Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Jan. 2014

Preservation Posts - January 2014
In this issue:
- Georgia National Register Review Board to meet in February - Locust Grove Becomes Georgia's Newest Certified Local Government - HPD Hosts GNAHRGIS Training for Law Enforcement - A Tribute to Cullen Chambers - Recent News & Announcements - Upcoming Events - Available Grants Division Director Dr. David Crass will resume his regular column next month.
Georgia National Register Review Board to meet in February
By Denise Messick, National Register Historian
HPD will be hosting the semi-annual meeting of the Georgia National Register Review Board in Atlanta on February 28. The public is welcome to attend. Presentations will consist of brief illustrated descriptions of each proposed National Register nomination, along with some historical background and discussion of why the resource is considered significant. Members of the board will have an opportunity to comment and ask questions before voting on whether the property or district meets the National Register criteria. This is an important step in the multi-phase process that leads to listing. Written summaries of each proposed nomination are available on our website, along with the complete Review Board agenda. For more detailed information about the National Register of Historic Places nomination process in Georgia, please visit our website. For the upcoming meeting, six of the nine proposed nominations are districts of various sizes. (Districts are collections of historically related buildings, structures, sites, or objects.) Five of the districts are located in metropolitan Atlanta, including four residential neighborhoods. For the first time in many years, Civil War fortifications will be proposed for listing as part of a multiple property submission. Test yourself! The following are a few "teaser" questions as a prelude to February's presentations. Answers are provided at the bottom of the newsletter, along with the names of the associated nominations.
1. What county seat in northwest Georgia has two extant historic courthouses (dating to 1869 and 1903) and a railroad depot (c.1854)?
2. Which town in DeKalb County, known for its quarrying industry, is named for the Greek words for "rock" and "place"?
3. Which neighborhood in Decatur was built on the former farmland of railroad agent John T. Glenn ?
4. Which former mill in Columbus was important as a major manufacturer of indigo dyed denim and automobile fabric?
5. In what year did Atlanta triple the land mass in its city limits, including the rapidly developing area near Lindbergh Drive and Cheshire Bridge Road?
6. What noted Atlanta architecture firm designed the First Baptist Church in Decatur in 1951?
7. Which Confederate general ordered the construction of the defensive fortifications known as the Chattahoochee River Line as General William T. Sherman's troops approached from the northwest?
8. Which Buckhead (Atlanta) neighborhood, nestled between Peachtree, Piedmont, and Roswell roads, was built as four separate residential subdivisions between 1911 and 1945? This is just a sample of forthcoming narratives. If you are interested in attending the Review Board meeting, please contact Lynn Speno at lynn.speno@dnr.state.ga.us or 404651-5911. More information is available here.
Locust Grove Becomes Georgia's Newest Certified Local Government
By Marcy Breffle, Outreach Program Assistant
This past month, the city of Locust Grove joined the ranks of 86 other Georgia communities as the state's newest Certified Local Government (CLG). The National Park Service recognized Locust Grove's commitment to historic preservation and confirmed the designation on January 6, 2014. Located south of Atlanta in Henry County, the city of Locust Grove began as rural frontier community in the early 19th century. According to local lore, the city's name stems from a grove of locust trees located in town. The city slowly expanded and was officially incorporated on December 20, 1893. At the end of the 19th century, the arrival of regional railroad lines ushered in a period of unprecedented growth and Locust Grove flourished as a distribution hub for local products. Numerous residential and community structures were built to accommodate rail workers and new industry, and a commercial district developed to serve the agricultural lands nearby. The late 19th and early 20th century commercial structures still in existence form the heart of the locally-designated Locust Grove Downtown Historic District, which was designated in 2010. The local historic commercial district also contains the Locust Grove Institute, a 1904 city landmark listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 that now serves as City Hall. Now in the 21st century, Locust Grove is experiencing another wave of rapid growth, due in part to its proximity to Atlanta. Many commuters have migrated out of Atlanta and into Locust Grove, which accounts for the city's transition from a rural town to an expanding suburban city. Facing new construction and development, the city of Locust Grove is now, more than ever, committed to preserving the historic character of their community. The city passed a local historic preservation ordinance in 2006 and now has fully appointed citizen board serving as its historic preservation commission (HPC). The HPC has participated in statewide trainings and created programs to increase preservation awareness. Last spring, the Locust Grove HPC partnered with Georgia State University to develop several preservation planning initiatives. Designation as a Certified Local Government was the obvious next step and accomplished through the hard work of the city of Locust Grove, the Locust Grove HPC and Main Street Program, and HPD. The Certified Local Government program is a preservation partnership between the three tiers of government (local, state, and federal), and it focused on promoting historic preservation at the grass roots level. In Georgia, the program is jointly administered by the National Park Service and HPD. Each community works through a certification process, which mandates the creation of a preservation ordinance among several other federal requirements. As the newly minted 87th Georgia CLG, Locust Grove is now eligible for federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grants and several other benefits. To learn more about the CLG program' visit HPD's website.
HPD Hosts GNAHRGIS Training for Law Enforcement
By Dr. Bryan Tucker, State Archaeologist & Archaeology Section Chief
A screenshot of the GNAHRGIS interface. In January of 2014, HPD hosted a GNAHRGIS training session for DNR's Law Enforcement Division. GNAHRGIS is Georgia's Natural, Archaeological and Historic Resources Geographical Information System, which provides spatial data for rare species and archaeological and historic resources in Georgia. The current version of the system was deployed in 2012; funding for the system was acquired through federal Department of Transportation grants. The software was developed and is maintained by Information Technology Outreach Services (ITOS) of the University of Georgia's Institute of Government. GNAHRGIS is a collaborative project between DNR, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Department of Community Affairs and UGA. The archaeological site data is collected and maintained by the Georgia Archaeological Site File at the University of Georgia's Laboratory of Archaeology. While there are over 70,000 archaeological resources recorded in the database, these likely represent less than a third of the total resources in Georgia. GNAHRGIS is used to manage and protect these resources. A portal provides access to a subset of information for the general public, but much of the information is sequestered to protect the location of the sites from looters. With funding from Georgia Council on American Indian Concerns, HPD was able to provide access to the site for all 16 Captains and Administrative Sergeants in each of the seven Law Enforcement regions across Georgia, as well as two Special Investigators. Through GNAHRGIS the Captains and Sergeants can locate the resources in their region to better protect them through increased visitation and monitoring. The access should also allow for more effective prosecution of violations under O.C.G.A. 12-3-52 Archaeological exploration, excavation, or surveying and 12-3-621 Protection of Archaeological, Aboriginal, Prehistoric and Historic sites, which protect archaeological sites on public and private land from illegal digging. This training is part of ongoing collaboration between DNR's Law Enforcement Division and the Historic Preservation Division. Additional joint workshops on artifact identification, archaeological site damage investigation, and further training in laws specific to protecting archaeological resources and burials are planned.
A Tribute to Cullen Chambers
By Patty Deveau, President, Friends of Harrington School
Cullen Chambers, head of the Tybee Island Historical Society, passed away earlier this month. Patty Deveau wrote this tribute on January 22; it is reprinted with permission. "I let the building talk to me," Cullen Chambers said as he pulled on his white "hazmat" suit and prepared to go under the historic schoolhouse. Everyone most of whom had never been inside the building -- had said the old schoolhouse was "beyond repair." At the eleventh hour I had requested an opportunity to get a second opinion. Cullen Chambers was the one all my historic preservation friends said to call. "He is the one who goes under the structure," they said. Many of the decision makers and most of the local nay-sayers had seen the wooden structure under the overgrown vines from the street. Most of them had never been inside the historic structure. Now we stood in the bright February morning and we waited for the second --- and final -- opinion on the fate of this historic building as Cullen and his team crawled inside, outside, and under. When Cullen emerged, he did not look me in the eye. He simply said, I will tell everyone together at the lunch meeting. I thought, well, okay, this is going to be a very brief project. What he told the representatives of the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition (SSAAHC), the St. Simons Land Trust, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, and me, the new kid to the project was what the building had told him. At nearly ninety years old, it was still "so solid it could float." Indeed, termites and storm damage had attacked it, but the care, attention and craftsmanship of those African American tradesmen who had built it for the education of their children and grandchildren was still evident and still holding in the workmanship and materials they had used. Education meant freedom in the Gullah Geechee community. The community had kept and cared for their schoolhouse. Now it was our turn. The original historic schoolhouse could be restored, reported Cullen and his Coastal Regional Commission Historic Preservation Task Force at a public meeting one month later. He would help us find the best people to do it. And he would advise us on what we needed to get the job done. But at that moment I knew that God had given us the right person to help us. I had never met Cullen Chambers until he arrived on St. Simons Island on that brilliant clear winter morning. He was tough, straightforward, passionate yet extremely practical. Just what the island needed after several frustrating tries by the SSAAHC to save the old schoolhouse. The decision had already been made to take down the schoolhouse, and, as one local told me, "they are putting gas in the bulldozer as we speak" when we called Cullen. His assessment helped everyone take a step back and try one more time. Four years have passed and we have stabilized the structure, put on a new roof, and rallied many supporters locally, regionally and nationally. Following Cullen's wise counsel we have shared all our progress reports and activities on our website. This Saturday, January 25, The Friends of Harrington School will hold its annual meeting at St. Paul's Missionary Baptist Church on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The public is invited. Our theme is "Coming Together" because that is what Cullen and his task force brought to St. Simons Island. By restoring this historic schoolhouse, we will bring together the history of our island and tell the story of the people who came as slaves but who stayed as freed families and who contributed so much to our island's history. Speakers at the annual meeting will include representatives from Glynn County, the new Coastal African American Historic Preservation Commission, the Golden Isles Convention and Visitors Bureau, the American Studies program at the College of Coastal Georgia, and the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. We will kick off our Phase II fundraising campaign to complete the restoration. Cullen was a tight bundle of under control nervous energy when he arrived to give the public report in March 2010. He had not eaten that day. He knew a lot was riding on their report and on his presentation. Afterwards he told me "I am doing this for Mrs. Hunter. We must get this done before she dies." Mrs. Isadora Hunter celebrated her 90th birthday last fall. She grew up in Harrington and still lives there close to the historic school she attended and the property she donated to Glynn County and the St. Simons Land Trust to save the schoolhouse. She loved school but she never had a chance to go past the 8th grade because her mother died and "she had to tend to her siblings." We will miss you, Cullen. You let the building talk to you, but you had the right way of talking to others and to us. We will miss your wise counsel and friendship. We will hold your place at the ribbon cutting when the restoration is completed. Thank you.
Recent News & Announcements
Windsor Park Historic District Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - January 22) McDonough-Adams-Kings Highway Historic District Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - January 9) Suwanee Historic District Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - January 8) African American Programs Coordinator Jeanne Cyriaque will be honored by the Georgia Museum of Art during their Black History Month dinner on February 20th. She will receive the Lillian C. Lynch Citation for preservation of the history of African American life and culture in the state of Georgia. Congratulations, Jeanne!
Upcoming Events
February 8, 2014 - Decatur Old House Fair - Decatur A day of new ideas, practical advice, innovative materials and quality services for homeowners. HPD is again a co-presenter of this event. Details are available here. February 8 - The Past, Present, and Future of the Bennett Grove School - Bulloch County Jeanne Cyriaque is the guest speaker at The Past, Present, and Future of the Bennett Grove School, a program of lectures and site visits to the last one-room African American schoolhouse in Bulloch County. Faculty from Georgia Southern University, in partnership with the Willow Hill Heritage Center in Portal, are hosting morning lectures at the GSU College of Education auditorium from 9:00 until 11:15 following the Bennett Grove exhibit unveiling at the Willow Hill School. The program is free and open to the public. February 19, 2014 - Rosenwald School lecture - Cobb County Jeanne Cyriaque will lecture on Rosenwald Schools at the Switzer Library in Cobb County at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19th. The lecture series is sponsored by the Cobb County Public Library System and is free and open to the public. For more information, see www.cobbcat.org. February 28, 2014 - Georgia National Register Review Board meeting - Atlanta Details are available here. RSVP to National Register & Survey Specialist Lynn Speno if interested in attending - lynn.speno@dnr.state.ga.us or 404-651-5911. March 24-26, 2014 - Section 106: Agreement Documents seminar - Atlanta This advanced seminar focuses on memoranda of agreement and programmatic agreements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Learn how to survive and thrive during the agreement process through careful analysis, clear writing, and good negotiation. Review the available tools, guidelines, alternatives--and nonalternatives--to reach a favorable conclusion to the process. An agenda is available online at www.npi.org. Held by the National Preservation Institute in cooperation with HPD and the Georgia Department of Transportation. March 27-28, 2014 - Identification and Management of Traditional Cultural Places seminar - Atlanta "Traditional cultural places" (TCPs) are important for the roles they play in community cultural traditions, beliefs, and activities. They must be considered in planning under the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, Executive Orders 12898 and 13007, and other authorities. This seminar explores definitions and methods of identifying and managing impacts on TCPs. An agenda is available online at www.npi.org. Held by the National Preservation Institute in cooperation with HPD and the Georgia Department of Transportation. April 11-12, 2014 - 2014 Georgia Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Training - Athens Details and registration information will be posted here as they become available. Registration will open on February 1, 2014.
Available Grants
Historic Preservation Fund grants FFY 2014 Historic Preservation Fund grant applications are now available. Applications must be postmarked by February 3, 2014. Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board Grant The Watson-Brown Foundation supports historic preservation in part through its Junior Board of Trustees, which awards $33,000 in grants annually to worthwhile historic preservation/restoration projects in Northeast Georgia. Applications are due by February 28, 2014. Details are available here.
Answers to National Register Review Board "teaser" questions (with proposed National Register nomination in parenthesis): 1. Cartersville (Cartersville Downtown Historic District, Bartow County). 2. Lithonia (Lithonia Historic District, DeKalb County). 3. Glennwood Estates (Decatur Heights-Glennwood Estates-Sycamore Street Historic District, DeKalb County). 4. Swift Manufacturing Company (Swift Manufacturing Company, Muscogee County). 5. In 1952, under the "Plan of Improvement" (Lindridge-Martin Manor Historic District, Fulton County ). 6. Ivey & Crook (Ponce de Leon Terrace-Ponce de Leon Heights-Clairmont Estates Historic District, DeKalb County). 7. General Joseph E. Johnston (Johnston's River Line; Union Fortifications at Henderson Mill Road, Cobb County). 8. The neighborhood is now known as Buckhead Forest, which is not the historic name. (Alberta Drive-Mathieson Drive-West Shadowlawn Avenue Historic District, Fulton County).
Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us.
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