Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Apr. 2010

In this issue:
-Georgia's State Historic Sites: Treasures at our Doorstep -Atlanta's Historic Holocaust Memorial -Electronic Section 106 Review for Transportation Enhancement Projects -Bishop Henry McNeal Turner: Forefather of Civil Rights -Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline, Part 8 -Staff Profiles: Rebekah McElreath -Upcoming HPD staff appearances
Georgia's State Historic Sites: Treasures at our Doorstep
by Denise Messick, National Register Historian

Liberty Hall in A. H. Stephens Historic Park.
The State Parks and Historic Sites Division is one of HPD's sister agencies in the Department of Natural Resources. Did you know that 18 historic sites are included within Georgia's state park system? This article will highlight only a few of these historic places, but we hope it will inspire you to explore the wide variety of opportunities for learning and recreation in all our state parks and historic sites. The range of resources includes something for everyone: Indian mounds, farms and plantations, remnants of forts and battlefields, and small and large houses associated with important persons in our state's history. Locations are scattered from the mountains to the coast.
Each of these state historic sites is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official federal list of places that are considered worthy of preservation.

It provides formal recognition of a property's historical, architectural, or archaeological significance based on national standards. Most of the 18 state historic sites achieved this recognition from the National Park Service in the late 1960s or early 1970s. And one-third of these sites are also designated National Historic Landmarks. A National Historic Landmark (NHL) must meet stringent criteria for national significance, and very few places receive this honor. While there are over 2,030 National Register listings in Georgia, only 48 of them are also NHLs. Obviously, our state historic sites are treasures that are appreciated well beyond the borders of Georgia.
Two years after Georgia's state park system was established in 1931, the Alexander H. Stephens Memorial Park in Crawfordville became the third park to be added to the system. Now known as A.H. Stephens Historic Park, it was initially created from 12 acres (including Liberty Hall) deeded by the Stephens Monumental Association and eight acres donated by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1933. The park also began as one of several Recreation Demonstration Areas (RDAs) that made possible the conversion of large tracts of depleted agricultural land into prototypical state parks. While the park is perhaps best known for the 19th-century home of Alexander H. Stephens, governor of Georgia and vice president of the Confederacy, the 1,200-acre recreation area also contains around 75 additional historic buildings and structures. As part of federal New Deal programs in the 1930s, workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and later the Work Progress Administration (WPA) transformed the land by constructing lakes, bridges, cabins, a bathhouse, a ranger's residence, picnic shelters, granite benches, group camps, an observation tower, a wading pool, roads, hiking trails, and numerous other landscape features. Some of the CCC-era resources were influenced by classicism in their design, while those from the WPA period tend to illustrate the "rustic" architecture more commonly associated with state and national parks.
Georgia's history prior to European contact is represented in two state historic sites. Kolomoki

Mounds in Early County and Etowah Indian Mounds in Bartow County were both designated as National Historic Landmarks in 1964. The site at Etowah contains six earthen mounds and other remains of an important political and religious center. Several thousand Native Americans lived in the surrounding town during the late Mississippian period over 500 years ago. To read about how remote sensing technology is adding to archaeologists' knowledge of Etowah, go to www. archaeology.org/0811/abstracts/etowah.html. Georgia also has two historic sites associated with the Cherokee Nation in the early 19th century the Chief Vann House in Murray County and New Echota in Gordon County. Both sites tell fascinating stories of the relationship between the young state of Georgia and its Native American inhabitants.
For those interested in military history, some of the early sites of fortifications and battles may have few obvious remains above the ground, but they are interpreted through reconstructions, artifact displays, films, and/or public tours. Fort King George is on a high bluff overlooking the scenic Altamaha River near Darien. Even though it was the southern outpost of the British Empire in North America from 1731 to 1736, its exact location was not discovered until the 1930s. Fort Morris near Midway, which saw conflict during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, includes earthwork remnants once used as defenses against the British. Pickett's Mill Battlefield in Paulding County is the well-preserved site of a Civil War battle that occurred in May 1864 as federal troops were advancing on Atlanta.
Agriculture is another important theme in Georgia's history. Three examples of large farming operations are illustrated in state historic sites. The tabby ruins of Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah were once part of the colonial estate of Noble Jones who arrived with James Oglethorpe and the first group of British settlers in 1733. Hofwyl-Broadfield near Brunswick was a thriving rice plantation carved from the marshes along the Altamaha River during the antebellum period and beyond. Five generations of one family owned the property until it was left to the state in 1973. Jarrell Plantation in the Piedmont

region in Jones County was also a family-owned farm for over 140 years. It successfully made the transition from slave-based agriculture to a diversified operation by adding a sawmill, gristmill, cotton gin, workshop, sugar cane press and evaporator, and many other outbuildings. These outbuildings, along with the houses and barns, are part of an agricultural landscape open to the public because the Jarrell family descendents donated the property to the state in 1974.
A true gem among the state's historic sites is Roosevelt's Little White House in Warm Springs. In 1924 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a native of the state of New York, learned of Warm Springs as he was seeking treatment for polio that he had contracted in 1921. He hoped to heal his muscular damage and paralysis by exercising and bathing in the springs. Between 1924 and 1945, he visited Georgia 41 times. Elected governor of New York in 1928 and president of the United States in 1932, Roosevelt maintained close ties to Georgia and was beloved as a friend to both political leaders and impoverished farmers. During his presidency and the Great Depression, Roosevelt developed many New Deal programs based on his experiences in the rural South. He also co-founded the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation in 1927. In 1933 Roosevelt built the cottage, known as the Little White House, which became his presidential retreat. While posing for his portrait there in April 1945, he suffered a stroke and died. The house remains almost as it was at that moment, and the "Unfinished Portrait" is featured in the Memorial Museum on the site. The excellent museum also offers a video, several interactive exhibits, and Roosevelt's 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls. The Little White House was listed in the National Register in 1974, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1980, as part of the Warm Springs Historic District.
For a complete list of state historic sites, along with visitation information, please check the website of the State Parks and Historic Sites Division at www.gastateparks.org/historic/. Hours of operation are subject to change, and several locations have reduced hours and/or are

currently operated by other entities. One site (the Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville) is closed at this time. The website also contains a list of activities at each of the parks and historic sites. The public may support these places and receive benefits by joining the Friends of Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites.
Atlanta's Historic Holocaust Memorial
by Steven Moffson, Architectural Historian
The 45th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration was held Sunday April 11 at the Memorial to the Six Million in Greenwood Cemetery in Atlanta. The memorial, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, is the only memorial in Georgia that was built

by survivors to honor the memory of the Jews that were murdered during the Holocaust. Since its dedication on April 25, 1965, memorial services have been held every year during the week of Holocaust Remembrance Day in the spring and during the High Holy Days in the fall.
Planning for the memorial began in 1964 when a group of 100 Holocaust survivors living in Atlanta organized under the name Eternal-Life Hemshech, for the purpose of building a memorial to the murdered Jews of the Holocaust. The group wanted the memorial to serve as a place to say Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, so they chose a site for the memorial in Greenwood Cemetery, then the most prominent Jewish cemetery in Atlanta.
The Memorial to the Six Million is an open-air memorial to the murdered Jews of the Holocaust nestled in a knoll on the south side of Greenwood Cemetery in southwest Atlanta. The memorial is composed of four L-shaped walls of varying heights laid in uncoursed granite blocks. The walls interlock to form a single "interior" space with entrances on four sides. The architect, Benjamin Hirsch, described the plan as "symbolically inviting people from the four corners of the earth to enter and share in the message." In the center, six white torches, which represent the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, rise from a black granite coffin that contains the ashes of an unknown victim at Dachau.
Benjamin Hirsch, the architect, graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, College of Architecture in 1958. He practiced in Atlanta mostly between 1962 and 1995, and specialized in religious architecture. Hirsh, who no longer practices architecture, designed the Memorial to the Six Million as an abstract monument with interlocking walls that provide a private, interior space for mourning and contemplation. Its abstract form and unadorned walls are a departure from the classical and allegorical monuments that were built in Georgia for most of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1968, the National Conference on Religious Architecture presented its merit award for excellence in design to Benjamin Hirsch for his design of the Memorial to the Six Million.
For information on the Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration visit www.thebreman.org/ events-n-programs/yomHashoah.html.

Electronic Section 106 Review for Transportation Enhancement Projects
by Dean Baker, Transportation Enhancements Reviewer

Built in 1923 by the Georgia Railway and Power Company, this structure in Deepdene Park is the power company's only original trolley waiting station remaining in Atlanta. HPD helped ensure that a portion of
the trolley tracks that served Ponce de Leon Avenue was preserved in place without restricting the improvements made to the park area.
During the 2009 legislative session The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act was passed changing Georgia law to allow for the electronic retention of state records. This new law allowed the Environmental Review (ER) program at the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) to take a new look at how things were currently done and how things might operate differently without having to create and maintain a physical paper file. One immediate example of this

type of change within HPD is that all ER responses for Section 106 reviews (required when federal funding, permit or license is a part of the proposed project) are now made electronically, rather than by paper letter. HPD's long-term relationship with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has allowed for further integration moving larger files for Section 106 review back and forth, saving postage, supplies and resources.
The first attempt to move toward an all-electronic Section 106 review process has been with the Transportation Enhancement (TE) program. The TE program has been around since 1991, and was last authorized in 2004. TE funded projects need to be connected to the overall transportation network but cannot be used for motorized vehicular transportation projects. The most common types of TE projects are sidewalks, trails, streetscapes and depot rehabilitations.
The TE program has a distinct review process that lent itself to early transition to an electronic system. Using the Streamlined Section 106 Review Process for Transportation Enhancement Projects, HPD can be involved for the life of the project. HPD pre-reviews all projects during the TE application process, before they are funded. After funding, and the initial Section 106 review HPD then stays involved with a project, if there is a need, until construction is completed. Because of this involvement, the initial information we receive for each TE project review is much more concise and is contained within a standardized worksheet rather than the more voluminous determination of eligibility and assessment of effects documents that are usually submitted for a regular ER project review. The length of the worksheet varies, but is usually under 20 pages, allowing for easy electronic transmittal via PDF email attachment.
Working closely with our partners at GDOT, we agreed to test an electronic TE Section 106 review process. Over the past nine months, the team that reviews TE projects at HPD has been in a test-and-adjust mode, constantly seeking new ways to improve upon the Section 106 TE review

process. Initial discussions focused on developing procedures for the all-new electronic filing system. After the initial decisions were made for electronic document retrieval, it was time to see how the process might work. While there were plenty of tweaks and adjustments, the new review system has overall worked quite well.
One of the key benefits of the new review process is that parts of the process that had previously been sequential - project login, archaeological resources review, and then historic resources review - can now be performed at the same time. This time saved, combined with the additional time-savings made from utilizing email rather than regular mail, has been the most significant process and customer service improvement.
There have been some financial savings from the transition to the electronic system. Simply eliminating the postage, paper and related supplies from being used for review letters, HPD now spends approximately $3 less per TE project review than before the electronic process began. There have been no new technological investments required for the electronic TE review process.
While the transition to an electronic Section 106 review process for Transportation Enhancement projects has been successful and will continue, the lessons learned are not immediately applicable to all other types of ER reviews. The difference in review processes and document sizes means that there would need to be an additional investment required to allow for more electronic storage and secure data links to transfer the larger documents used for regular reviews. Electronic reviews of construction plans and documents would also require additional investments in software and equipment.
That being said, the electronic experiment for TE reviews has been a customer service success allowing HPD to better meet the needs of its clients and customers, saving time and money while improving the overall process and hopefully serving as an example for future HPD process improvements.
Bishop Henry McNeal Turner: Forefather of Civil Rights
by Joy Melton, African American Programs Intern

St. Thomas A.M.E. is one of several churches that Henry McNeal Turner helped to establish in Georgia.
Henry McNeal Turner was an influential religious and political leader during the late 19th century. Turner served as a Georgia legislator, an African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Bishop, and a human rights activist. Henry McNeal Turner made significant contributions not only in Georgia, but also globally in civil rights advocacy and religious leadership.
Turner was born free in 1834 in South Carolina to Sarah Greer and Hardy Turner. It was believed that his grandfather was an African prince. When Turner's father died, his maternal grandmother helped raise him. At the age of 12, Turner dreamed he would become a leader and teacher for millions of people. Hired to work as a janitor by white lawyers in 1849, he was provided with a well-rounded education at their law firm in Abbeville, South Carolina.

Turner's political involvement began in 1863 when he convinced President Abraham Lincoln to enlist freedmen in the Union Army for the Civil War. While chaplain for the First Regiment U.S. C.T. (United States Colored Troops), Turner wrote about his war experiences in The Christian Recorder, a newspaper published by the A.M.E. Church. After the war, Turner helped assemble the Georgia Republican Party and served in the state's constitutional convention. In 1868, he was elected to represent Macon in the Georgia House of Representatives during reconstruction. Turner skillfully delivered a "Speech on the Eligibility of Colored Members to Seats in the Georgia Legislature." The Georgia legislature later illegally expelled him and 31 other black representatives and senators. In 1874, Turner led a 20-mile march in Effingham County to protect African American voting rights. Turner published several articles to educate African Americans about the need for civil rights including the U.S. Supreme Court 1893 decision declaring the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional. He is the only African American legislator who served during Reconstruction whose portrait is displayed in the Georgia State Capitol.
Turner's greatest influence was as a religious leader. He was a bishop in the A.M.E. Church from 1880 until his death in 1915. Turner received his preacher's license in 1853. He traveled preaching throughout the South, but spent much of his time in Georgia. Turner served as chancellor at Morris Brown College for twelve years in Atlanta. As a proponent for preserving black history, Turner stated "While we may not entirely forget the past, we may remember it only as an incentive to achieve grander results in the progressive hereafter." In 1885, he wrote The Genius and Theory of the Methodist Party, which described the A.M.E. Church doctrine.
Several A.M.E. churches in Georgia were established under his leadership, including St. Philip in Savannah, Big Bethel in Atlanta and St. Thomas in Hawkinsville. These churches are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Stained glass windows in the balcony of Big Bethel A.M.E. recognize Turner as one of the church founders. Turner led the construction of the original St. Thomas A.M.E. Church building, a woodframed structure, completed in 1877. After it was demolished, the current brick, Folk Victorian, building

was constructed in 1908, and completed in 1912. African American craftsmen constructed both buildings.
From 1891 to 1898, Turner traveled for missionary work to Africa four times, visiting Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Africa, and he sent missionaries to Mexico and Cuba. Turner arranged for 500 emigrants to be sent to Liberia and founded two newspapers, The Voice of Missions (1893-1900) and the Voice of the People (1901-1904) to promote resettlement in Africa. He also hoped to do mission work in Haiti. Although he advocated that African Americans move back to Africa due to limitations in the South, he believed that "Greatness has no color; learning is neither white nor black," and that "Heaven with its population is, as variegated in its color as the flowers of the forest, or as the stars in the sky." Nearly 100 years after his death in 1915, Turner's influence remains a significant aspect of African American history.
Perhaps you know of churches established or influenced by Henry McNeal Turner in your community. Over 150 African American churches are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. These churches are listed as individual properties or contributing resources in historic districts. The Historic Preservation Division is interested in learning more about your historic African American churches. Please contact Joy Melton, African American Programs Assistant at 404-657-1054 or joy.melton@dnr.state.ga.us if you know of a historic church building in your area.
Georgia State Historic Preservation Office timeline
compiled by Helen Talley-McRae, Public Affairs Coordinator
Part 8: 2002-2004 - Historic Preservation Division; Department of Natural Resources

A 2003 staff photo.
2002 - State Historic Preservation Tax Credit for Historic Rehabilitation provides 10% credit for residential and 20% for income-producing properties, with $5,000 maximum per project. - HPD's congressional report for sfy2001 is produced. - State Tax Credit: state law authorizes a tax credit for both commercial and residential properties.
- Estimate of Cost to Rehabilitate the Historic Courthouses and City Halls of Georgia - September 2002 - Underwater Archaeology Council: DNR

Commissioner appoints a statewide council to study archaeological programs and recommend an underwater archaeology program. Findings and Recommendations of the Underwater Archaeology Study Council - State Stewardship awards initiated - Statewide preservation conference, Macon (smart growth) - HPD/GTHP Work Day, Etowah Mounds - HPD photographer Jim Lockhart received an American Institute of Architects (AIA), Georgia Association award for his extensive photography of historic places in Georgia.
2003 - HPD's biennial report for sfy2001-2002 and congressional report for sfy2002 are produced. - Preserving Georgia's Historic Schools resource guide produced - Modern Apartment Complexes in Georgia report produced - Grave Intentions: A Comprehensive Guide to Preserving Historic Cemeteries in Georgia booklet produced - available only in print. - Georgia Governors' Gravesites Field Guide, 1776-2003 - Archaeological Investigations at Fort Morris State Historic Site, Liberty County, Georgia report produced - Georgia's Inland Waters archaeological report produced - HPD received a National Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation for developing a successful model for an enduring historic lighthouse transfer program. - HPD, as a member of NCSHPO, received the Director's Heritage Partnership Award from the National Park Service. - HPD historian Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. received the Governor's Award in the Humanities from the Georgia Humanities Council. - Underwater archaeologist position added
2004 - HPD's congressional report for sfy2003 is produced.

- Public Elementary and Secondary Schools in Georgia, 1868-1971 National Register multiple property documentation form is produced.
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 Advocacy 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 Part 4: 1986-1990, Historic Preservation Section; Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division; Department of Natural Resources appeared in the December 2009 edition of Preservation Posts Part 5: 1990-1994 - Historic Preservation Section, appeared in the January 2010 edition of Preservation Posts Part 6: 1994-1998 - Historic Preservation Division, appeared in the February 2010 edition of Preservation Posts Part 7: 1999-2001 - Historic Preservation Division, appeared in the March 2010 edition of Preservation Posts
Staff Profiles
Rebekah McElreath, Tax Incentives Specialist

What attracted you to the field of historic preservation? Why is it important? I have always had a passion for history and things that are "old." While I was working on my bachelor's degree in history at Georgia State University, I was introduced to the master's program in Heritage Preservation. As a native of Atlanta, I have witnessed a great deal of change throughout the city. Two of my grandparents were born here in Atlanta, and I remember them pointing out the houses that they had lived in whenever we would drive through town. As a child, I remember how run-down most of these areas had become. Specifically, I remember Cabbagetown being littered with trash and the small mill houses were practically falling down. The mill in the area was always an impressive sight, but even as a child, it made no sense to me why such a huge building was sitting vacant. After witnessing such a turn-around in downtown Atlanta, I started to realize that the revitalization of historic buildings in depressed areas of town could actually help revitalize the entire area. I met with Richard Laub, Director of GSU's Heritage Preservation Program, to see

what the program was all about. After talking with Richard for over an hour, I knew I wanted to pursue a master's degree in this field.
What are your main duties at HPD? What do you do on a typical day? As the Tax Incentives Specialist at HPD, I work with the Tax Incentives Coordinator, Ced Dolder, and architectural reviewers, Bill Hover and Beth Gibson. HPD administers two state tax incentives programs and one federal tax incentive program. I receive all applications for all three programs, and I am the main point of contact for applicants or prospective applicants that need questions answered.
On a typical day, I can be found answering phone calls and/or e-mails about our programs, logging in new tax projects to our extensive database, and meeting with other members of our Tax Incentives and Rehabilitation Guidance group. Since I am the first person in the office to actually view the applications, I often screen each application for possible problems. If I happen to find anything that may cause the architectural reviewers problems in reviewing the application, I call or e-mail the applicant to request additional information. This can save both HPD and the applicant time in the long run since incomplete applications cannot be reviewed.
What do you like most about your job? I enjoy many things about my job, but I enjoy helping people save historic resources the most. With the increase in the State Income Tax Credit Program from a cap of $5,000 to a cap of $100,000 (for residential buildings) and $300,000 (for commercial buildings), we have seen renewed interest in using our programs to save and rehabilitate historic buildings. Many people now find it valuable to apply and participate in our programs because of the money they save by getting approved through our office. Tax projects are evaluated using the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, which outline the proper way for buildings to be rehabilitated, updated, or added upon. Many people have no knowledge of these guidelines when they start their projects, and our comments often help them avoid an inappropriate rehabilitation.
It is always very encouraging to help the citizens of Georgia navigate through tax documents and wordy application materials. As a state agency, some of our forms can scare away applicants, but I enjoy helping explain this material in "layman's terms." The tax incentives programs administered by HPD make preservation more economically viable for individual

property owners and developers alike. It's always rewarding to see valuable resources rehabilitated correctly in communities all across the state. These programs have the potential to help revitalize depressed areas within National Register Historic Districts in every community in Georgia. I am happy to be a small part of three programs that make preservation more affordable for property owners.
Upcoming HPD staff appearances
May 4 - Preservation 101: A Georgia Orientation - annual seminar highlighting HPD's programs and services - Decatur - www.gashpo.org/content/displaycontent.asp? txtDocument=420
May 6, 5:45 PM - Richard Cloues, Historic Resources Section Chief, will present "...and the first runner up is ... the Split-Level House" at Rhodes Hall in Atlanta - www.georgiatrust.org/ preservation/preservation_month.php
May 22 - Steven Moffson, Architectural Historian, will present "The Short Life of Modern Schools in African-American Communities in Georgia, 1952-1970" at the Annual Conference of the Vernacular Architecture Forum in Washington, DC - www.vernaculararchitectureforum.org/ conferences/2010/index.html
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