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

In this issue:
-Strength in Numbers: Kirkwood Historic District -Georgia Coast Archaeological Erosion Study is underway -Experiences as a Diversity Scholar at the National Preservation Conference -Clermont Huger Lee, Georgia's first female landscape architect -Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline, Part 4 -Happy Holidays from HPD -Upcoming HPD staff appearances
Strength in Numbers: Kirkwood Listing is Substantial Contribution to National Register
by Denise Messick, National Register Historian

(Photo by Jim Lockhart)
The Kirkwood Historic District on the east side of Atlanta (DeKalb County) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 24, 2009. Containing around 850 acres and 1,792 contributing properties, it is one of the largest districts in Georgia. The nomination resulted from extensive efforts by the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization and graduate students in Georgia State University's Heritage Preservation Program. Together they researched and documented the interesting history of this diverse neighborhood. The work also included a laborintensive block-by-block inventory to mark the status of each parcel on National Register maps.
Population growth began in Kirkwood after it was connected by streetcar to both Decatur and Atlanta in 1891. Kirkwood was an independent city from 1899 until 1922 when it was incorporated into the city of Atlanta. Housing booms in the 1920s and after World War II left an

excellent collection of architectural styles and types typical of middle-class suburbs. Links to its past include not just the historic houses, but also small-scale commercial buildings, several churches, and neighborhood schools that give it a distinct identity. Kirkwood is also significant for the Pratt-Pullman Yards, a large industrial complex that began operation in 1906 near the railroad line. Major historical events include Civil Rights-era activities related to the desegregation of Atlanta public schools in the mid-1960s. For more information, please contact Denise.Messick@dnr.state.ga.us.
Georgia Coast Archaeological Erosion Study is underway
by Chris McCabe, Underwater Archaeologist

Researcher Claudia Venherm (left) uses a GPS unit to map an eroding shoreline. DNR's Underwater Archaeologist (right) Chris McCabe examines an artifact. (Photos by Mike Sullivan.)
Phase Two of the Georgia Coast Archaeological Erosion Study is underway and gathering momentum. Researchers from HPD's Coastal Underwater Archaeology Field Station and the Georgia Southern University Applied Coastal Research Lab are conducting fieldwork and site analysis to identify archaeological sites threatened by erosional processes on several of Georgia's back-barrier islands. The two-year study relies heavily upon the use of innovative GIS technologies, historic data analysis, and on-site investigations to establish reliable rates of shoreline change and discernible site degradation. This information is vital to resource managers and coastal planners who need to consider cultural resources in their decision making. The project is funded through the Coastal Incentive Grant Program. A report documenting the initial phase of the study can be found online at www.gashpo.org/content/displaycontent.asp? txtDocument=152.
Experiences as a Diversity Scholar at the National Preservation Conference
by Joy Melton, African American Programs Intern

Georgia Congressman John Lewis gave the keynote address at the closing plenary session of the 2009 National Trust preservation conference. He greets former African American Programs intern Cordelia Payne
and Joy Melton at a book signing after the session.
Since 1992, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Diversity Scholarship Program has provided financial and educational assistance to preservationists from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds across the nation to attend the annual preservation conference. As a Diversity Scholar at the National Preservation Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, I gained a greater awareness of preservation issues among minorities.

Prominent themes and discussions during the conference included preserving Rosenwald Schools, community outreach, and advocacy movements. HPD's African American Programs Coordinator Jeanne Cyriaque presented at an educational session entitled "Developing Historic Contexts for African American Schools," which provided important information on researching these African American resources. Another educational session that I attended was about outreach to African American and Latino communities. It offered practical suggestions, such as conducting window preservation workshops with youth. These educational sessions provided tools to aid members of the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN) with preservation projects. One highlight of the conference was the address Georgia Congressman John Lewis provided at the closing plenary session. He reflected on civil rights advocacy and its comparison to historic preservation advocacy, encouraging preservationists to continue to "get in the way" so that America's historic resources can be preserved.
Field sessions and walking tours were offered throughout the conference. They included diverse themes like "Justice and the Beloved Community: the Modern Civil Rights Movement in Nashville," "New Life for Rosenwald Schools Through Preservation Partnerships," the "African American Tour of Franklin," and "Green Makeover at Historic Fisk University." Bud Alley, my assigned mentor through the Diversity Scholarship Program, gave me a personal tour of many of Nashville's historic buildings including the Hermitage Hotel, headquarters for the national suffrage movement in 1920 when Tennessee cast the deciding ballot giving women the right to vote.
I attended a field session entitled "Conducting Historic Landscape Assessments," where I learned the historic landscape assessment process through a hands-on investigation of Centennial Park, the site of an exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece. I worked with a team to determine the park's defining features and elements - circulation, vegetation, structures, lighting, and site furnishings - to make recommendations for use, treatment and interpretation.
The Diversity Scholarship Program provides ample opportunities to network and exchange ideas for preservation initiatives. Each scholar is paired with a mentor, if desired, and a roommate, which further enriches the conference experience. The scholarship covers the conference registration and hotel accommodations. Scholars are required to attend several educational sessions, diversity scholar activities and the opening, closing, and award plenary sessions.

Following the conference, scholars are encouraged to report on their experience through blogs online.
Information on the National Preservation Conference can be found at www.preservationnation. org/resources/training/npc/. Visit www.preservationnation.org/resources/training/npc/diversityscholarship-program/ for information about the Diversity Scholarship Program.
Clermont Huger Lee, Georgia's first female landscape architect
by Ced Dolder, Tax Incentives Coordinator

The historic landscape of Troup Square in Savannah was rehabilitated by Clermont Lee during the 1960s. (Photo by Ced Dolder)
Clermont "Monty" Huger Lee, (1914 - 2006), one of the first women active in the field of landscape architecture in Georgia, was known as the foremost expert in re-creating historically inspired landscapes in mid-20th century Savannah. Her landscapes were meticulously researched, and especially influenced by formal English and American gardens of the antebellum period. Lee also participated in founding the Georgia Board of Registration of Landscape Architects, a board for licensing landscape architects across the state. Clermont Lee was the first female landscape architect registered in Georgia.

In the early 1950s, Lee began her long and continuing involvement in historic landscapes. She began an extensive association with the gardens of the Owens-Thomas House on Oglethorpe Square in Savannah, her new design and planting plans for historic buildings in the city also included the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, the Andrew Low House, and the Green-Meldrim mansion. Outside the confines of Savannah, she consulted on the Chief Vann residence and the New Echota Cherokee Capital in north Georgia for the Georgia Historical Commission.
From 1951 to 1972 Lee worked with Mills B. Lane, then-retired president of the Citizens & Southern Bank, and his wife, to develop landscapes for renovated historic homes in the northeast section of Savannah. She also worked with the Lanes to develop plans for renovation of Warren, Washington, Houston, Troup, and Madison squares in Savannah. Her designs to preserve the integrity of the squares brought her into conflict with the city, which wanted drive-through lanes for emergency crews and buses allowing a crossing through the middle of all squares. To address the problem of the turning radius required by the buses, the city adopted Lee's suggestion that the curves of entry into the squares be rounded. In addition, some unsightly utility poles and concrete walks were removed from the squares. Lee's strong, simple designs used variations in materials and ground forms which gave each square a unique, special character.
In addition to becoming one of the few women in the field of landscape architecture in Georgia, Clermont Lee also worked for recognition of her profession. The professional organization, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), began in 1899 with only one woman among its founding members, New England's Beatrix Farrand. Clermont Lee joined the ASLA in 1950, and later worked in conjunction with Dr. Herbert Owens, then dean of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia, to establish the Georgia Board for Registration (licensing) of Landscape Architects. The first four landscape architects to be

registered included both Dr. Owens as the first and Clermont Lee, the first woman, as the fourth. Lee served on the Georgia board for three years.
Clermont Lee remained active in preparing both historic and current landscape and planting plans throughout the remaining years of her life. She also organized independent research and kept a detailed log on blooming times and characteristics of regional herbaceous plants, planning to author a book on the subject. In addition, she pursued personal interests in genealogy, writing and editing several books on her personal family line and those of others in Savannah. In 2002 she wrote The Joseph Alston Huger Family: Their Line of Descent from Daniel and Margaret Pedriau Huger of France and South Carolina. She was also active in historic associations and commissions, to include preparing the landscape guidelines for the Savannah Victorian District.
Clermont Lee not only made history for women in the landscape architecture profession, but also had a long and continuing impact on the quality of Savannah's historically designed landscape environment.
For more information on Lee's early career, read the New Georgia Encyclopedia article at www. georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2681 originally written in 2004. Ced Dolder's biographical entry on Lee was recently published in Shaping the American Landscape, the second volume of Pioneers of American Landscape Design, edited by The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Georgia State Historic Preservation Office Timeline
compiled by Helen Talley-McRae, Public Information Coordinator
Part 4: 1986-1990 - Historic Preservation Section; Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division; Department of Natural Resources

A 1988 staff photo.
1986 - GA SHPO offices moved to James H. "Sloppy" Floyd Buildings on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, across from the state Capitol - State Historic Preservation Office (1986); 12-3-50.1 Establishes historic preservation as public policy and authorizes the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources to carry out a statewide historic preservation program, similar to those duties outlined in the National Historic Preservation Act - Joint Legislative Study Committee on Economic Development through Historic Preservation recommended full funding of $675,000 for the Area Planning and Development Commission's

"Historic Preservation Planner Program" and $50,000 for administration of the SHPO program - Economic Benefits Study produced - statewide analysis of the federal tax credits and their impact on Georgia's economy - Archaeological Resource Planning - SHPO and Office of the State Archaeologist produced "A Strategy for Cultural Resource Planning in Georgia" - Georgia hosted southeastern SHPO meeting at Unicoi State Park, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act
1987 - Georgians for Preservation Action established as statewide lobbying network to address statewide and national preservation issues - $350,000 was appropriated for the regional preservation planner program - A survey coordinator position was established and a small amount of state funding was provided for historic property surveys. With the help of a federally-funded pilot project, new computer programs were made available for more efficient data entry and retrieval and the Statewide Historic Structures Survey was initiated. By 1988, using new and more inclusive methods, an average of five county surveys per year were identifying approximately 5,000 properties per year. - Statewide preservation conference, Oxford; Co-sponsored with the Georgia Trust
1988 - "Patterns of Change" video on historic preservation produced - Statewide preservation conference was held in Macon Federal Abandoned Shipwrecks Act encourages maritime preservation and establishes state management of significant shipwrecks - Georgia voters passed constitutional amendment by 57-43% margin to provide for property tax incentives for rehabilitation.
1989

New legislation passed: - State Preferential Property Tax Assessment (1989); 48-5-7.2 Provides an 8-year property tax freeze on historic commercial and residential properties that have had a substantial rehabilitation and that are listed in the Georgia Register or the National Register. - Local Option Tax Incentives (1989, 1992); 48-5-7.3 Provides property tax freeze in local government jurisdictions that have enacted local preservation ordinances. Substantial rehabilitation is not required. - Georgia Register of Historic Places (1989); 12-3-50.2 Provides state designation for historic properties. The criteria for designation are the same as the National Register. - Georgia Planning Act (1989); 45-12-200; 50-8-2; 12-2-1; 36-70 Requires local governments to prepare comprehensive plans. Historic resources must be addressed.
- SHPO had 21 staff positions: Section Chief/Division Director, four unit managers, four program/ administrative assistants, six program coordinators (environmental review, historic resources survey, Information & Education, National Register, tax incentives, community service), six professional disciplines (historian, architectural historian, archaeologist, architect, ER reviewer, photographer); plus one part-time tax assistant position - Georgia Community Development and Morphology of Community Types report produced - The Minority Historic Preservation Committee was formed to bring together community advocates to share and promote preservation projects. Now called the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN). - Statewide preservation conference, Athens handbook produced called "Building the Future: A Resource Guide for Community Preservation in Georgia" - State historic preservation plan published, "A Vision for the Future." Georgia was one of the first states to undertake a statewide strategic planning process that included intensive public

participation; written plans are prepared every five years and action plans are produced annually.
1990 - State Program Review conducted by National Park Service comprehensive programmatic, documentation, and compliance review to maintain state program approval.
Sources: -Georgia Historical Quarterly Special Section: Historic Preservation in Georgia on the 30th Anniversary of the State Historic Preservation Office, 1969-1999 - reprinted courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society -HPD History/Chronology by Carole Griffith, November 2002 -Articles and publications posted on HPD's Web site - www.gashpo.org - Overview of Georgia Trust/GAPA State Advocy Efforts
Part 1: 1951-1973, Georgia Historical Commission appeared in the September 2009 edition of Preservation Posts Part 2: 1973-1978, Historic Preservation Section, Office of Planning and Research, Department of Natural Resources appeared in the October 2009 edition of Preservation Posts Part 3: 1978-1986, Historic Preservation Section, appeared in the November 2009 edition of Preservation Posts
Happy Holidays from HPD

Group photo at the 2009 HPD staff retreat, held at the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield. From left to right: Richard Cloues, Ryan Kennedy, Jennifer Bedell, Candy Henderson, Gretchen Brock, Chris McCabe, Lynn Speno, Charlie Miller, Rebekah McElreath, Amanda Schraner, Bill Hover, Michelle Volkema, Jackie Tyson, Bob Entorf, Dean Baker, Jim Lockhart, Dave Crass, Melina Vasquez, Karen Anderson-Cordova, Vivian Pugh, Jeanne Cyriaque, Lawana Woodson, Betsy Shirk, Carole Moore, Ced Dolder, Helen Talley-McRae, Steven Moffson, Denise Messick, Leigh Burns. NOT PICTURED: Mary Ann Eaddy, JoAnn Jenkins, Joy Melton.

These trees were expertly decorated as part of an intra-office competition at our annual holiday party.
HPD's staff thank you for all you have done to support historic preservation and archaeology projects across Georgia during 2009 and wish you the best for 2010.
Upcoming HPD staff appearances
December 17 - Dr. David Crass, Acting Division Director, will speak at the Facade Completion Celebration for the Tybee Post Theater, Tybee Island. The facade rehabilitation was made possible in part by a grant funded by HP license plate sales. For more information visit

www.tybeeposttheater.org.
January 7, 2010 - Christopher McCabe, Underwater Archaeologist, and Stephen Dilk will present a paper at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Society for Historical Archaeology, Amelia Island Plantation, FL. The paper, entitled "The Lost Colonial Port of Sunbury, Georgia," explores recent underwater and inter-tidal archaeological field research in and around the Medway River and St. Catherines Sound. For details on the conference visit www.sha.org.
Our mailing address is: Georgia Historic Preservation Division Department of Natural Resources 254 Washington Street, SW, Ground Level Atlanta, GA 30334 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2009 Georgia Historic Preservation Division All rights reserved. Title image: Pickens County Courthouse - more