Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Oct. 2009

In this issue:
-Retirement reception held for Dr. W. Ray Luce -"A Grand Curiosity" by the Chestatee River -Upper Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church celebrates its listing in the National Register -Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline, Part 2 -Staff Profiles: Ced Dolder -Upcoming HPD staff appearances
Retirement reception held for Dr. W. Ray Luce

Retiring Division Director Ray Luce (left) and Survey & National Register Unit Manager Richard Cloues (right) hold a photo presented to Dr. Luce by HPD staff.
A retirement reception was held for Dr. W. Ray Luce on October 1, 2009, at Rhodes Hall in Atlanta. 80 people attended the event. Speakers included Brenda Hayes (The Fanning Institute, University of Georgia), Michael Miller (Project Manager, Office of Real Estate and Facilities, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia), Isaac Johnson (Chairman, Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network), Bruce Green (Director, Tourism Product Development, Georgia Department of Economic Development), and Jamil S. Zainaldin (President, Georgia Humanities Council). Richard Cloues, HPD's Survey & National Register Unit Manager, served as the master of ceremonies.
Dr. Luce was interviewed by "Morning Edition" host Steve Goss for NPR affiliate WABE on September 28. An extended version is archived at www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.

newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1558812.
"A Grand Curiosity" by the Chestatee River
by Dr. David Crass, Acting Division Director
Underwater Archaeologist Chris McCabe documenting the inside of the diving bell. The bow of the bell is to the left. Inset shows original red lead paint on the interior.
In 1875 the Dahlonega Mountain Signal reported on a new boat it labeled a "grand curiosity". Charles and Philologus Loud of Fulton County had built the vessel to lower a diving bell to the bottom of the Chestatee River. Their concept was that miners could work the gravel on the bottom of the river while inside the bell. A pump maintained positive air pressure, which (theoretically at least) excluded water from entering at the open bottom. The Louds were not alone in their dream of river-bottom mining. Newspaper accounts of the

era also documented similar efforts in the California gold fields. Sadly for the Louds and their business partners, the diving bell apparently was never put into operation. In October of 1876 the boat and accompanying bell were sunk at their moorings in a suspected case of sabotage, and the effort was apparently abandoned.
In 1983 the diving bell was pulled from the Chestatee, where it had rested on top of the Loud's boat. The bell sat beside the river largely forgotten until 1997 when new property owners Birch River Golf Community repaired it, painted the exterior, and moved it to a service road. Current property owner Linger Longer Communities is cooperating with a group of local citizens, led by local historian Anne Amerson, that is trying to preserve this unique artifact and put it on display in the Dahlonega area. The group is supported by Department of Natural Resources staff members Chris McCabe, Deputy State Archaeologist-Underwater with Historic Preservation Division and Frankie Mewborn, Cultural Resources Program Manager with State Parks and Historic Sites Division. McCabe reports that the bell is in extremely good condition, with only minor corrosion problems, and is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Look for more news on the Loud's boat and the diving bell in a future issue of Preservation Posts.
Upper Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church
celebrates its listing in the National Register
by Steven Moffson, Architectural Historian

Community members pose with the historical marker at Upper Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Photo by Steven Moffson.
On Saturday September 19, 2009, Upper Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church, located in rural Bulloch County, celebrated its December 4, 2008 listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the dedication of a historical marker. Roughly 300 people gathered to hear presentations on the history of the church and the process of listing in the National Register. Research on the church, which was a community-wide effort, took several years and uncovered previously unknown information about its history. Attendees included members of the congregation and the community; members of the Bulloch County Historical Society; Senator

Jack Hill; and Steven Moffson, architectural historian with the Historic Preservation Division.
Upper Lotts Creek Primitive Baptist Church and Cemetery is located near Portal, approximately 13 miles northwest of Statesboro. The church was established in 1832. The cemetery was established as early as 1841 and includes five recently interred Confederate burials. The current church was built in 1881 and has changed little in nearly 130 years. The church was listed in the National Register because it is an excellent example of a late-19th-century rural church in the Greek Revival style. The church is also significant because it is a rare, surviving example of a Primitive Baptist church associated with one of the oldest Primitive Baptist congregations in Georgia.
For more information about this historic resource, please visit www.gashpo.org/content/ displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=423&txtPage=2.
Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline
compiled by Helen Talley-McRae, Public Information Coordinator
Part 2: 1973-1978, Historic Preservation Section, Office of Planning and Research, Department of Natural Resources

1976 staff photo in front of Trinity Washington office building in Atlanta. Left to right, back row: photographer, David Kaminsky; archaeologist, John "Chip" Morgan; historical researcher, Ken Thomas; historian, Tom Agnew; grants coordinator, Carole Griffith; environmental reviewer, Don Klima; Historical Analysis unit manager, Morton McInvale; front row: historian, Martha Norwood; architectural historian, Elizabeth Macgregor; Survey and Planning unit manager and deputy section chief, Elizabeth Lyon; secretary, Cindy Smith; archaeology assistant, Marilyn Pennington; principal secretary, Mary Ann Keown. Not pictured: David Sherman, section chief and SHPO. Photo by David Kaminsky.
1973 - The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) moved from the Georgia Historical Commission office on Mitchell Street to the Trinity-Washington Building, both in downtown

Atlanta near the Capitol.
1973 - The Historical Analysis Unit was created for State Parks and Historic Sites research with one archaeologist and two historian positions created. Other staff were organized within the Survey and Planning Unit and the Review and Compliance Unit.
1973-1974 - Mary Gregory Jewett retired as Georgia's first state historic preservation officer (SHPO) and became the first president of The Georgia Trust, a statewide non-profit membership organization created to ensure support for an effective public program and generate private funds and actions.
1974-1975 - Jack Lamb served as section chief and SHPO.
1974 - Historic structures review was added to the environmental review process and an Environmental Review historian position was added. A federal court case over a 1976 proposal to widen Green Street in Gainesville resulted in a national precedent that prevented federal agencies from delegating their responsibility under Section 106 to other parties, including state agencies. This was soon followed by a Memorandum of Understanding between the state commissioners of Transportation and Natural Resources that left the identification of historic and archaeological resources that would be potentially impacted by their projects up to the transportation agency and they began hiring qualified historians, architectural historians and archaeologists to consult with the SHPO on these federally funded projects.
1975-1978 - David Sherman served as section chief and SHPO.
1975 - Archaeological sites identified through the environmental review process began to be recorded in the Archaeological Sites Files at the University of Georgia. The original inventory had used information assembled for the Georgia Historical Commission's marker program. Reports of the early 1970s indicate that over 800 archaeological sites had been surveyed.
1976 - The Georgia Archaeological Research Design task force was established to provide inventory guidance and plan for site protection.

1976 - Faade and Conservation Act (1976, 1992); 44-10-1/8. This state law established guidelines and standards for easements, consistent with nationwide standards.
1976 - An Information and Education Coordinator position was added.
1976 - The Georgia SHPO hosted the first Southeast Regional SHPO meeting in Atlanta.
1976 - The first federal historic preservation tax incentive laws were enacted with further changes until the tax reform act of 1986. www.nps.gov/ history/hps/tps/tax/IRS.htm
1977 - Cave Protection, Archaeological Sites (1977); 12-4-140/147. This state law was enacted prohibiting damage to archaeological sites within caves.
1977 - The first Historic Preservation Fund federal subgrants were awarded to local government projects.
1977-1980 - Georgia Heritage Trust state rehabilitation grants were available.
1978 - The Office of Planning and Research was abolished and the Historic Preservation Section was transferred to the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division of the Department of Natural Resources.
Sources: -Georgia Historical Quarterly Special Section: Historic Preservation in Georgia on the 30th Anniversary of the State Historic Preservation Office, 1969-1999 (www.gashpo.org/Assets/Documents/ ghs_1969_1999_articles.pdf) - reprinted courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society

-HPD History/Chronology by Carole Griffith, November 2002 Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline, Part 1: 1951-1973, Georgia Historical Commission
appeared in the September 2009 edition of Preservation Posts.
Staff Profiles
Ced Dolder, Tax Incentives Coordinator
Ced has been the administrator of the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Incentive Program for HPD since 2006. She receives applications for all three federal and state tax incentive programs.

Her expertise is advising prospective applicants on the technical procedures and regulations of all three programs available to owners of historic properties that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ced's previous experience in historic preservation includes over 12 years as a historic preservation consultant associated with Ray & Associates, a firm highly respected in Georgia for their work on such rehab projects as Fulton Bag & Cotton Mill and the Muse's Block in Atlanta, and the Johnston Mill Lofts in Columbus. She graduated from Georgia State University's Masters of Heritage Preservation program in 1996.
What attracted you to the field of historic preservation? I had an earlier career as an interior designer and my love of good design and good architecture stemmed from that work. Also, I was fortunate to have lived in Europe for over 11 years and could really learn and experience world class buildings from that exposure. When I moved to Atlanta in 1993, I decided to put all that together and go back to get a Masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State. I then was a private consultant in historic preservation for many years before coming to work at HPD.
What are your main duties at HPD? What do you do on a typical day? I am the tax incentives coordinator for historic rehabilitation projects. Our unit administers three programs which, after review and approval by our office, provide federal and state tax incentives for rehabilitations. I also work to provide information and to educate the public about these programs. Typically, I answer telephone calls and e-mails from the public to clarify the requirements for the programs; to explain the application process; and to assist applicants with any additional information we may need to properly review a project. I also coordinate with staff, other state agencies and the National Park Service, who all participate in some way with the tax incentives process.
What is one of your favorite tax projects you've worked on?

You know, I have been very fortunate to work on some fantastic projects, both privately and as a state employee. But I would be hard pressed to say I had any more fun working on a project than preparing both the National Register nomination and the tax incentive applications for the King and Prince Hotel in St. Simons. The hotel had a fascinating history that was interesting to research and working with the owners and the architects during the rehabilitation process went very smoothly.
How is working at HPD different from working as a private consultant? As a consultant I worked mainly with developers that were interested in rehabilitating large commercial projects, such as a vacant cotton mill, or an urban office building or hotel. I very rarely worked on residential properties or with a private home owner. Also as a consultant, we prepared National Register nominations or even worked on National Register Historic Districts, requiring many hours of research and writing. This work was much more project intensive. Working at the Division has allowed me to see the entire range of applications, both residential and commercial. The owners work very hard to comply with the guidelines and to accomplish an approved rehabilitation. We are working hard to help them make well prepared applications too! I personally like to see my tax dollars at work helping to save beautiful old buildings and revitalize downtowns throughout Georgia.
Visit www.gashpo.org/content/displaynavigation.asp?TopCategory=199 for information on the tax incentives coordinated by our office.
Upcoming HPD staff appearances
October 9 - Leigh Burns, Community Planning Coordinator, and Rebekah McElreath, Tax Incentives Specialist, will present "Preserving Your Historic Downtown: How the Georgia Historic Preservation Division Can Help" as part of the Georgia Downtown Conference in Roswell. The presentation will take place from 8:30-9:30 am. For registration information visit www.georgiadowntownassociation.org/conference.asp.

October 13-17 - Jeanne Cyriaque, African American programs coordinator and Georgia advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will moderate "Building Historical Contexts for African American Schools," an educational session at the upcoming national preservation conference in Nashville, Tennessee. To register for the conference visit www. preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/.
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