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V O L U M E 1 7 N O . 5

1 9 9 4

This

Issue

African Americans and his

toricpreservation

CRM

con

tinues the discussion of cultural

diversity.

p.21

Restoration as an appropriate

treatment for historic p roper

tiesessaysby several historic

preservation specialists con

tribute to the dialogue.

p .26

NPS manages archival and

manuscript collections as part of

the park museum collections

the care and use of these

archives are described.

p.33

Historical Research in the

National ParkService.

See Supplement

The National

Center for

Preservation Technology and

Training.

See insert

Cultural Resources Management

Information for

Park s, Federal Agencies,

India n Tribes, States, Local

Governments and the

Private Sector

U.S.Department of the Interior

National Park Service

Cultural Resources

The Roving Nat ional

HistoricLandmark

]eremiah O Brien

A Successful Public-Private

Par tnersh ip

Commemorating the 50th

Anniversary of D-Day

Kevin J . Foster

A

crew of veteran seamen, al l National Park Service volun

teers, sai led th e 441-foot-long, Nat iona l His to r ic Landmark

World War II l iber ty ship JeremiahO Brien across the

At lan t ic to the shores of Norm and y .

O Brien

is the only

U.S. ship that took part in the D-Day landings on June 6,

1944, to make the tr ip back

to the invasion beach es for

the commemora t ive ac t iv i

ties held June 5-7 this year.

Two o ther ve te ran merchan t

ships, the victory ship Lane

Victory from Los Angeles

and the l iberty ship

John

Brown from Balt imore pre

pared for the voyage but

were unab le to make the

journey across the Atlantic .

(Fostercontinued onpage3 )

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V O L U M E 1 7 N O . 5

I SSN 1 0 6 8 - 4 9 9 9

P u b l i s h e d b y t h e N a t i o n a l

P a r k S e r v i c e t o p r o m o t e

a n d m a i n t a i n h i g h

s t a n d a r d s fo r p r e s e r v i n g

a n d m a n a g i n g c u l t u r a l

r e s o u r c e s .

Director

R o g e r G . K e n n e d y

Associate Director

J e r r y L . R o g e r s

Editor

R o n a l d M . G r e e n b e r g

Production Manager

K a r l o t a M . K o e s t e r

Advisors

David Andrews

Editor, NPS

Joan Bacharach

Museum Registrar , NPS

Randall J. Biallas

Historical Architect, NPS

John A. Burns

Architect, NPS

Harry A.Butowsky

Historian, NPS

Pratt Cassi ty

Executive Director,

National Alliance of

Pre s e rvat ion Com m is s ions

Muriel Crespi

Cul tura l A nthropologi s t , N PS

Craig W. Davis

Archeologist , NPS

Mark R . Edwards

Deputy Sta te Historic

Preservation Officer,

Ma ryla nd

BruceW. Fry

Chief of Research Publications

National Historic Sites

Canadian Parks Service

John Hnedak

Architectural I lis torian, NPS

H. Ward Jandl

Architectural Historian, NPS

Roger E. Kelly

Archeologist , NPS

Antoinette J . Lee

Historian, NPS

John Popp el i ers

International Liaison Officer

for Cultural Resources, NPS

Brit Allan Storey

Historian, Bureau of Reclamation

Federal Preservation Forum

Contributing Editors

Stephen A. Morris

Certif ied Local Govern ments (CLG)

Coordina tor , N PS

Consultants

MichaelG. Schene

Historian, NPS

Kay D. Weeks

TechnicalWriter-Editor, NPS

Features

The Roving National HistoricLandmarkJeremiah

O Brien

1

Kevin J. Foster

The Old W hee l ing Custom Hou se 5

Modern Structural Analysis Meets Historic Needs

Ed

Winan t

Preservation Partners W orking Tog ether for a N ew Library 8

Sandy Moore

Preserv ing Our Nuclea r History: A Hot Topic 10

Frederic J. A thearn

NP S Them e Study in American Labor History 12

Robin F. Bachin and James R. Grossman

Architectural Salvage: Historical Tradition or Chrono logical Confu sion? 14

Carol Rosier

Cultural Resource Man agement: Und erstandin g Diverse Perspectives 17

Kathy Kiefer

The Advantages ofVolunteer-Assisted Research 19

Char lene James-Duguid

Historic Preservation and the African American Com mun ity 21

A Measure of Commitment to Cultural Diversity

Patricia Wilson

Are W e Losing Authen ticity to Recover Appearances? 26

Viewpoint Col loquy

Kay Weeks

Archival and Ma nuscript Ma terials at the NP S 33

Diane Vogt-O 'Connor

Park History Adv isory Com mittee 36

Barry Mackintosh

The National Maritime All iance 36

Kevin

J

Foster

Departments

Preservation Resources 38

V i e w p oi n t 40

Tribal N ew s 40

Bu lletin Board 41

Information Ma nagem ent 42

Special

ReportTelecommunications

Networks and In te rne t in the NPS

Supplement

Historical Research in the National Park Service

Insert

The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

C o v e r ph o t o s :Jeremiah O Brien on the San Franci sco Bay. Photo by John W. Borden . Inset : Volu nteers performing

res torat ion work . N at ional Park Serv ice ph oto by R ichard Frear .

Statements of fact and views are the responsibil i ty of the authors and do not necessari ly reflect an opinion or

endorsement on the part of the editors, the CR M advisors and consultants, or the National Park Service. Send art icles,

news i t ems , and correspondence to the Editor ,CRM (400), U.S. Dep artmen t of the Interior, National Park Service,

Cultural Resources, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC 20013-7127; (202-343-3395).

1994 No. 5

Contents

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Jeremiah

O'Brien

(continued from page1)

The survival ofJeremiah O'Brien is a remarkable

ach ieve men t by a par tnersh ip o f govern men t agencies

and a ded ica ted g roup o fV olunteers - In-Parks . The sh ip

w as bui lt in 1943, one of m ore t ha n 2,700 liberty shi ps of

the sam e design, and m ade n ine voyages car ry ing t roop s

and war mater ia l to Europe and 11roun d t r ips be tw een

the Normandy beachhead and the Uni ted Kingdom.

Moth-balled in February 1946,O'Brien was preserved in

the Suisun Bay National Defense Reserve Fleet near

Benicia, CA.

Fol lowing O'Brien's l ist ing in the National Register of

Historic Places in 1978, a gro up of vetera n l iberty ship

sailors formed the National Liberty Ship Memorial , Inc. ,

and began efforts to save what was by then the last sur

viving unmodif ied l iberty ship. In 1980, Jeremiah O'Brien

t raveled to Pier 3 , at Fort Mason, San Francisco, her home

ber th as an opera t iona l memor ia l .

The sh ip i s opera ted as a par tnersh ip be tween two fed

eral agencies and the Memorial . O'Brien is owned by the

M ar i t ime A dmin is t ra t ion and i s on long- te rm char te r to

the National Park Service. NPS in turn has formed a

coopera t ive agreement wi th the Memor ia l which a l lows

occasional steaming within San Francisco Bay and pro

vides other services to protect and interpret the ship. The

Mem or ia l prov ides the bu lk o f the work invo lved in

admin is t ra t ion , res to ra t ion , preserva t ion , and presen ta

t ion of this histor ic ship to the p ublic.

O'Brien i s preserved as a merchan t mar ine memor ia l

and o pera ted as a mu seu m sh ip . She has prov ed to be in

the best shape of the surviving World War II emergency

fleet , par t ly because of the unique public-pr ivate partner

sh ip tha t main ta ins and d isplays her . On January 14 ,

1986, Secretary of the Inter ior D onald P.Hodel recog

nized the careful restoration work and thousands of

hou rs of vo lun teer labor wh en he proc la imed O'Briena

Nat iona l His to r ic Landmark .

National Park Service Liberty Ship

G o e s to Drydock at San Francisco

The last American Liberty Ship from W orld W ar II,

th eSSJeremiahO Brien, in drydock for restoration and

painting before being placed on public display at Fort

Mason in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The ship is a mon ument to the two million men and

women who built and sailed 2,751 of them during the

dark day s of World War II when they supplied an

embattled free world. The 441-foot freighter is part of

the historic fleet of the National M aritime M useum of

the National Park Service. Photo by Richard Frear.

Jeremiah O'Brien

a t Golden Gate Nat ional Recreat ion Area, Nat ion al Park Serv ice . Photo by R ichard Frear .

In 1992, when O'Brien needed hu l l main tenance and

work on the propeller shaft , San Francisco Marit ime

National Histor ic Park provided $400,000 from their mea

ger museum f lee t budget to comple te the work . Congress

has a lso ma de severa l spec ia l app ropr ia t io ns fo r O'Brien

in the last five years.

A cherished dream of

many people invo lved in the

preserva t ion o fJeremiah

O'Brien and the two other

extant World War II cargo

sh ips , was to make a com

memora t ive voyage to

Europe for the 50th anniver

sary of the D-Day landings.

Last year Congress funded

part of the preparation for

the commemora t ive voyage

by transferr ing two old ships

for scrapping to each of the

three histor ic ship preserva

t ion o rgan iza t ions hop ing to

send their ships to

No r m a n d y . T h e p r o c e e d s

f rom the scrapped sh ips pa id

for the repairs needed to

make the t r ip .

(Fostercontinued onpage4 )

1994No . 5 3

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(Foster

continued

from

page

3 )

The Mar i t ime Admin is t ra t ion and the Nat iona l P ark

Service worked together to help make the voyage possi

ble. The charter was modif ied to transfer responsibil i ty

for a safe voyage back to the Marit ime Administrat ion,

T h eO Brien at her hom e berth , Fort Ma son, S an Francisco, CA (1984). Pho to by

Joanie Morgan .

Inset photo by Richard Frear.

while main ta in ing the Park Serv ice wo rkm an ' s comp en

sation protections for theVolunteers-In-Parks crew. The

Liberty Sh ip Memor ia l and severa l o ther g roup s prov id

ed fun ding for the voyag e, a cer tif ied crew, fuel, p ort

and dock charges and other needs to al low the voyage to

be made at no cost to the government.

On June 6, the ship and her sailors were once again

where they were 50 years ear l ier . During the Allied inva

sion which freed Europe from Nazi tyranny,

O'Brien

car

ried 11ship loads of mili tary good s across the English

Channel . Then , as now ,

Jeremiah O'Brien

wa s a su rv ivor

despi te heavy odds .

Jeremiah

O'Brien

part icipated in the colossal interna

t ional memorial commemoration held on June 6, with

representatives of most of the Allied nations part icipat

ing. The veteran l iberty ship joined ship s of the other

Allied nations in a naval review at Southampton,

England before leaving on June 5 for the Normandy

beachhead. On June 6, the f leet took part in commemora

t ions at Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beach and on June 7,

O'Brien

demonstrated ship to shore transfer of a vintage

cargo using landing craf t and amphibious trucks (called

DUKWs) .

The National Park Service sent two representatives to

part icipate in port ions of the voyage. Marit ime Historian

Kevin Foster repre sented the Service on board

O'Brien

for

the D-Day commemorative activit ies. San Francisco

Mar i t ime NH P In te rpre t ive Ranger Ju l ie A r l inghaus

arr ived later to provide histor ical and French language

interpretation during ship visi ts to Cherbourg, Rouen,

and Le Ha vre, France.

The part icipation of this histor ic ship and her veteran

crew is among the

most remarkab le

events of this

t r e m e n d o u s c o m

mem ora t ion , bu t i t

wil l not be th e only

one .

Tens of thou

sands of veterans

visi ted France dur

ing the month,

including one

group o f para

troops who recreat

ed the historic

parachu te land ing

that they made 50

years ago. The

heads of state of at

least eight of the

Wor ld War

II

Allied nations,

inc lud ing Pres iden t

Bill Clinton, partici

pa ted in the com

memora t ive ac t iv i

t ies aboard the

wars h ip s of as

many na t ions .

Pride of place went

to

O'Brien

as the

only merchant ship

amidst this mighty

naval a rmada .

The National

Liberty Ship

Memor ia l p lans to

return the ship to

the United States

this winter . The

Nat iona l Park

Service is proud to

h a v e h e lpe d t o su p

por t the vo lun teers

of

Jeremiah O'Brien

in preserv ing th is rema rkab le sh ip

and making this histor ic voyage.

Kevin

J.

Foster is Maritime Historian of the Nationa l Park

Service.

For additional reading on the commemoration of

the 50th anniversary of WWII, see

CRM ,

V ol. 14, No.

8 and V ol. 15, No . 8

1994N o .

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(Winantcontinued

from

page

5 )

supported by the brick. Although considered f ireproof at

the t ime, these features proved ineffective when a similar ly

const ruc ted custom house in Chicago burned down in the

grea tfireof 1871.

The framework of the Wheel ing Custom Hou se consis t s

of a combination of rolled wrought iron beams and girders

sup po r ted by cas t i ron co lumns. Box g i rders run nor th -

sou th , suppor ted by the co lumns, and eas t -west I -beams

rest on the girders. The ends of the girders and beams are

set into the exter ior load-bearing walls. Columns and addi

t iona l decora t ive cas t ing were p roduc ed in Wheel ing ,

while the wrought iron sections were brought in from

Trenton, NJ.

Roll ing wrought iron was a new technology for the t ime,

and w hi le the box g i rders , comp osed of two pla tes an d

tw oU-channels r iveted together , w ere easy to roll , the I-

beams were more diff icult . Forging and roll ing caused

variances in the mater ial propert ies of the wrought iron.

Foun dry p rob lem s in ro l ling theI-sections resulted in

wrought iron specimens of variable quali ty , most of i t very

poor .

Of cri t ical imp ortanc e to the project 's f inite elem ent

ana lysis were de ta i led eng ineer ing d r aw ings o f the bu i ld

ing showing the location of the structural members.

Arch i tec tu ra l p lans of the Cus tom Ho use , bo th o r ig ina l

d raw ings an d renovat ion p lans , s ty l ized the p lacement o f

the I-beams and, therefore, were not usable for creating a

computer model , which requ i res prec ise measurements . In

addit ion, the two sets of plans differed as to the placement

of some I-beams.

A comp uter m odel i s on ly as accura te as the inpu t da ta ,

so it was necessary to produce new eng ineer ing p lans of

the Custom House, consist ing of a front elevation, a side

elevation, and floor plans for the three stories. A field team

trave led to Wh eel ing to acqu i re the needed me asurem ents .

The h igh ly de ta i led d rawings emphasize the p lacement o f

the structural system.

The results of tradit ional , histor ical , and documentary

research were combined wi th in fo rmat ion ga thered by two

modern methods: non-dest ruc t ive tes t ing and CAD pho-

togram metry . Non-dest ruc t ive tes ts , us ing u l t ras ound ,

were c r i t ica l in de te rm in ing the prop er t ies of the w roug ht

iron. With the assistance of theWVU Department of Civil

Engineering, we performed several f ield and laboratory

tests to determine the propert ies of the structural iron

work .

An u l t rason ic "b lack box ," be ing deve loped byWVU's

Civ i l Eng ineer ing D epa r tment , i s a bu lky con t rap t ion con

taining a pulse generator and signal receiver . A pulse of

u l t rasound i s sen t be tw een tw o sensors he ld on the beam

in question, and the wave velocity is then measured,

a l lowing mater ia l p rope r t ies to be ca lcu la ted . The mater ia l

propert ies for iron are highly variable, so actual readings

are impor tan t in o rder to prepare accura te computer mod

els of the building. An oscil loscope was used to display the

read ings , bu t p lans a re und erw ay to min ia tu r ize the en t i re

tes t ing app ara tus in to one hand-he ld ins t rumen t . To ca l i

brate the results of the ultrason ics, we also did destru ctive

tests on sections of beams removed during the renovation

in the 1960s.

In some cases , we b lended t rad i t iona l and m ode rn tech

nique s to solve specific prob lem s. One difficulty in obtain

ing data for producing the plans was to locate the I-beams

on the second and third f loors. The basement has a drop

ceil ing, which allow ed u s to place each bea m from the f irs

f loor with a measurement to the bottom flange. We were

not so lucky with the other two f loors, both of which are

encased in a more perm anen t p las te r ing . In keeping wi th

the non-destructive nature of our project we decided to

locate the iron beams with a metal detector . This worked

quite well; tests on the first floor for calibration showed

that we could locate the iron beam s and differentiate from

other metal conduits in the f loor . We then carr ied the tests

to the remaining f loors, marking the beam locations with

mask ing tape and m easur ing them in re la t ion to the ou t

s ide wal ls wi th a tape meas ure .

After completing the structural work, we decided to

u n d e r t a k e aHABS-level documenta t ion o f the Custom

House exter ior . This phase of the project , which is now

und erw ay , g re w ou t o f the desi re to expa nd ex is t ing eng i

neer ing d rawings wi th add i t iona l measurements , thus

making use of the f ield work we had already accom

plished. We contracted with the National Park Service

HABS/HAER off ice to document the outside facades of

th e Cu s to m Ho u se , u s in g it s n e w CA D ph o to g r a m m e t r y

system . This effort rep resen ts one in a ser ies of coo pera tiv

pro jec ts which the Ins t i tu te and HABS/HAER have

entered into over the past four years.

The s tudy of the Wheel ing Cus tom H ouse has requ i red

severa l innovat ive techn iques in cu l tu ra l resource m anage

ment. The structural analysis in turn has already proven

quite helpful in plott ing the modern uses of the building.

For example, the theater section originally planned for the

second f loor has been relegated to the basement due to th

discovery of structural l imitat ions of the f loor systems. Th

project 's current phase gives the hope of f inding addit ion

capac i ty tha t may a l low for more ex pa nded use . We a lso

plan to address the structural safety of a large iron safe on

the second f loor , which dates from the building 's custom

house days .

The Custom House s t ruc tu ra l ana lysis has prov ided

imp or tan t in fo rmat ion abo u t the geometr ic param eters of

the beams and vau l t s . The cur ren t phase i s in tended to

comp lement the in i tia l s t ruc tu ra l work by us ing the ad d i

t ional mater ial propert ies gained from the ultrasonic tests

more detailed computer analysis, and a different way to

look at how the system behaves.

Master ing these new techniques will be invaluable in

handling the structural analysis of any histor ical building

or structure. As the Insti tute takes on other s uch projects,

deve lops a more quan t i ta t ive knowle dge o f the m ater ia l

propert ies of cast and wrought iron, as well as other obso

lete build ing m ater ials. Since these mate r ials fel l out of

common use before modern mater ials science f lourished

aro und the turn of the century, this is an une xp lored f ield

of research. The techniques perfected on the Wheeling

Custom House can be used on all types of iron construc

t ion, and the ultrasonic test ing can be helpful with the

analysis of other mater ials, such as t imber. The Custom

House project is but one example of the valuable informa

tion that a multidisciplinary study can yield.

Ed Winant is an engineer with the Institute for the History of

Technology and Industrial Archaeology, West Virginia

University, M organtown, WV.

1994 No . 5

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The Institute

No event had a greater impact on the lives of ordinary

Americans than the Industrial Revolution of the 19th cen

tury. Today, the physical traces of this Revolution mark

the American landscape in cities, towns, and rural areas

across the country. From grist mills to coal mines, covered

bridges to railroad d ep ots, iron furnaces to factories,

industrial structures constitute a vast cultural resource.

They provide a vital link with our industrial past while

often con tinuing to perform a useful role in the economy.

It is the mission ofWest

Virginia Un iversity's

Institute for the History of

Technology and Industrial

Archaeologyto study, pre

serve, and interpret these

icons of our ind ustrial her

itage. Founded in 1989, the

Institute functions as an acade

mic institution and also pro

vides consulting servicesin

historical documentation and

preservation to public and pri

vate agencies. Clients have

included the U. S. Army Corps

of Engineers, the Allegany

County (Maryland)

Dep artment of Public Works,

and R. Goodw yn & Associates.

An ongoing relationship with

the National Park Service

involves the Institute in a vari

ety of HAB S/HAER recording

and documentation projects.

The Institute takes an inter

disciplinary approach to the

study a nd p reservation of

industrial artifacts and struc

tures. The staff of structural

engineers, historians, delin

eators, landscape specialists,

architects, and multi-media

experts work together on pro

jects such as the W heeling

Custom House Structural

Analysis, described here.

Institute projects have includ

ed National Register nomina

tions, mitigation studies,

preservation plans, academic studies, HABS/HAER

reports, and full-scale restoration projects. Industrial

archeology is an important focus; Institute teams work to

locate, record, and interpret industrial ruins such as aban

don ed iron furnaces, coal mines, and m ills.

Integral to the Institute's mission is to broaden the

unde rstand ing of American history by studying and

inter

Field School s tudent s l earn t echniques in h i s tor i cal research , measured

drawings , l arge format photography , and surveying . Photo by Lee R .

Maddex for the Ins t i tu te .

preting artifacts in their industrial context. For example,

covered bridg es, far from being quaint relics of a simp ler,

agriculturally-based era, represent a transitional period

when transpo rtation networks expanded to link the

emerging markets of a growing national economy. The

Institute's West Virginia Covered Bridges Restoration

Plan, created for the West Virginia De pa rtmen t of

Highways, keeps this context in mind. The Institute also

carried out the restoration of West Virginia's historic

Phillippicovered bridge, a nd

produced a video documen

tary on West Virginia covered

bridges for W est Virginia

public television.

With its biannual Sum mer

Industrial Archaeology Field

School, the Institute is train

ing the next g eneration of

industrial archeologists.

Students in this intensive,

graduate-level six-week

course learn techniques in

historical research, measured

drawings, large format p ho

tography, and surveying.

This summ er the Field School

willbe held from July 5 to

Aug ust 12 in the

Morgantown, West Virginia

area.

Institute publications

include a semi-annual

newsletter, technical reports,

guidebooks, and mono

graphs. Recent technical

reports include "Makin' H ole,

Pumpin 'Oil," an oral history

of the early oil and gas indu s

try, and "Northern W est

Virginia Coal Fields: A

Historical Context."

Upcoming publications

include the monograph

"Cement Mills Along the

Potomac River" and

"Industrial Fairmont (West

Virginia): A Historical

Guidebook."

To learn mo re about the Institute, or to receive any of its

publications, call the Institute's Communications

Department at 304-293-3615.

DeborahR. Weiner

Institute for the History of Technology

and Industrial Archaeology

1994 No. 5

7

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Preservat ion

Par tners Working

Togetherfor a N ew

Library

S a n d y M o o r e

I

n many rural areas of the United States, l ibrar ies

are a major pa r t of the com mun i ty . In Winnsb oro ,

LA, the library has become a major factor, not

only in the rural areas, but in the histor ic down

town distr ict as well . The Franklin Parish Library

had been housed in a 5,000-square-foot building for

years with no space lef t for expansion and hardly any

park ing .

In 1988, W innsb oro beca me one of only seven Main

Street towns in Louisiana. These towns received grant

funds from the National Trust for Histor ic Preservation.

The loca l c i ty governm ents m atched these g ran ts and

set up the Main Street programs to help revital ize their

decay ing dow ntow n areas . As wi th a l l Main St ree t

comm uni t ies , a His to r ic Dis t ric t Com mission was

formed , meet ings began , and ideas were tossed a roun d

as to wha t could b e don e to br ing l ife back to the old

downtown distr ict . In one of these meetings the possi

b i li ty o f a l ib rary dow nto wn wa s ment ioned bu t never

fully pursued.

Meanwhile, the Franklin Parish Library Board decid

ed that the l ibrary had to have more space and more

parking. They focused on the idea of purchasing land

on the edge o f town and bu i ld ing a new l ib rary , dou

bling the size of their existing facility. Knowing the

importance of enlarging the l ibrary, par ish residents

passed a tax millage for the expansion.

The downtown distr ict was really beginning to take

on a new look with numerous facade renovations, and

new businesses occupying many of the long vacant

buildings. In 1991, af ter talking with Winnsboro Mayor

Billy Cobb and Barbara Bacot of the Historic

Preservation Office in Baton Rouge, Jack Ha mm ons ,

wh o serves on the commission , and I app roached the

Historic Distr ict Commission about putt ing the l ibrary

in a vacant building downtown. One of these buildings

was the Walters Building, a two-story, former depart

ment store, c. 1915, featuring a brick cornice and archi

trave. The solid maso nry bu ilding consisted of a f irst

level, second level, and mezzanine for a total of 15,432

square feet. The interior had concrete flooring and

p l a s

ter walls.

Our f irst step was to commission architect and pro

fessor Lestar Martin of Louisiana Tech University to do

a feasibil i ty study and a preliminary layout as a basis

for further planning. We paid for these services from

consultant fees in our Main Street budget. Louisiana

Power and Light came to our assistance by conducting

an energy survey on the building.

Every aspect of the project seemed feasible, but the

quest ion a rose as to whether there wou ld be e nough

money with the millage to purchase the building and

complete this major renovation project . Fortunately,

Mayor C obb was s i t t ing in on the commission meet ing

and suggested that maybe the Town of Winnsboro

could purchase the building and lease i t to the l ibrary

for a nomin al fee. It wa s pu t on the age nda for the ne xt

Town Counci l meet ing and passed by unan imous sup

port by the council members.

With al l this information and the sketches in hand,

the Main Street Board presented the Franklin Parish

Police Jury and the library board with "an offer they

couldn ' t refuse," or so we hoped. Their response was so

enthusiastic that theyapplied for over $200,000 in grant

funds to enable them to renov ate both f loors of the

build ing an d alm ost tr iple the size of the old l ibrary. Joe

Landrum, public l ibrary consultant with the State

The future Franklin Parish Public Library as i t looked in the 1930s. Photo cour

t esy Winnsboro Main St reet program.

The Wal ters Bui ld ing before rehabi l i t a t ion . P hoto cour tesy Winnsboro Main

St reet program.

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Library, acted as a liaison for Tom Jaques, State

Librarian, and worked closely with Mrs. Betty B.

Jackson, then head Winnsboro librarian, in applying for

the grant funding. Funds from The Library Services and

Construction Act, Title 2, were awarded to the parish

and matched by the monies raised by the millage. The

project was underway.

Architect William Mattison, AIA, of Monroe, LA, was

hired by the library board to design the "new" Franklin

Parish Library. He worked closely with the Winnsboro

Historic Distr ict Commission and Historic Preservation

staff member in Baton Rouge, Barbara Bacot, to satisfy

not only all the needs of the library, but also the

requirements of the Secretary of the Interior 's

Standards for Historic Rehabilitation. The construction

contract wa s awa rde d to Joe Bailey Construc tion of

Monroe, and construction began in July of 1993.

According to now head l ibrar ian Paul Ardoin , the

cons truct ion in the bui ld in g pro vided a few surpr ises .

"After demolition began, we found that the two-story

bui ld ing would need addi t ional s teel to suppor t the

weight of the second floor book collection. Termites

were also found in between the two floors. While most

wood was sti l l in good shape, additional s teel was

placed to support not only the second floor, but also the

ins ide br ick arch ways .

"While new libraries face the task of designing build

ings which follow the guidelines of the Americans with

Disabili t ies Act, building 'new' l ibraries in 'old ' build

ings takes special care. We were lucky to have what

amounted to a rectangle downstai rs which made i t

open and easy to build. We did have the task of work

ing with 21 supporting poles. All poles blend into the

natural be auty , wi th the except ion of one. One pole

end ed up r ight in the center of our ups ta i rs p ro gram

room. We just try not to put any chairs behind the pole.

"We wanted to keep the look of the Walters building,

while s ti l l making it easy to f ind the elevator and the

interior s tairway. I think that has been done. Brick and

mo rtar we re left on the walls . I am p rou d that inside w e

have no painted brick. Sheetrock has been used to cre

ate work areas, s tairwells , offices, the kitchen, and the

program room ups ta i rs . The sheetrock has been pain ted

with a texture and color that blends with the mortar.

Colors for the ti le and carpet inside were an easy selec

tion. We had brick inside and wood book shelving soon

to be moved in, which made the selection of l ight grey

and dark grey very s imple ."

Architect Bill Mattison said, "If I ever do ano ther his

toric building, I 'm not going to assume that there are

any parallel or perpendicular l ines. The walls and ceil

ings in the Walters bui ld ing rare ly were uniform wh en

lining up for fixtures or tile."

The cons truction on the bui ld ing wa s completed in

February of this year and the library has moved in.

What effect has this project had on the town and its res

idents? Town Counci lman and Merchant Associa t ion

President Jack Hammons states , "First , I 'm just excited

about saving such a wonderful o ld bui ld ing. It makes

you happy that this building is now Franklin Parish

Library because it means families (children) are once

again par t of the downtown scene. Happy chi ldren ,

eager to learn, seem to erase the memory of past frus

t ra t ions and hard work."

Mayor Billy Cobb, so instrumental in making this

idea a reality sums it up so well: "Of all the building

renovations and restorations in our Main Street

Program, located in the Historic Preservation Distr ict of

our com mu nity , the convers ion of the Walters bu i ld ing

has had the mos t s ignif icant impact in our downtown

efforts. This has been achieved through joint efforts of

local, s tate, federal, and public funds. The Town of

Win nsboro is very prou d and p leased to have been a

part of the success of the new Franklin Parish Library

facili t ies . I t truly represents the cornerstone and rebirth

of our dow nto wn dis t ric t ."

This once vacant, oversized building that only

echoed the sounds of the wind through broken win

dows is now filled with knowledge, the soft sounds of

children's activities , and the rustle of pages turning.

What wonders we can achieve when par tners work

together.

Sandy Moore is the Main Street Manager, Town of

Winnsboro, LA.

The new Frankl in Par i sh Publ ic Library which opened in March 1994 . Photo

cour tesy Winnsboro Main St reet program.

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Preserving Our

Nuclear History

A Hot Topic

Frederic J . Athearn

A

s the Cold W ar wind s to an end, the

nuclear industry has retracted on all

f ronts . Not only have the bomb p lan ts

shut down, but so too have the many

thousands of uranium mines in the wes t

ern United States .

The nuclear industry dates back to at least1896 w hen

it was discovered that a s trange ore called "carnotite"

was radioactive. With Marie Curie 's discovery of the

source of radia t ion , a new indus try was born . The

demand for radium soared . Pr ices approached $175,000

pe r ounc e of the mate rial. I t wa s used for both scientif ic

and medical purposes . Some bel ieved that radium

could cure anydiseasefrom cancer to warts .

Most of the wo r ld ' s radiu m cam e from wes tern

Colorado at that t ime. Areas like Slick Rock, Paradox

Valley, and Long Park had mines and, later , mills to

refine the c arnotite. The Joe Jr. Mill , built a long the San

Miguel River, a t mo dern -day Uravan , was one of the

larges t radium pro

ducers . Mining camps

dot ted the rugged

mesas of Colorado.

Places like Calamity

C a m p , M o n o g r a m

Mesa, Slick Rock,

Out law Mesa, and

numerous o the r s

hous ed h und reds of

miners .

In the

1920s,

rich

depo s i ts of p i tch

blende were d iscov

ered in the Belgian

Congo. Radium pr ices

dropped and carnot i te

mining in wes tern

Colorado s lowed to a

s top .

The indus try ,

however , survived by

extract ing vanadium

from carnotite. This

material is used to

harden steel. In the

mid-1930s, there was

a revival of vanadium production. The Joe Jr . mill was

refurbished and the comp any tow n of Urava n arose .

Vanadium Corporation of America (VCA) built a mill

near Natur i ta , CO, whi le Gateway Alloys cons tructed a

facili ty at Gatew ay, C O.

World War II p rovid ed great dem and for va nad ium .

As the mines and mil ls of wes tern Co lorado p oure d out

this alloy, the U.S. Arm y sent secret team s into the

The co okho use/d in ing area of the Calami ty Ca mp re pre sen t s cont inua l use f rom 1916 in to the 1950s .

Thi s s i t e i s being s t ab i l i zed and in terpreted . BLM archival photo by the author (1993).

region to s tudy the waste piles for their uranium poten

t ia l . The M anhat tan Project , as a tomic bo mb developm en

was dubb ed, found that the was te p i les could be

reprocessed for uranium. That was vital to the bomb

effort.

In 1943 p lants we re bui lt a t Dura ngo, and Uravan, CO

to reprocess tailings. The "yellowcake" that came from

the mills eventually went to Oak Ridge, TN. After enrich

men t , the uran ium was sent to Los Alam os , NM, and

used for the fi rs t a tomic bom bs . The two bom bs drop pe d

on Japan contained Colorado uranium, thus making

wes tern Colorado ' s contr ibut ion to the dawning of the

nuclear age quite s ignificant.

After World W ar II en ded , the Cold W ar began. T he

federal governm ent guara nteed to buy a l l the ura niu m

output in thenationpurchases that were cons idered

vital for national security. The newly created Atomic

Energy Commiss ion (AEC) oversaw ore buying. Output

on the Colorado P lateau boomed. Exis t ing mines operat

ed at full capacity as did the mills . Large operators l ike

Climax

U ran ium Com pany , U n ion Carb ide , and V CA

signed contracts wi th the government to produce mil

lions of pounds of yellowcake.

With stable prices and large bonuses, the last great

mining boom of the 20th century began. Thou sand s of

would-be miners rushed in to wes tern Colorado and eas

ern Utah arm ed with geiger counters , ten ts and jeeps .

Hoping to s tr ike it r ich like prospector Charlie Steen had

in Utah, they combed the Colorado Plateau looking for

outcrops of carnotite.

Hyped by the

nat ional media , ura

n ium miner s pou red

into an area that wa

tota l ly unprepared

for them. This was a

very isolated land

with few roads, and

no ameni t ies . M iner

lived in camps, or a

isolated mines. Ther

were no schools , no

stores, no post

offices, no gasoline

s ta t ions , no wate r , n

sewers , no te le

ph ones , no e lectr ic i

ty; in fact, no signs o

civilization.

Prospectors and

their families lived i

tar paper shacks ,

trailers , tents , log

cabins , and even

caves. This was in th

early 1950s Conditions must have been like the great

Klondike rush or perhaps the mining rushes of the 1870s

except this t ime the miners had cars .

The "boom" lasted until 1958 when the AEC stopped

buying uranium. Mining and mil l ing d id cont inue, and

production and prices both increased well into the 1980s

Commercial reactors used large quantities of uranium.

Most of the market was oriented to these users . Howeve

foreign supplies (such as Canada) and the lack of new

1

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This his tor ic uranium mi l l a t Uravan, CO, wi l l be demol ished because of contamina t ion. BLM

archiva l photo by the author .

nuclea r facili ties contributed to the dem ise of

the uranium indus try in wes tern Colorado.

The big mill at Uravan shut down in 1985, and

the mines were closed by 1990.

Wha t is left beh ind no w is the rema ins of a

100-year-old industry. There are mines, equip

ment , ad i ts , was te p i les , mil ls , and camp s i tes

all over the Colorado Plateau. These are the

remains of the three phases of carnotite min

ing: r ad ium, vanad iu m and u ran ium .

The problem lies in the fact that most, if not

all,

of these s ites are being "remediated." That

is ,

they are being removed and the area

cleaned up. There are several reasons for this .

In some cases the mining com panies are und er

cour t order to reduce or e l iminate radioact ive

pollution. The mill at Uravan, for example,

will be totally torn down, chopped into small

pieces, and buried under 40' of dirt and 10' of

rock. The buria l pit is desig ned for a1,000-

year l ife and has a sophisticated drainage sys

tem that prevents run-off into s treams and

r ivers . The com pa ny also has a large bond

they would like to recover. Fortunately, the

original 1916w ooden bo ard inghou s e i s no t

contaminated and will be saved. The local historical

socie ty prop oses to make a mu seu m from th is h is toric

s t ructure .

Anoth er reason for demoli t ion is bond ing. Most m in

ing companies were required to pos t bonds pr ior to ,

and dur ing , their operat ions . The purpose was to

assure that c lean-up would occur upon abandonment .

Natural ly , the companies want to get their bond money

back. To do so, they will clean up a s ite to federal go v

ernment specifications. In the case of Bureau of Land

Ma nag em ent (BLM) lands , the BLM provide s the

requ irem ents . In the case of AEC lands , the De par tm ent

of Energy d ic ta tes the s tan dards . The p roblem is that

the agencies want the s i tes c leaned up and the compa

nies want their money back.

In 1987 an o ld radium cam p cal led Calamity Ca mp

was " rediscove red" by the Grand Junct ion , CO, BLM

Resource A rea arch eologist. D ating from 1916, i t is one

of the oldest such sites in the region. I t was recorded,

ma pp ed, and archival ly ph otog rap hed in 1988. From

that project, i t was realized that there were hundreds of

sites in the region that were about to be destroyed by

remova l .

That precipitated a recordation project lasting to the

present. The BLM Districts in Grand Junction and

Mo ntrose , CO, are under tak ing a sys temat ic surve y of

ura ni um mining areas . As pa r t of th is p rocess , archival

(medium format) photographs were made of these

sites . Everything from the huge Uravan Mill to small

mines in M es a County w ere pho tog raphe d . Co lo rado

State si te forms are f il led out , and m ap s /d ra wi ng s are

completed . As remediat ion has speeded up , so too has

the recordation effort .

BLM has recorded sites ranging from the 1916 radi

um camp to 1970s uranium mines complete wi th But ler

bui ld ings . A numbe r of these si tes were d eterm ined e l i

gible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic

Places . Hundreds of photographs have been shot . The

Urav an Mill (priva te land ), alone, took 33 rolls of f i lm.

All the photos are f inished to archival s tandards and are

kept in archival holders . BLM is notif ied by a mining

company prior to demolition so we can get out to a s ite

and record it prior to remediation.

One of the most tangible results of this project was the

creation of a traveling photo exhibit featuring 30 contem

porary photographs descr ib ing the h is tory of the

carnot i te indus try in wes tern Colorado. Opened in

No vem ber 1993, the exhibit has been on the road ac ross

the natio n an d is book ed well into 1995. The exhibit is

available, free, to mus eu m s, schools , l ibraries , etc.,

through the BLM Colorado State Office.

We have found that recordat ion through photography

and mapping is the most cost-effective method of s ite

preservat ion . His tor ic uranium s i tes pose a unique chal

lenge. They are not only radioactive, but they also consti

tute a health and safety hazard. In most cases, they can

not be eas i ly deco ntam inated . Smal ler p ieces of equip

ment might be cleaned up for display, but most of the

bui ld ings , adi ts , and associa ted mining equip me nt m us t

be buried for safety reasons.

This technique can also be used to record for the

archives nuclear s i tes such as reactors , man ufactur ing

plants (such as Hanford, Washington, or Rocky Flats ,

CO), and o ther radioact ive p laces that mus t be dem ol

ished for safety and health reasons. We hope that BLM's

efforts at uranium mining site recordation will serve as

an exam ple for o ther agencies ( i.e. , Dep ar tm ent of E nergy

and U.S. Arm y) to create cost-effective p rog ram s that w il

at least create a record of our nuclear history.

Dr. FredericJ.Athearn is the State Historian and the Cultural

Heritage Program Manager for Colorado. He is the author of

five books and numerous articles on regional history, and creat

ed the traveling exhibit mentioned above. For more informa

tion, you may call Dr. Athearn at 303-239-3735.

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National Park

Service Theme

Study in American

Labor History

Robin F. Bachin

J a me s R . G ros s ma n

I

n cooperat ion with the Nat ional Park Service , the

Newberry Library is under taking a theme s tudy in

American labor history. The purpose of this s tudy is

to generate Nat ional His tor ic Landmark nomina

tions for sites significant to labor history in the

United States . The result of the s tudy will be the nomina

tion of 20 sites for possible designation as National

His tor ic Landm arks by the Nat ional Park Service and the

Depar tment of the In ter ior . Through th is s tudy we hope

to provide a forum for educating the public about the s ig

nificance of labor in shaping American history.

The preservation and interpretation of historic s ites

provides many Americans with their mos t

tangibleand

accessibleencounter with h is tory educat ion . Unl ike

books and c lass rooms, s ites (and m useum s) cons t i tu te a

context in which families learn his

tory together , in which parents

interpret the past to their children,

who in turn f rame ques t ions in

terms of the material readily at hand

at the s ite. Indeed, for many people

it is the fact of an artifact's display

or a s ite 's preservation that consti

tutes a given topic as history. Thus

at the most basic level, a program to

identify labor history sites is essen

tial to increasing public awareness

that labor is central to our national

h is tory . The very preserv at ion of a

mine, kitchen, s lave cabin, or factory

because of i ts association with

w ork ing p eop le s ends a mes s age .

Even more explicit is the legitima

t ion impl ied by the preservat ion

and recognition of a union hall , a

tavern , or a church in which a group

of workers f irs t met to organize, or

the site of a strike.

Unt i l a generat ion a go, Am erican

labor history as a field was closely

tied to the discipline of economics,

or iented toward labor markets ,

unions, collective bargaining, labor

legislation, and other institutional

factors. Yet at no time in ou r history

has a majority of the work force

been organized. Labor h is tor ians

began paying increased a t tent ion to

unorganized workers in the 1960s;

at the same time they began to

search for the voices of workers to complement the more

accessible perspectives of leaders and institutions. A

s imulta neous increase in in terest in general amo ng his to

r ians in women, Afr ican Americans , and voluntary immi

grants f rom around the g lobe had especia l ly profound

implications for labor history because of their dispropor

t ionate representat ion in the work ing c lass .

To learn mo re about pe ople once cons idered h is tor ical

ly "inarticulate" ( if not insignificant) , labor historians

began shifting their focus from the union hall to the

workplace, the community , and subsequent ly the home.

We broadene d o ur defin i tion of wh at cons t i tu ted w ork,

learned how to concep tual ize the re la t ionship b etween

work process and cul ture , and became more aware of the

centrality of the family economy to working-class l ife.

Most recent ly , labor h is tor ians have develop ed increas

ingly sophisticated conceptual tools for integrating race

and gender in to our unders tanding of the nature of

working-class l ife. Recent research also has returned to a

focus on ins t i tu t ional deve lopm ent , wi th h is tor ians feed

ing the insights of "the new social his tory" into a better

unders tanding and broader awareness of organizat ion

and i ts dynamics .

The challenge of this project is to synthesize this extra

ordinary wealth of scholarship in such a way as to s truc

ture a comprehens ive compila t ion and evaluat ion of

s i tes . This chal lenge includes as wel l the com plem entary

process of matching the historical insight provided by

this new scholarship wi th recent developments in mater i

U ni on M i ne r s Ce me t e r y : " M ot he r " Jone s M onume n t ,

Mt.

Ol ive ,

IL .

Photo b y Earl Buskohl, 1968, courtes y the

National Register of Historic Places, NPS.

12 1994 No. 5

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al

culture studies, architectural history, and public histo

ry. Our guiding pr inciple in this regard will emphasize

the role of landmarks in history education: How do si tes

help visi tors and local residents to better appreciate and

understand the role of labor in American history, or the

histor ical experience of work and workers?

W e are contacting state histor ical societies, labor orga

nizations, state preservation off icers, and labor scholars

in order to solici t suggestions for potential si tes. We

would l ike your help in identifying these si tes so that we

may create as broad a base as poss ible in the init ial stages

of the project.

All si tes that reach the f inal nomination stage must

mee t the Na tional P ark Service cr i teria for Na tional

His to ric Landm arks , and a lso demons t ra te na t iona l labor

history signif icance. The N PS cri ter ia state that the si te

must be associated with events or individuals that made

contr ibutions to American history that are of exceptional

national value. In addit ion, the si te or structure must be

representative of the location, design, sett ing, mater ials,

and workmanship at the t ime of histor ical signif icance.

Sites which have been signif icantly al tered, moved, or

inadequately maintained are not el igible for national

landmark s ta tus .

In order to determine national labor history signif i

cance, we are looking for sites that fit the following cate

gories:

1. Work

processessites

which i l lustrate the

changing nature of the work process, such as the

rise of assembly-line production, the mechaniza

t ion of agriculture, and changes in household

labor.

2.

Eventssites

associated with nationally sig

nif icant events in labor history, such as str ikes or

lockouts.

3. Peoplesites affiliated with significant indi

viduals in labor history, such as labor leaders.

4. Leisureestablishmentssites which played a

central role in the recreational and leisure activi

t ies of workers , such as amusem ent p arks o r the

aters.

5. Labor educationsites associated with

work ing-c lass educa t ion .

6 . W orkers ' comm uni t ies .

7. Labor

organizingsites

associated with union

organizing and poli t ical activit ies, such as meeting

places and union halls.

We invite suggestions of sites that fit within each of

these categories. Suggestions should include information

that we could use in the evaluation process, including a

brief descr iptio n of the site and bibliogra phic references.

We w ill use this information as we con sider each si te for

Nat iona l Landmark designa t ion .

For fur ther information, contact Robin F. Bachin an d

James Grossman , Family and Communi ty His to ry

Center , 60 West Walton Street , Chicago,IL60610; 312-

943-9090.

Reprinted from

Perspectives

(May/June 1994), the newslet

ter of the American HistoricalAssociation.

Partnerships and the

Labor National Historic Landmark Them e S tudy

T he

Labor

History National Historic Landmark

Theme Study

represen ts a new approach by the

National Park Service to sustain high quali ty

research while maintaining close adherence to

na t iona l s tandards and gu ide l ines th rough a par t

nersh ip wi th the Newber ry Library . Th is approach

will enable the NPS to produce a theme study that

will illustrate the latest scholarship in the field of

labor history studies with a minimum of cost and

oversight.

Through the implementation of this study, the

NPS aff irms i ts commitment to creating viable part

nerships with workers, labor unions, leaders from

state and local communities, and preservation and

academic h is to ry o rgan iza t ions . W ork ing wi th our

partners we intend to develop strategies to assist

communi t ies wi th the preserva t ion and in te rpre ta

tion of their locally-based but nationally-significant

labor history si tes and resources. The challenges are

great , but rewards result ing from the recognit ion of

the labor history he ri tage si tes in the United States

are worth the effort.

The accomp anying ar t ic le by Dr . Gross man and

M s.

Bachin, reprinted from

Perspectives,

the

newsletter of the American Historical Association,

i l lustrates our comprehensive attempt to tel l the

story of the history of the American worker in i ts

full diversity.

In recent years with new scholarship, histor ians

have come to unders tand tha t whi le en t repreneurs

and industr ial ists provided the ideas and capital

that fueled the American Industr ial Revolution, i t

was American workers of different races, nationali

ties,and religions com ing together wh o created the

modern industr ial state. We intend to tel l this story

and to work wi th ou r par tn ers to see tha t thesignif

icant si tes associated with America 's labor history

are prese rved and in te rpre ted fo r the educa t ion and

enjoyment of the American people.

Dr. Harry A. Butowsky of the History Division of

the Washington Office of the National Park Service

and Dr. Martin

Blatt

from Lowell National

Historical Park, will monitor the implementation of

the Labor Them e Study coopera t ive agreem ent .

Any general questions concerning the Labor Theme

Study should be addressed to Dr. Butowsky,

Natio nal Park Service, History Division (418), P.O.

Bo x37127-Suite 310, Washington, DC 20013-7127;

ph one : 202-343-8155. An y specif ic questio ns con

cerning applicable si tes for study within the context

of the stu dy or specif ic essays to be com plete d as

part of the study should be addressed to the

Ne wbe r ry Library in Chicago .

Harry

A. Butowsky

1994 No .5

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Carol Rosier

The subject of Architectural Study Collections was

introduced in a thematic issueo/CRM in 1993 (Vol.

16, No. 8). In

the

following article, which d raws onher

dissertation,

Carol

Rosier suggests considerations to be

taken into account when historic building materials

are

reused in both old and ne w structures. While such reuse

is outside the bou nds of

an

architectural study collec

tion, itraisessome interesting intellectual andethical

questions and

offers

information on the salvage indus

try in Great Britain today.

W

hilst the salvaging of mater ials is a

phenomenon a lmost as anc ien t as the

tradit ion of buildingitself, architectur

al salvage as a commercial concern is a

more recen t deve lo pm ent . In Br i tain

there has been a well-established trade in architectural

an t iques and second-hand bu i ld ing mater ia ls s ince a t

least the 18th century. The last 20 years, however , have

wi tnessed a massive expansion in bo th the numb er of

outlets and the variety of i tems available. From a mere

handful of dealers in the mid-1970s, Britain alone now

has over 1,000 out

lets offering items

as diverse as gen

u ine Tudor pane l

ing, histor ic br icks

and terracotta

through to 1950s

bathroom fi t t ings.

Salvage is big busi

ness: the combined

turnover of the

dealers is in the

region of 75 mil

lion (in exc ess of

$100 million) a year.

With over 400,000

bui ld ings cur ren t ly

recognised as being

of special architec

tural or h istor ical

interest, the difficul

ty of matching new

material to old is a

frequent problem in

Masonry f rom the 12 th and 13th cen tur ies , re t r i eved f rom Stanway Church , Glouces tersh i re , England ,

dur ing re s torat ion in 1896 , and "p reserve d" in the nor th wal l o f the graveyard . Photo by the au thor .

restoration and repair work; the reuse of features and

materials salvaged from buildings, which for one reason

or another cannot themselves be saved, may offer a

valuable al ternative to the introduction of wholly new

work .

Salvaged features and mater ials are indeed widely

used for this purpose, both by histor ic architects and

other p reserv ation professiona ls in the U.K. as well as a

growing number o f homeowners concerned to res to re

period f i t t ings and detail ing to their propert ies. Without

doubt the existence of the market serves two important

purposesit provides an incentive for i tems to be saved

and reused and i t offers the sympathetic restorer the

oppor tun i ty to acqu i re an appropr ia te replacement fo r a

fea tu re which may have been removed or des t royed .

Gone are the days when histor ic features and mater ials

from b uildin gs abou t to be demol ished we re l ikely to be

la id to rest amongs t the rubb le . How ever , the com mer

cialisation of the trade in i tems not or iginally intended

as portable antiques but as integral elements of the

building with which they were originally associated

does raise questions concerning the implications of their

relocation. By no means all salvaged i tems f ind a "sec

ond l ife" fulf i l l ing the purpose for which they were

in tended .

Some concern centres on the potential for pieces sold

comm erc ia l ly to be reused in inap prop r ia te con tex ts .

Chu rch f i t tings a re one such example ; pu lp i t s in par t icu

lar are much in demand by disc jockeys for night clubs.

In one case, f i t t ings from a number of churches and

chapels of different denominations were combined to

create an ecum enical f lavour to a hotel in Ireland. I t

cou ld be quest ioned w hethe r the reuse of such fea tu res

in a secular context completely at odds with their or igi

nal connotations is entirely sensit ive.

In other instances chronological considerations may

take second place in the quest for ambience. The design

ers of shop pin g arcades , theme p arks , and her i tage s ty le

develo pm ents o f ten look to sa lvaged i tems to end ow a

histor ic f lavour to what are otherwise new-build

schemes.

Par t icu la r ly popu

lar for the refur

b ishment o f pubs ,

w in e b a r s , a n d

res tauran ts a re

sc h e m e s wh ic h

use rec la imed

architectural fea

tu res combin ing

them wi th repl ica

items in an often

ex t remely con

v inc ing manner .

Amer ican d iner

fittings, for exam

ple, are much

sought after in

Britain where they

might be com

bined with pieces

of many different

periods and from

both secular and

14

1994 No.

Architectural

Salvage: H istorical

Tradit ion or

Chronological

Confusion?

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15/44

Sculp ture and garden s ta tuary on disp lay a t T . Crowther & Son, L td. , London. Photo by the author .

ecclesiastical sources, the f inishing touches being

pro

vided

by reproduction fit t ings. While creating the

desired aesthetic identity, often to suit a transient cor

porate image , i t i s a moo t poin t w hether such a "mix

and match" approach may be mis leading not only to

future generations

but to our ow n.

Rather , in employ

ing genuin e i tem s

in the cause of

"repro-nos ta lg ia ,"

we may be edging

ever closer to the

realm of "design

er-history."

A l though many

would argue that

even with the pas

sage of t ime such

schemes will be

easily recognisable

as reflecting a par

ticular design

trend, perhaps a

greater danger

exists in relation to

the introduction of

incorrect period

detail in domestic

contexts. App rehen s ion on th is account is a p ar t icular

consideration in relation to properties in the classical

style because of the importance of proportion. Whilst in

the States the description "Georgian" is relatively spe

cific in its use, in Britain the term is often universally

app l ied to a ll p rope r t ies dat ing f rom

1710

through 1840

ir respect ive of whe ther they migh t be , say , pal ladian or

regency. To the layman owner this can have the effect

of b lur r ing the chronological d is t inct ions between the

s ty l is t ic phases which character ise the per iod , p rompt

ing the mistaken belief that any item described as

"Georgian" is automatically suitable for his building.

As a result , the particular intr icacy or attractiveness of

an ornamental moulding may take precedence over

considerations of s tr ict his torical accuracy. A further

complication can arise in relation to regional differ

ences : what may be appropr ia te for a London or

Phi ladelphia town h ouse of c .1790 may not be per t i

nent for a s imilar s ized provincial house of comparable

date . Thus , through the med ium of sa lvaged features,

the architectural and decorative characteris tics of the

larger cultural centres can begin to erode local s tylis tic

conventions, effectively confusing regional identit ies .

1

With the increase in international trade of which there

is much, particularly between Britain, the States , Japan

and Italy, i t may not only be regional but potentially

national artis tic identit ies which are being blurred. The

expor t of an Engl ish country house, shr ink-wrapped, to

Tennessee or Tokyo may be apocryphal but perhaps

less so than one might wish to imagine.

A further problem exists in relation to the potential

for

overembellishment

as the availability of features

may tempt owners and developers to " res tore" per iod

detail incompatible with the original s tatus of the prop

erty, such as the introduction of ornate chimneypieces

designed for a town house into an artisan terrace.

Equally erroneous are the incorporation of details origi

nally designed for the main reception rooms into the

at t ic and basement s toreys , which were general ly inhab

ited by the family 's servants and consequently very util i

tarian in their

decor. This is a p ar

ticular problem in

relation to the sub

division of larger

town houses for

mul t i p l e occupa

tion, either as apart

ments or offices,

where there is often

a demand for cor

nices and fittings in

al l room s i r respec

tive of historical

accuracy. In many

cases there is an

added i rony which

is that, certainly in

the early d ay s of

such conversions in

Britain, period fea

tures were often

removed in the

nam e of m odern i ty

and present-day owners may be seeking to " res tore"

something grander than what was there in the f i r s t

p lace

It is a point for deb ate w het her the s tylistic confusion

unwit t ingly perpetra ted by today ' s owners wi l l mis lead

subseq uent generat ions . The more b la tant cases wi ll

probably be as obvious to historians of the future as they

are to us now. But in allowing historic features and

materials to be used in this way, i t raises the question of

wh eth er w e are mak ing the best use of wha t is , after all ,

a non-rene wab le resource. On the o ther hand, if the

argument concerning the potent ia l archeological legacy

is taken to its logical conclu sion, the perio d feature

which is inserted into a property precisely of i ts date

and done in such a manner as to make its identif ication

as a la ter addi t ion v ir tual ly imp oss ib le , ma y represen t a

greate r l iabili ty. This is by n o m ean s as far fetched as i t

may sound. Such is the concern for attention to detail

that som e Br i tish preservat ion enthus ias ts actual ly seek

out period nails to ensure that their "restoration" is as

close to the original as i t can po ssibly be, even do wn to

the m eth od of fixing. To cite instances of this natur e is

not to cond one the misuse of sa lvaged i tem s but ra ther

to em ph as ize the po in t that the more in keep ing a fea

ture appears in i ts secondary context, the more difficult

i t will be to recognise as such in the future. Recording by

the owner of the details of "introductions" is therefore

doub ly im po r tant in such cases . A res toration log book

is p roba bly the mo s t valuable beques t the owner of any

historic property could make to his successors .

The crit ical issue which emerges is , therefore, one of

educat ion , par t icular ly of owners and developers who

act as the custodians of the majority of buildings desig-

(Rosiercontinued

on page 16

1994 No . 5

1

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Crowther

of Syon Lodge who suppl i ed the Waldorf As tor ia wi th Georg ian grates f rom England con

t inues to make purchases in the Sta tes . Among thei r acqui s i t ions are f i t t ings f rom the Vanderb i l t

Mans ion , fo rmerly s i tuated in Fi f th Avenue, New York . No expense was spared in the cons t ruct ion of

the bu i ld ing which was demol i shed in the 1920s . Some of the f i t t ings , includ ing th i s one, were saved

and found thei r way to the s tud ios of Twent ie th Centur y Fox whe re they were used in se t s . Photo by

Crowther of Syon Lodge, Middlesex .

(Rosiercontinued from page 15)

nated as being of national or local interest. As regards

the home own er , in general as much seem s to be due to

enthus ias t ic ignorance as wi lfu l m isund ers tan ding.

Salvage dealers , who

in many cases repre

sent an eager restor

er's first port of call,

could certainly assis t

in the process of

enl ightenment , both

in terms of providing

respons ib le advice

and the more

detailed labeling of

i tems. They should

be encouraged to

include an indication

of date and prove

nance, if known, to

give a context for a

piece, for example,

in addi t ion to pr ic

ing information; this

would have the

added benefit of

assur ing cus tomers

of the legitimate

provenance of the

item concerned.

Dealers , however ,

only form one link in the chain; they cannot be expected

to jeopardise a sale by voicing reservations concerning

an i tem which a cl ient may hav e determin ed up on

while in other cases their advice may not even have

been sought. The availabili ty ofauthoritative guidance

literature on the subject of sympathetic restoration

using salvage is therefore essential, as obviously is the

willingness of preservation professionals at national,

state, and local levels to provide advice.

Growing concern a t the potent ia l for the inappropr i

ate reuse of second-hand features and materials , partic

ularly in historic contexts , has prompted some local

p lann ing author i t ies in England to is sue g uidanc e

leaflets . They stress the importance of using salvaged

materials in ways which contribute most to the conser

vation of the heritage and are suited to the character of

the mater ia l and i ts in tended set t ing . One author i ty has

at temp ted to sum marise these cons iderat ions in to the

following series of principles.

The setting o fsecond-handmaterials shouldrespect their

original

geographical, historical,

a ndsocialcontext, in partic

ular that:

building and roofing materials should not be used outside the

area inwhich they were traditionallycommon;

windows,

doorways and other features should not be older

than the buildings into which they areintroduced;

elaborate decorative features such as 18th and 19th century

doorcases and chimneypieces should not be used in unpreten

tious buildings for which they were notintended.

2

The best form of educ ation it is said is by ex am ple. In

terms of the information which they contain on the

physical processes of construction and the chronological

develo pm ent of house types and deta i l ing in their catch

ment areas, the s tudy collections of the United States

represent a potentially invaluable repository of guid

ance by historical precedent for the houseowner. The

role of the s tudy

collection as infor

ma tion, not just for

the professional

craftsman (seeCRM

volume cited above)

but the enthusiastic

am ateur , i s an

increasingly signifi

cant one in England.

In this respect, the

stud y collections of

the United States

represent a unique

ly important, if per

hap s as yet not

fully recognised,

resource.

Notes

1

Steven Parissien,

"Provenance &

Propriety" in CON

TEXT (The Journal of

the U.K. A ssociation

of Conservation

Officers), No. 24,

December 1989, p. 8-9. Dr. Parissien is also the a utho r of tw o

books, Adam Style and Regency Style (Phaidon 1992) which

give information on the detailing and interior decoration of

properties of the period in both the U.K. and U.S.

2

Lancashire County Planning Departm ent Lancashire

Historic B uildings LeafletNo. 1:The Use of Secondhand

Building Materials, 1991.

Carol Rosier is Deputy County Archeologist, Historic

Buildings, Oxfordshire County Council. She is responsible for

advising on the recording of historic buildings for Oxfordshire

County Council in the United Kingdom. She was ICOMOS

Drake Scholar at Independence National Historical Park in the

summer of

1993

and has undertaken a dissertation on

Architectural Salvage in Britain ("Any Old Iron? A Study in

Architectural Salvage," University of Bristol, 1992)

16

1994 N o 5

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Cultural Resource

Management

Unders tanding Diverse

Perspectives

Kathy Kiefer

T

here comes a point in the business of manag

ing cultural resources whe re we m us t take

tim e to assess the results of our efforts .

Somewhere between coordinat ing contracts

with archeologists , meetings with agencies

and t r ibes, doc um ent review and assessments , MOAs,

and PAs, we must s tep back and ask, "how are these

actions benefitt ing the resource?", and "whose resource

are we managing?" The answers are reflected in the

diversity of individuals whose lives and careers are

dedicated to the protection of the nation's fragile and

nonrene wable cul tural her i tage. There is a large p ic ture

here that also reflects the interests and passions of the

public.

In an effort to develop a greater understanding of,

and appreciation for, the diversity of perspectives

regarding the management of cul tural resources , the

Grant County Public Utili ty Distr ict sponsored a day

long forum during Washington State 's f irs t public

archeology week. We decided to under take an event

that wou ld p rovide the publ ic , and those par t ic ipat ing ,

with an opportunity to meet and lis ten to concerns

expressed by each o ther . The resul t was a panel d iscus

sion among six Native Americans, f ive archeologists ,

and the public who participated as observers of the dis

cuss ion betwe en these two group s . The event wa s

referred to as: Forum: A Shared Past? The Forum was

des igned aro und 16 ques t ions presen ted to the panel

beforehand. Each panel member had an oppor tuni ty to

include or revise questions. Some of the questions

were:

What ro le do Nat ive Am ericans wan t to p lay in

educat ing the non-Indian publ ic regarding archeo-

logical issues?

Ho w can (or have) archeo logists integra ted N ative

American concerns and views into their research

analysis or publication?

Does the Native American community feel that

archeological publications have any value for

future generations of Indian children?

The resulting exchange was a testimony of the

intense feelings, and continued need for open dialogue

between these seemingly d isparate groups .

Panel members openly and courageous ly expressed

their personal experiences, beliefs , fears , and hopes.

The intense feelings and expressions of anxiety from

panel m em bers a l lowed the publ ic to exper ience the

depth of both sides of the issue. One high school s tu

dent commented to a bystander that this was "really

serious business." One member of the public asked the

Indian com mu nity w hat they would l ike h im to do i f he

Grant Coun ty Public U tility District

The Cultural Resource Program at the Grant County

Public Utility District has grown and developed

through a relationship with the Wan apum Indians

upon whose ancestral winter home one of the utility's

hydroelectric dams was built. The relationship is based

on openness and dialogue, and a commitment to the

protection of all the resources within the utility's two

reservoirs. The cultural resource program includes the

curation of several large collections of artifacts excavat

ed from two reservoirs prior to inundation. A

Wanapum Indian manages the artifact collections and

provides advice and design ideas for exhibits in the

Heritage Center museum which is operated at

Wa napum Dam. The relationship w hich has devel

oped over the last 30 years has taken a commitment by

both groups to seek solutions that take into account the

needs of future generations of electricity, consumers,

and Wan apum Indians. The challenges they have faced

together provide worthy experience which others may

find useful to draw upon.

came up on a si te. Anoth er me mb er of the publ ic

demanded to know what would be lef t in a hundred

years if archeologists continued to dig s ites up?

The following is a summary of some of the ideas that

came out of the forum.

A Native American looks at an archeological s ite and

an artifact in a completely different way than an arche-

ologist or cultural resource manager. Tony Washines, a

Yakama elder, was eloquent in relating the meaning of

a projectile point he found on the Columbia River; i t

did n ot belong to him, it belon ged to a warrior from the

past w hos e efforts to acquire food by the use of the

point is part of a continuum of interrelatedness that

goes on to this day. He expressed dismay at the way

archeologists retr ieve, measure, record and then store

items from the past which don' t belong to them.

Julie Stein, Curator of Archaeology at Seattle 's Burke

Museum, noted that in the past there has been a ten

dency by archeologists writing reports to s tr ip the

objects of people. She noted that archeology reports did

tend to be object-oriented, referring to artifacts an d

depos i ts and not people .

Bob Mierendorf, a Nationa l Park Service archeolo-

gist , responded that the scientif ic aspect of archeologi

cal repor ts was es tabl ished a hundred years ago and

that the process has become institutionalized. He noted

that many of these documents are unreadable by peo

ple who are not scientis ts . He added that he was

trained as a scientis t , and that however much he feels

the need for the Indian community to provide their

input, i t would be inappropriate to look at artifacts

through the eyes of the tr ibal communities . He went on

to note that archeologists need to work with tr ibal com

munities because there are ways to get their s tory out.

Tony W ashines respo nded by s ta t ing , " I 'm not sure I

can reconcile a hundred-year-old discipline with laws

set down since time immemorial. I t ' s hard for me to set

(Kiefercontinued on page 18

1994 No. 5

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(Kiefercontinued from page 17)

aside my teachings, my values. Those things belong to

the people, to my father 's , father 's , father 's father . As I

take my tu rn to step on the tracks they mad e, I do n ot

go back by picking up those things that belonged to

th e m ."

Bob Mieren dorf explain ed that ma ny arche ologists

do l i t t le excavation, and that today research includes

the docum enta t ion of t rad i t iona l cu l tu ra l p rope r t ies

which involves working closely with the tr ibes. He

added that archeology can be an imposit ion to Native

Amer ican people , bu t so i s rapid deve lopment , h igh

wa ys and la rge federa l und er tak in gs . These , he no ted ,

were greater imposit ions to cultural remains lef t in the

ground than controlled excavations.

Leonard Forsman , aSuquamish Ind ian , added tha t

his tr ibe has reaped the benefit of excavation which is

prov ing , in the Wash ing ton s ta te cour ts , Suquamish

claims to their ancestral shell-f ishing r ights . The arch eo-

logical ev idence docum ents tha t the Suqua mish peop le

have obtained shellf ish from a part icular location for

2,000 yea rs.

Dav id Rice, A U.S. A rm y Cor ps of Engineers archeo l-

ogist summed up his feelings by noting that archeolo

g is ts and Nat ive Amer icans need to keep communica t

ing and building a shared sensit ivity toward each

o ther ' s needs .

The Forum was a f ir st s tep tow ard d eve lop ing a

regional dialogue that will involve invested part ici

pan ts . Cu l tu ra l resource management must , ou t o f

necessity , engage diverse perspectives. The results are

an increase in unders t and in g an d sensi t iv ity toward the

resource by al l par t ies . A grea te r commitm ent to pro

tect the resource can be rea l ized w hen ind iv idua ls

app rec ia te each o ther ' s in te res ts and concerns . Cu l tu ra l

resource management is a process, not a result . I t is a

process that can be directed to include more than rou

t ine pa pe rwo rk and comp l iance i ssues . I t 's a process

tha t can engage the pub l ic wi th i t ' s mean ingfu l hum an

and h is to r ic aspec ts . I asked R ichard Buck , a W ana pu m

Indian who works in the cu l tu ra l resource program a t

the Grant County P.U.D., to review this ar t icle. His

com ments , in sum ma ry , a re as fo llows:

A resource i s some th ing you u se , cu l tu re is some

thing yo u l ive. In a w ay they conflict wit h each other .

Maybe the work we do should be called cultural her

i tage managem ent . W hen i t comes to what i s re fe rred

to as cultural resources from the Indian perspective, the

term resource as reference to the land or mater ial pos

sessions that are held within i t is not enough. Our her

itage is rooted inextricably in the land: it is ancient and

complex . What Western people consider as an econom

ic or cultural resource are considered spir i tual and invi

olable by the Indian people. This is just something to

keep in mind .

This is dialog ue. This is the proc ess. Ask the interest

ed part ies, share with them all aspects of the issue. The

process will direct i tself naturally in a way that the

value of the resource, or heri tage issue will be more

fully appreciated. Engage the public, engage tr ibal

members, engage each other . I f we believe ourselves

wise and co urageous enou gh to accept the cha l lenges

and responsibil i t ies of protecting this nation 's cultural

heri tag e, then involv e all of those w ho care, and the chil

dren and grandchildren of those whose legacy we now

regard as our purv iew.

KathyKiefer is the cultural resource supervisor for the Grant

Cou nty Public Utility District. Richard Buck is a cultural spe

cialist.

Let us help.

N P F a w a r d s g r a n t s to s u p p o r t t h e

N a