have a strong sense and feel for why preservation is important to them and have definite opinions

on what needs to be done to protect the state's heritage. The public input process has provided valuable ideas

that have been incorporated into the goals, objectives, and strategies of the current state plan and the plan

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itself, even with reduced survey participation. Through careful consideration of the survey results, this input

has helped HPD shape its goals to reflect what types of resources are most important to Georgians at a given

time, and where HPD should focus and prioritize its efforts. It also helps HPD plan future outreach efforts and

the development of training programs.

Citizens believe that preservation is important and it is up to all of us to be better stewards of the state's resources and for federal, state, and local officials to be more accountable to constituents. It is evident that we need to find more effective ways to spread the message to new and younger preservationists and to provide preservation training to a wide base of constituents, including public and elected officials, professionals, and students. It is also clear that our preservation stakeholders understand how preservation is relevant to the larger issues of quality of life, economic development, and sustainability and that they want HPD's core preservation programs to reflect this wider context.

Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026: Preserving the Past in Times of Change builds upon the accomplishments of its predecessor. Its guiding principle is the preservation of all of Georgia's historic properties, from archaeological sites to structures, houses, buildings, objects, landscapes, and TCPs that encompass our built environment, through enhanced partnerships, innovation, and adapting to the challenges presented by the modern world. The plan acknowledges the importance of a vision where all of Georgia's citizens are committed to the preservation of our shared heritage.

HPD has adopted this plan as a statement of policy direction and as a commitment to action for the preservation and use of Georgia's valuable historic properties. Because it represents the views and priorities of preservationists throughout Georgia who participated in its development, Georgia's State Historic Preservation Plan 2022-2026: Preserving the Past in Times of Change can provide common direction for all organizations and individuals who support the preservation of our historic places. The plan evidences that the foundations of a strong preservation ethic continue to be present in Georgia and that working together to realize the goals and objectives outlined in this plan will bring us closer to realizing our vision of making Georgia a better place to live, work, learn, and play.

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