Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Feb. 2011

In this issue:
-Message from the Director: Historic Preservation's Challenge, part 2 -Join Us in Macon for the 2011 Statewide Historic Preservation Conference! -Economic Impact Study Tells of "Good News in Tough Times" -Georgia: A Leader in African American Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places -The Men at the Meeting with General Sherman -Mustering up Public Outreach in Savannah -Staff Profiles: Leigh Burns
Message from the Director: Historic Preservation's Challenge
By Dr. David Crass, Division Director & State Archaeologist
Part two of a three-part series Last month I wrote about the multi-dimensional nature of the challenge historic preservation

faces here in Georgia. I noted that the changing configuration of state government and attendant budget constriction constituted one aspect of this challenge. As daunting as the budget numbers are, however, there is a second aspect to the challenge that we face: demographics.
Historic Preservation risks irrelevancy if we don't make a concerted effort to reach younger audiences. Other resource sectors face the same issue. Hunting, fishing, and various other outdoor recreation activities have all witnessed a rising mean age and/or stable or falling participation numbers. One way to reach younger potential constituencies is through the aggressive use of emerging social and other media. However, we have to accompany this effort with the face-to-face contacts that allow us to develop meaningful relationships with constituency groups across the state.
Our communications problems span both what we can refer to as an external sphere (between historic preservation practitioners and our various constituencies across the state) and an internal sphere (that is, within the community of historic preservation practitioners). HPD has undertaken a range of new external communications initiatives over the last 18 months. These include:
-a redesigned website running on the Drupal platform that is scheduled to go live early this summer; -a strong effort in social media, including Facebook, (over 350 friends), Flickr (over 10,000 views since launching last April), and most recently, Twitter; -Preservation Posts, which you are reading now, and which has nearly 1,500 subscribers. -Good News in Tough Times: Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy, which you can read about elsewhere in this issue of Preservation Posts.
All of these efforts of course come on top of preexisting vehicles like our weekly e-newsletter

Preservation Georgia Online, Reflections (the quarterly publication of the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network), and our regular press releases and advisories.
We haven't neglected face-to-face contacts, however. Last year HPD developed an in-house Education Committee led by staff. This committee has developed a yearly HPD calendar of public events appearances like CoastFest, Weekend for Wildlife, Georgia History Festival, and others. Additionally, individual HPD programs and individuals also schedule public appearances. I am very proud that in the last fiscal year HPD staff reached over 3,500 people in 68 public appearances.
All of the efforts I've described are components of a broader communications plan which HPD has developed. We will make this available soon on our website, and hope that there are aspects of it that our partners across the state can consider and perhaps implement.
Finally, please join us and our co-sponsors, The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Georgia Humanities Council, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Historic Macon Foundation at the Statewide Historic Preservation Conference, March 31 - April 1 in Macon. This conference has been on hiatus for a number of years, and all of the partners feel it is a critical part of our joint communications efforts.
Next month: internal communications and our disciplinary culture.
Join Us in Macon for the 2011 Statewide Historic Preservation Conference!
By Mary Ann Eaddy, Special Assistant to the Director

After a six-year hiatus, the Historic Preservation Division and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation are once again joining forces to co-sponsor the statewide preservation conference. From 1987 to 2005 this event provided an annual meeting place for preservationists across Georgia to come together and re-energize. Knowledgeable speakers discussed the latest preservation tools and trends. Success stories were heralded and networking encouraged. In today's somewhat trying times, the 2011 conference is an opportunity to gather once again, hear the latest in preservation initiatives, and celebrate our successes.
The conference "Good News in Tough Times" will be held in Macon on March 31 and April 1. This year we are pleased to add the Georgia Humanities Council, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, and Historic Macon Foundation to our list of co-sponsors and partners.
The plenary session will begin at 11 a.m. in Macon's historic Douglass Theatre. The keynote will be given by the always insightful and clearthinking Donovan Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics. Some of you may remember that he addressed conference participants from the stage of the Douglass in 2002. Rypkema and his colleague Caroline Cheong recently completed the study Good News in Tough Times: Historic Preservation and the Georgia Economy, and he will discuss their compelling findings. A copy of the publication will be given to each participant at registration.
Thursday afternoon and Friday morning concurrent sessions will be held at conference headquarters - the Marriott Macon City Center. Topics cover a wide range of issues, and speakers bring expertise and enthusiasm to their sessions.
Preservation tax incentives can play a crucial role in the success of a rehabilitation project. HPD's Ced Dolder and Josh Rogers of Historic Macon Foundation will discuss available incentives and the impact they have had on neighborhood revitalization. Hear Jordan Poole of the Georgia Trust describe the Places in Peril Program; its purpose is to identify and preserve endangered historic properties. Tommy Littleton, chairman and chaplain of Paradise Gardens Park and Museum, will address the impact of this program on the intriguing folk art site created by the

late Howard Finster and recently proposed for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The word of the day is "sustainability," and Mark McDonald of the Georgia Trust and Tom Little, AIA of Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein Architects will focus on the ultimate green building.
Barry Brown and Gordon R. Elwell's new publication Crossroads of Conflict: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia makes a valuable contribution to the upcoming sesquicentennial of the Civil War and its potential impact on heritage tourism in the state. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Kevin Chapman, a graduate student at Georgia Southern University, shares his story about the recent discoveries at Camp Lawton, a Civil War POW camp, located in what is now Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen.
Macon's music scene of the 1960s and 1970s had an impact that reached far beyond the borders of the state. Listen to Jessica Walden of the College Hill Alliance identify the special places that stand as a reminder of this exciting time. Peggy Winters-Thompson, Executive Director of the Big House Museum will chronicle efforts to save and open to the public the home and gathering place of the Allman Brothers Band from 1970-1973. In addition, learn about the New Harmonies exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian and the Georgia Humanities Council.
Twentieth-century resources will be highlighted at the conference. Molly Fortune of the Fox Theater Institute will discuss initiatives to help historic theaters around the state, and Cullen Chambers, Executive Director of the Tybee Island Historical Society will tell the story of the rehabilitation of the Tybee Theater, recipient of HPD's first Georgia Heritage grant funded through sales of the preservation license tag. African American schools are resources often overlooked. HPD's Jeanne Cyriaque and Dr. Gerald Golden will recount the history of the Rosenwald Schools, buildings constructed between 1912 and the 1930s, based on an idea by Booker T. Washington and Sears president Julius Rosenwald. HPD's Steven Moffson has carefully researched equalization schools - modern schools in the 1950s and 1960s constructed for African American students in a time of "separate but equal" school systems. With desegregation of the schools in 1970, many of these facilities were closed. The story of these short-lived resources needs to be heard.
Mid-20th-century housing is just now being recognized for its architectural and cultural

importance. Richard Cloues of HPD has undertaken an exhaustive study of these buildings and has an entertaining perspective on the ranch house, split-level, and more. What are these buildings without their setting? Landscape architect Andrew Kohr describes the residential landscapes associated with these buildings and places them in the context of the modern movement.
To close out the conference, Jerry Flemming, director of the City of Savannah's Department of Cemeteries, will "Ac-cen-tu-ate the Positive."
On Thursday evening, a reception will be held at the National Historic Landmark Hay House. Completed in 1859, this Italian Renaissance Revival-style former residence is a must-see experience. Viewing its beautifully restored dining room should be one of the conference highlights.
Following the state conference, the Georgia Trust will host its annual meeting and spring Ramble. We hope that people will stay and enjoy all of these events that celebrate and promote our state's historic places.
For more information on the statewide preservation conference, contact Mary Ann Eaddy at 404651-5283 or mary.ann.eaddy@dnr.state.ga.us or Carole Moore at 404-463-8434 or carole. moore@dnr.state.ga.us. Registration can be completed online at the Georgia Trust's website.
Economic Impact Study Tells of "Good News in Tough Times"
By Mary Ann Eaddy, Special Assistant to the Director
It seems as if we are constantly being barraged with bad news about the economy. Well, we now have some good news to report. In January, HPD announced completion of a study on the

impact of historic preservation on the state's economy. Its title says it all: Good News in Tough Times.
Prepared by Donovan D. Rypkema and Caroline Cheong of PlaceEconomics, the study confirms what many of us have known intuitively that historic preservation has made, and continues to make, positive contributions to the economic life of the state's communities. Good News in Tough Times provides facts and figures to support a story that is often ignored: historic preservation in Georgia is "spurring investment; attracting visitors; revitalizing downtowns; and effectively leveraging scarce resources."
This study focuses primarily on the tumultuous first decade of the 21st century. An earlier report, Profiting From the Past, was produced in 1999 and looked at the impact of preservation activity in the mid-1990s. That report confirmed that historic preservation did indeed make an economic difference to communities that recognized and promoted their historic resources. Good News in Tough Times goes a step further and evaluates the impact of preserving and continuing to use Georgia's historic places during a time of economic uncertainty and unease. The results are telling.
Jobs have been created. New businesses have opened their doors. Heritage tourists spend money in Georgia, helping pay salaries and wages and generating local tax revenue. Communities throughout the state have recognized the significance of their historic resources and have benefited financially as a result of their decisions to save these special places for future generations.
To undertake a study such as this, it was important to find a consulting firm that understood the financial realities of rehabilitating historic buildings. PlaceEconomics, a Washington, D.C.-based real estate and economic development firm, met the criteria. Donovan D. Rypkema, principal of PlaceEconomics, spearheaded the project along with his colleague, Caroline Cheong. PlaceEconomics has produced a number of statewide studies on the economic impact of preservation. Rypkema, a long-time consultant to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and its National Main Street Center, is also the author of The Economics of Historic

Preservation: A Community Leader's Guide.
As part of their research for Georgia's study, Rypkema and Cheong met with officials and staff of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Department of Community Affairs, the Georgia Municipal Association, the Georgia Cities Foundation, and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. They visited Macon, Savannah, Decatur, and Madison, talking with various individuals involved in local preservation and economic development. The result was Good News in Tough Times.
The report tells an important message. Historic preservation cannot be expected to solve all the financial difficulties of these challenging times. It does, however, provide opportunity. "Through job creation, visitor attraction, neighborhood stabilization, downtown revitalization, and a myriad of other impacts, historic preservation is helping Georgia weather this economic storm." The full study is available for view or download on our website. Register for the 2011 Statewide Historic Preservation Conference to hear keynote speaker Donovan Rypkema discuss his findings. Conference participants will receive a complimentary copy of the study.
Georgia: A Leader in African American Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
By Richard Cloues, Historic Resources Section Chief and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer

The Morgan Farm (Sumter County) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 and became a Georgia Centennial Heritage Farm in 2001.
As we honor Black History Month, we celebrate the fact that Georgia is and always has been a leader among states in nominating properties associated with African American history to the National Register of Historic Places. These listings range from individual houses associated with prominent African Americans to entire neighborhoods, including the country's pre-eminent mid20th-century African American suburb in Atlanta. Also included are commercial buildings associated with African American commerce and community landmark buildings such as schools, churches, and lodge halls. Historic African American farms identified through our Centennial Farms program also have been nominated to the National Register.
The reasons for Georgia's leading role in National Register nominations associated with African

American history are three-fold: First is the continuous and pervasive presence of African Americans in the state and their role in shaping the state's history and culture. Second is an exceptionally strong present-day African American historic preservation constituency. And third is steady leadership on the part of our office to encourage National Register nominations for a wide variety of historic African American properties.
Our office's proactive role in African American historic preservation began in earnest in the late 1970s leading up to the publication in 1984 of the Historic Black Resources Handbook. The handbook served as a guide for identifying, documenting, and evaluating historic African American properties in Georgia. It was the first such statewide handbook in the country, and because of its continuing relevance it remains available on our office's website. The handbook paved the way for field surveys and National Register nominations of historic African American properties. It also informed our office's Section 106 environmental review activities, bringing attention to historic properties that had previously been overlooked. In 1993 the handbook was updated and expanded and re-issued as African American Historic Places and Culture: A Preservation Resource Guide for Georgia. This publication supported an even wider variety of National Register nominations for properties associated with African American history.
On another front, in 1989, the Georgia National Register Review Board established a standing committee on African American historic preservation, which has grown over the years into today's Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN). Its purpose was to raise awareness of Georgia's African American history and encourage heightened historic preservation activities including nominations of historic properties to the National Register. In 2000, our office established a staff position to head up the state's African American historic preservation program and support the work of GAAHPN. GAAHPN's quarterly publication Reflections, conferences, technical assistance, and site visits to historic properties all have contributed to additional National Register nominations of historic African American properties.

The most notable example is the Rosenwald Schools Initiative through which a statewide historic context was prepared and 50 extant Rosenwald Schools were discovered and documented. National Register nominations for Rosenwald Schools have been greatly facilitated through this initiative.
The success of the Rosenwald Schools initiative has led directly to another ongoing statewide initiative to identify and document mid-20th-century "equalization" schools in Georgia. These new schools were built by the hundreds across the state in the 1950s and 1960s. Although motivated by the intent to avoid desegregating the state's public school system, the public works program nevertheless provided modern school buildings in virtually every community in the state, many of which provide opportunities for continued or adaptive community uses today. Using a historic overview prepared by our office, a first equalization school has been listed in the National Register, and nominations for additional schools are in the works.
Georgia's historic preservationists are proud to celebrate the state's African American heritage through its historic properties associated with African American history that are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
For more information about Georgia's African American Historic Places, visit our website or contact Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator at Jeanne.cyriaque@dnr.state. ga.us or 404-656-4768.
For more information about the National Register of Historic Places, contact Gretchen Brock, National Register & Survey Program Manager at gretchen.brock@dnr.state.ga.us or 404-6516782.
For more information about the Georgia Centennial Farm Program, contact Steven Moffson at steven.moffson@dnr.state.ga.us or 404-651-5906.

The Men at the Meeting with General Sherman
By Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator
From left to right: First African, Second African, and Third African (now First Bryan) are three historic black Baptist churches in Savannah whose ministers attended the 1865 meeting with General Sherman. My interest in the men at the meeting with General Sherman started in 2001, when I had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with Westley W. Law. Mr. Law took me all over Savannah,

where we visited places like Laurel Grove Cemetery, Savannah's historic black churches, the Beach Institute, KingTisdell Cottage and historic districts. We then stopped by Marshall House, where he showed me a magnificent painting and instructed me on its meaning. This striking oil painting, known as "The Men at the Meeting," depicts 20 black ministers, General William T. Sherman, and Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. One of the ministers was standing in the portrait, as he was the spokesman for the group. This man was Garrison Frazier, who at that time was 67 years old.
Over the ensuing years, I lost track of the whereabouts of the painting, but I never forgot my day with W. W. Law and the meaning of the artwork. Today, that magnificent painting is housed at the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah.
The painting depicts the historic events that occurred on January 12, 1865. When General Sherman arrived in Savannah in December of 1864, Charles Green, a cotton broker, offered his home for Sherman's headquarters. Sherman graciously accepted, though his cotton surpluses probably weren't spared from the Union Army. The house, which today we know as the GreenMeldrim House (a National Historic Landmark), was the setting for the meeting. Among the ministers portrayed are:
-Garrison Frazier, perhaps the elder statesman among the ministers who attended the meeting. He was the former pastor of Third African Baptist Church (presently First Bryan) who had purchased his freedom and that of his wife about eight years before the meeting, for a sum of $1000 in gold and silver. He was a Baptist preacher for 35 years, and at the time of the meeting was not affiliated with any congregation due to failing health.
-William J. Campbell, who was then pastor of the First African Baptist Church and led the effort to build the current church building in 1859. He was baptized by Reverend Andrew Marshall in 1834, elected deacon around 1840 and licensed to preach in 1855. He was enslaved until 1849, and freed by the will of his former owner. First African Baptist Church's congregation numbered

1,800-1,900 members under Campbell's leadership.

-John Cox, pastor of Second African Baptist Church, where his congregation totaled 1,222 persons. Like Campbell, he was enslaved until 1849, having bought his freedom for $1,100.

-Ulysses L. Houston, a butcher and pastor of Third African Baptist Church. He earned his freedom when the Union Army entered Savannah. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1861, his congregation totaled 400 at the time of the meeting. He was the first pastor of Third African who started in the church as a member and worked his way up to pastor.

Episcopal Church.

-William Gaines, who was a slave "until the Union forces freed him" and was owned by Robert Toombs, Secretary of State for the Confederacy. Gaines was a local preacher at Andrew's Chapel in the Methodist

-Alexander Harris, a freeborn minister at Third African Baptist Church. He was born in Savannah and licensed about a month before the meeting with General Sherman.

-James Porter, who represented the St. Stephens Protestant Episcopal Colored Church. Like Harris, he was a freeborn man from Charleston where his mother purchased her freedom. Porter was the president of the board of wardens and vestry at St. Stephens.

-James Lynch, a freeborn Methodist missionary from Baltimore. He was the missionary to President Lincoln's Department of the South during the Civil War, and was a presiding elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is credited with founding the AME Church in Savannah in 1865 and was editor of the Christian Recorder.

The black church in Savannah served both the spiritual, social, and educational needs of the community from 1788 through the Civil War. Not only were these sacred places the center of religious services, they often doubled as community centers where youth, missionary and benevolent societies flourished. The ministry also served both slave and free men in their

congregations. These 20 ministers, only five of whom were free at birth, were the leaders of the black Savannah community.
During the meeting, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton fielded a number of inquiries to ascertain the ministers' knowledge of slavery and freedom. His first question in the conversation probed the ministers' understanding of the Emancipation Proclamation. Stanton asked Frazier to "state what your understanding is in regard to ... President Lincoln's proclamation, touching the condition of the colored people in the Rebel states." Frazier responded: "so far as I understand President Lincoln's proclamation to the rebellious states, it is, that if they would lay down their arms and submit to the laws of the United States before the 1st of January, 1863, all should be well, but if they did not, then all the slaves in the rebel states should be free ... that is what I understood."
When asked what his understanding of slavery meant, and the freedom that was to be given by Lincoln's Proclamation, Frazier, who was enslaved for 60 years of his life, responded: "slavery is receiving by irrestible power the work of another man, and not by his consent." He defined freedom as "taking us from under the yoke of bondage and placing us where we could reap the fruit of our own labor, and take care of ourselves, and assist the government in maintaining our freedom."
When asked what was the best way of accomplishing this, Frazier replied: "the way we can best take care of ourselves is to have land, and turn it and till it by our labor." In response to the question of whether the freed people wished to live separately or with whites, he replied, "I would prefer to live by ourselves, for there is a prejudice against us in the South that will take years to get over; but I do not know that I can answer for my brethren." At this point in the conversation, James Lynch interjected that he thought they should not be separated, but live together. All of the other ministers when questioned one by one, agreed with Frazier.
Secretary Stanton asked Frazier if the sentiments he expressed in the dialogue were those of only the black citizens of Savannah, or were they indicative of the colored population in the country as well. He also wanted to know how Frazier represented their interests. Frazier responded, "I think the sentiments are the same among the colored people of the state. My opinion is formed by personal communication in the course of my ministry, and also from the thousands that followed the Union Army, leaving their homes and undergoing suffering. I did

not think there would be so many; the number surpassed my expectation."
The numbers surprised General Sherman, too, as thousands of newly freed people followed his forces to Savannah. He did not reflect long on the input from the meeting. Four days later, General Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15. The order set aside the Sea Islands and an area that extended 30 miles inland from Charleston, South Carolina, to the St. Johns River in Florida for the freed people, and further specified that these families be given 40-acre plots. This area became known as Sherman's Reservation. Second African Baptist Church's ex-slaves cheered the order at a February, 1865 meeting. Almost immediately, Ulysses L. Houston took his congregants to Skidaway Island to start a settlement.
With assurances from Secretary Stanton, General Rufus Saxton began settling freedmen on the reservation, as he was appointed inspector of settlements and plantations. General Sherman turned over mules that were not needed by his army to General Saxton, and word spread quickly among the newly freed population that they would receive "forty acres and a mule," the description that historians have associated with Special Field Order No. 15. Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands, or the Freedmen's Bureau, in March 1865 to confiscate abandoned lands and distribute these lands to the freed people. Saxton worked tirelessly in the ensuing months, reporting to Secretary Stanton that all who had entered during the planting season were completely self-supporting, receiving nothing from the government. In fact, by June of 1865, he had settled over 40,000 freedmen on the Sherman Reservation.
But these hopes for land among the freed people turned out to be futile. President Andrew Johnson squelched their hopes by granting amnesty to thousands of former Confederate leaders during Reconstruction. His amnesty restored the lands in the Sherman Reservation to their former owners and gave the freed people until the end of the year to relinquish it and leave. The Freedmen's Bureau then enforced the Johnson policy by letting the former owners return and initiated a policy of evicting any freedmen who did not sign labor contracts with these owners.
The men who attended the meeting with General Sherman were active participants for freedom both during the war and Reconstruction. James Porter gave an address at a special supper that Savannah's black leadership convened in anticipation of the Emancipation Proclamation by

President Lincoln. The attendees did not know that emancipation had occurred on January 1, 1863, the very day of the dinner. John Cox, who was the free black pastor of Second African Baptist Church, and Ulysses Houston, nominal slave and pastor of Third African Baptist Church gave prayers at the occasion. This dinner was significant because black clergymen took a leadership role in organizing it and, for perhaps the first time, black Savannah spoke openly about freedom.
James Porter chaired a convention of freedmen in 1866 at Springfield Baptist Church in Augusta. Over a hundred delegates from 18 Georgia counties attended the convention, where they favored equal pay and called for voting rights, jury duty, and universal education. Their efforts, under Porter's leadership, resulted in the formation of the Georgia Equal Rights Association that was headed by J.E. Bryant, a white Republican. James Porter, who was an organist and warden at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in 1864, later served in the Georgia legislature during Reconstruction. Porter would become principal of the West Broad Street School in the late 1870s. He had operated a clandestine school for blacks during enslavement.
When freedom came, the religious leaders in Savannah were the pillars of the community. Their skills as preachers soon transformed them into public officials during Reconstruction. Ulysses L. Houston, while pastor of Third African Baptist Church, served in the Georgia legislature, representing Bryan County in 1868.
To see the painting for yourself visit the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah. The Georgia Historical Society will dedicate a new historical marker on March 4th in Savannah to commemorate Special Field Order No. 15. More information is available on their website.
Mustering up Public Outreach in Savannah
By Rachel Black, Review Archaeologist

From left to right: Rachel Black, Bob Entorf, and Maysyly Naolu run HPD's booth at the 2011 Colonial Faire and Muster.
On February 5th and 6th Wormsloe Historic Site held their annual Colonial Faire and Muster in Savannah. Although the weather was damp, spirits were far from it as re-enactors turned out from as far away as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to give us a taste of what life was like for the settlers in the 1700s. The weekend was filled with period music and dance as well as cannon and musket-firing demonstrations. A "sutlers row" shopping area provided visitors with an opportunity to browse the tents of goods and the opportunity to purchase these items. In many cases, the clothing, shoes, and everyday household items for sale were made just as they were 250 years ago. A short, pleasant walk through the woods from the tabby ruins of Noble Jones'

estate took visitors to the colonial life area. Here they could see firsthand how the settlers lived with a reconstructed tabby cabin and huts lining the trail back to the visitors' center. A cricket pitch where re-enactors demonstrated the sport capped off the day's experience. Visitors who felt game were welcome to join in. HPD staff members were on hand, partnering with the State Parks and Historic Sites division to provide public outreach and education. Bob Entorf, Maysyly Naolu, and Rachel Black traveled from the Atlanta office to provide information concerning HPD's role in protecting the cultural resources of the state of Georgia. The Division's Savannah field station archaeologists Chris McCabe and Steven Dilk were also present, providing information about underwater archaeology and a hands-on boat building demonstration. An estimated 200 people visited the booths. HPD's temporary tattoos and bracelets were a big hit with the kids, while many parents took the opportunity to learn about the historic preservation license plate program.
Staff Profiles
Leigh Burns, Preservation Planner & CLG Coordinator
This month's staff profile features Leigh Burns, Preservation Planner & CLG Coordinator. Leigh has worked with HPD since 2006 and previously with R.S. Webb & Associates, a Cultural Resource Management firm in Holly Springs, Georgia. She graduated from the Master of Heritage Preservation program at Georgia State University in 2001 and had internships during graduate school at the National Park Service and with Historic Oakland Cemetery.
At HPD, Leigh is the point of contact for our preservation planning, regional planning, and certified local government programs. She also provides support to our Division Director by coordinating HPD's partnerships with numerous Georgia preservation non-profit groups, as well as with our state agency partners.
Why is historic preservation important? Historic preservation is important for many reasons, but I believe primarily that it gives a community a collective, physical, built reference for their own unique history. It retains the

craftsmanship of generations, celebrates distinctive regional influences, and unites people in shared memory.
How did you become involved in the field of historic preservation? What influenced your career choice? My parents introduced me at a young age to the importance and appreciation of architecture, music, art, history, and - most of all - travel. Every vacation I had as a child (even later as young adult) included trips to museums, attending concerts, exploring historic gardens, and visiting historic sites. Besides my parents' influence, both my maternal and paternal grandparents had family businesses in the same historic commercial downtown. Growing up in this community with others who supported it gave me a strong frame of reference for the sense of place a historic downtown provides.
What do you do on a typical day? I correspond with many by phone and email throughout Georgia about ongoing preservation projects and help support and sustain their individual efforts. Sometimes I help begin a project by starting a dialogue with local government officials, or assist with the formation of a historic preservation commission. I also assist with initial questions about grants, National Register of Historic Places nominations, and our other HPD programs and initiatives. I attend and present at public meetings, make site visits to meet with our constituents, and help local historic preservation commissions pursue CLG designation. No day is typical, but all my days are interesting!
What do you like most about your job? I probably could list numerous things I like most about my job, but what has been the most rewarding has been the opportunity to learn through other preservationists about Georgia's incredible history, especially outside of Atlanta. Being a native of Atlanta, I would have never had the opportunity to visit the varied regions of our state (with local preservationists) and learn what make them distinct from all others. Whether it is making a presentation to the Toombs County Historical Society or participating in CLG public meeting in LaFayette, I continue to learn from others about Georgia history. What brings me the most professional and personal satisfaction is seeing a preservation project from the beginning stages of initial meetings with subsequent site visits to the moment when the project is completed.

What do you like to do outside the office? I like to go to movies, explore new neighborhoods, volunteer at Rhodes Hall, read, travel, go to antique shows and auctions, but most of all I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us.
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