National Trust Board of Advisors’ Award: Gates of Ballston, Arlington, Va. — After decades of heavy use, this 464-unit Colonial Revival-style housing complex was in decay. Arlington County joined forces with a nonprofit developer to give The Gates a long-overdue makeover and help meet the community’s need for affordable housing. Learn more »

Do you know of a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project? We are now accepting nominations for the 2010 National Preservation Awards. Click here for more information.

In the city of Abiriba in Abia State, Nigeria.

I recently went to Africa to research my family history. Our ancestry traces all the way back to Nigeria. I am a 41 year-old African-American of Igbo descent. On my trip I noticed similarities between Nigerian village construction and my own home in Virginia.

Before my father, a tobacco sharecropper, passed away in 2005, he deeded me, his last son, the dog-trot, chestnut oak cabin. I then took on the task of renovating and restoring the home for the purposes of preserving history and updating our family homestead.

Our small community of Glade Hill in Franklin County is an agricultural region in the southern part of the state. Tobacco was once the king crop. The county earned its reputation during prohibition as the moonshine capital of the United States. We also claim Booker T. Washington, the great educator, as one of our own.

The Holland homestead in Glade Hill, VA, pre-renovation.

Our hand-hewn log home was built in 1821 by slaves who brought building techniques with them from West Africa. Daubing, a process utilizing natural earth as the main source for chinking between logs, was used. Family friends from present-day Nigeria verified the African roots of construction techniques such as this during a recent visit to Glade Hill. Based on my 2009 visit to Igboland, I can also attest to the style’s authenticity.

The home originally housed the Sermones family and their slaves. After the Civil War the Metts family came to own the house. During part of this time, my great-grandmother, Sally Walker, lived in the house with her children. A freed slave, she worked as a midwife and, according to family lore, delivered over 500 babies of African-American and Caucasian descent!

The Holland homestead in Glade Hill, VA, after renovation.

The plantation that we descend from is located about two miles away from the current homestead. It is currently the home of Armistead Burwell, whose family descended from the Tidewater area. Burwell-Holland House was built in 1798. The bricks were made directly on the plantation in front of the house. There’s a bank on the hillside just below the house. The remaining bricks were used to build a 1824 church on a nearby Holland plantation about five miles away.

William and Mrs. Willie Mae Holland in Africa, 2009.

My great-grandfather, Creed Holland, worked on the nearby plantation driving wagons from Virginia to Atlanta. He eventually served in the Civil War. Documents show that Creed Holland’s father, Stephen, was born in Franklin County in 1810. Franklin County was established in 1785. Many Igbo descendants were brought here from the period of 1720 to 1750, so I believe Stephen may have been 2nd or 3rd generation.

Many properties such as mine are being torn down or have already been destroyed. It is my vision to get my historic home listed on the state and/ or national registry. I totally disagree with the intention of not preserving history with structures that are still standing.

When you come to see this precious landmark, you can learn about the Holland family, our Igbo heritage, and some ghost sightings that occurred during our home’s renovation. If the ghost stories do not interest you enough, then I can take you to the cemetery on the property to see 19th century markers! My 79-year-old mother may even bake you a homemade blackberry pie!

William D. Holland is an independent researcher with an emphasis on African-American history and culture.

Ronald Martin, Robert Patterson, and Mark Martin at the Woolworth's counter during the second day of the sit-in on February 2, 1960. (Photo: Library of Congress)

When President Obama sent his Budget Request up to Capitol Hill on Monday, he effectively placed much of the preservation community in defense mode with the most significant funding cuts since the 1980’s. At the very same time, 310 miles to the south in Greensboro, North Carolina, preservationists were cutting the ribbon to the new International Civil Rights Center and Museum. The restoration of this 1929 former Woolworth’s building, where exactly 50 years ago the Greensboro sit-ins of the civil rights movement began, was made possible in part through a Save America’s Treasures (SAT) grant – a program now proposed for elimination in this Budget Request. 

Projects like this make me realize why I originally got involved in historic preservation 24 years ago, and why the fight to preserve our heritage is far from over. The International Civil Rights Center and Museum is more than just an old Woolworth’s building and lunch counter designed to house historic exhibits and artifacts. It is a place to witness, to experience, and to discuss how to effect social change in our own nation and around the world. A half century ago, this place stood as a reminder of segregated life in the South. Today, it stands as a monument to the power of human courage and its ability to change society. As I mentioned in an entry I posted on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I don’t remember segregation, but I live in a formerly segregated city. The preservation of places like these makes what I’ve read in history books tangible, real, and alive. 

In 1993, Woolworth’s closed and the building was going to be torn down. Local preservationists collected 18,000 signatures to save it and to redevelop the site into a museum. Like many preservation and rehabilitation endeavors, the International Civil Rights Museum project was fraught with difficulties, and raising funds to complete it was tough. The SAT grant of about $150,000 came at a critical time for the museum, and called local, regional, and national attention to the restoration efforts. While the total project cost was $23 million, the early SAT grant helped leverage the remaining 98.5% of the funds needed to open the museum. 

This is the beauty of SAT; for a comparatively minor federal investment, millions over the government’s share in non-federal and private funds were raised. 

And talk about unlocking the economic power of preservation. This one project created over 150 jobs – about 100 for construction and about 50 in exhibit fabrication/design. The effect in downtown Greensboro was similar to what happens on Main Streets all across the country. The initial building rehabilitation of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum has spurred many other job-producing revitalization developments nearby. It has also fostered a growing market for heritage tourism. 

Over the next several weeks, Congress is going to respond to the President’s Budget Request, and the appropriations committees will be developing their bills to fund the government in fiscal year 2011. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and its partners are mounting a national grassroots campaign to let the House and Senate know how relatively small investments in programs like SAT, Preserve America, and National Heritage Areas reap big benefits in cultural value, job creation, and economic revitalization. 

We’re going to begin next week by asking folks to contact their Members of Congress in opposition to eliminating and cutting vital preservation programs. We’re going to ask preservationists to meet with their federal elected officials – either at home or in Washington during Historic Preservation Advocacy Week – and ask that funding be restored as Congress develops its response to the President’s Budget Request. Will you pitch in? It is not too late to join us in Washington, and we’d love to know if you get the chance to talk with your Members of Congress at home. And, as we build the case for preservation funding, if you have examples of preservation projects like the museum I described above, please share those with us by leaving a comment below. 

Fifty years ago, four students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University initiated a daily sit-in at the once-segregated Woolworth’s counter in Greensboro. These students, those who joined them, and others around the county, were part of a movement that changed the face of this county. Preservationists should get a lot of inspiration from them as we prepare to fight a Budget Request that does little to recognize the value of preserving our heritage. 

Now, for next week at a glance: 

Jobs Bill – The Senate is hoping to bring a jobs bill to the floor next week. This should be the first part of a series of employment stimulus measures. We are making the case to include broad energy efficiency retrofit incentives for home and commercial property owners. We are also trying to amend the historic rehabilitation tax credit to provide a boost in the credit for making historic building more energy efficient. 

Appropriations – As the appropriations process moves forward, we are planning a major grassroots campaign to oppose budget cuts in valuable preservation programs. It will start with a letter from National Trust President Richard Moe to House and Senate appropriators. Check out developments on PreservationNation.org. 

Civil Rights Trail Bill – We are making a push to build support for Senator Burris and his National Civil Rights Trail Bill by meeting with Senate staff to request co-sponsorship. Check out National Trust President Richard Moe’s letter supporting the bill and requesting a hearing – an important step in getting the bill passed. 

Pat Lally is the congressional affairs director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes look at how preservation policy is made through his weekly posts from the Hill.

Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford, Pa. — In the Allegheny mountains of south central Pa., this famed resort that once served as the summer White House of President James Buchanan sparkles again after a meticulous $120 million renovation. Learn more »

Do you know of a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project? We are now accepting nominations for the 2010 National Preservation Awards. Click here for more information.

Places of worship damaged by the earthquake in Haiti. (Photo: Daniel Elie, ISPAN)

While the priority for responding to the devastating January 12 earthquake in Haiti has rightfully been focused on responding to the enormous human tragedy, heritage preservation organizations are making preparations to provide support once the country is prepared to receive such assistance.       

The need is great. Although there has not been a detailed assessment of the damage to cultural sites impacted by the earthquake, reports and images received from Haiti show massive destruction of both national landmarks and local historic places. Among the damaged and destroyed are numerous historic places of worship, many government buildings (such as the landmark National Palace), and the virtual leveling of the historic center of the French Colonial town of Jacmel, placed by Haiti in 2004 on its tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.   

The following statement, issued on January 18 by Daniel Elie, director general of the Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (the Institute for the Protection of the National Heritage of the Republic of Haiti, or ISPAN), says it all:   

The earthquake on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 has caused mourning and desolation over a large part of our country.   

35 seconds. More than 150,000 dead. More than 200,000 injured.   

L’Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (ISPAN) sympathizes with the pain of all those who have lost loved ones, parents, friends. At ISPAN, we too were not spared, and we will long feel the loss, in these tragic circumstances, of family members of our close associates.   

In Port-au-Prince, Pétion-Ville, Tabarre, Delmas, Carrefour, Cité Soleil, Leogane, Gressier, Grand-Goâve Petit-Goâve, Jacmel, are still the dead, missing, and injured. Dozens of thousands of homeless people roam the ruins of their towns, their neighborhoods and streets devastated and unrecognizable.   

The National Palace, the Palace of Ministries, the Palace of Finances, the Palace of Justice, the Church of Saint Louis King of France, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Turgeau, the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Church of Saint Anne, Fort Jacques, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Post Office Building, the Legislative Palace, the historic homes of Pacot, of Turgeau, of Bois-Verna of Debussy, of Cross-Desprez, of Bas-Peu-de-Chose and of Morne-à-tuff, the historic headquarters of the Haitian Armed Forces, housing the Ministry of Culture and Communications, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Port-au-Prince, but also the historical center of Jacmel, and especially the Rue du Commerce, the historic center of Léogane and its church dedicated to Saint Rose. These and many other structures have been seriously damaged or completely destroyed.   

All of these places testify to the daily lives of Haitians, and to our history. Beyond the material loss that this represents, it is in each case an unfathomable loss for our culture, our history, and the memory of the Haitian people as a whole.   

Since January 12, when everything changed, we need, above all, more than ever, to find our benchmarks and our symbols, and restore the cultural milestones that define the path that connects the past to the future.   

In decisions that will soon be taken to rebuild the country with the infrastructure necessary for its functional operations, its management and its development, ISPAN hopes that policymakers, politicians, and spiritual, economic and social leaders will avoid the trap of giving priority only to the functional, omitting the essence that defines us as a culture. Our loss of collective memory is largely responsible for our misfortunes today.   

In responding to this disaster, we must remind ourselves that as people we have a duty to memory, and especially that “our history is our strength.”   

It is tempting in the face of such widespread damage to bulldoze everything and start over. That is the fear that international heritage preservation organizations share with Haitian heritage conservation professionals. While in some cases there may be few other options, many opportunities should exist to preserve the unique culture and character of Haiti represented in its built environment through careful assessment, salvage, restoration, and reconstruction. Support for this work, particularly the initial stage of damage assessment, is currently being organized by heritage conservation organizations in the United States and internationally.   

Echoing the comments made by Haitian cultural heritage professionals, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova issued a statement on February 1, 2010, highlighting the need to protect Haiti’s cultural heritage: “This heritage is an invaluable source of identity and pride for the people on the island and will be essential to the success of their national reconstruction.” In particular, UNESCO has asked the United Nations and other authorities to secure cultural sites in Haiti that may be subject to pilfering and looting of artifacts, and has recommended that the U.N. Security Council adopt a resolution instituting a temporary ban on the trade or transfer of movable heritage. She has also requested the cooperation of art market and museum professionals to enforce the ban, and to verify the origin of cultural property from Haiti made available for sale.    

At the request of Haitian conservation authorities and in cooperation with UNESCO, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is currently taking the lead in coordinating international efforts to assist with assessment and recovery of damage to Haiti’s immovable cultural heritage. ICOMOS President Gustavo Araoz has announced that an initial cultural mission is expected to be on the ground in Haiti in early February. The United States National Committee of ICOMOS (US/ICOMOS) will be coordinating U.S. participation in assessments and recovery lead by ICOMOS and UNESCO. Information will be available at www.usicomos.org.  

In response to concerns raised by US/ICOMOS, John Fowler, the executive director of the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, issued a statement on January 29, 2010, calling on U.S. agencies involved in disaster recovery to avoid unintentional damage to Haiti’s cultural heritage as a result of such efforts. A number of other organizations, including the World Monuments Fund (WMF), the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS), the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, and the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO), are gearing up to provide material and technical support, both directly and through their respective professional networks.  

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is actively coordinating with these various organizations, and will provide follow-up information to its members and professional colleagues about heritage conservation efforts in Haiti (including volunteer opportunities) as it becomes available.  

Finally, for individuals interested in making a financial contribution to support heritage conservation assistance to Haiti, please visit the following websites: www.usicomos.org, www.uscbs.org, and www.wmf.org.  

The following photographs of damaged cultural sites in Haiti were made available by the Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (the Institute for the Protection of the National Heritage of the Republic of Haiti, or ISPAN). All were taken by ISPAN Director General Daniel Elie.  

The Historic Center of Port-au-Prince: La Rue Eden and La Rue du Magasin-de-l’Etat. To the right, La Place Geffrard.  

The Historic Center of Port-au-Prince: La Rue Pavée  

The Historic Center of Port-au-Prince: Corner of La Rue des Casernes and La Rue du Magasin-de-l’Etat  

Public Buildings in Port-au-Prince: The Directorate General of Taxation, built by Albert Mangonès in the 1960’s.  

Public Buildings in Port-au-Prince: Bank of the Republic of Haiti  

The National Palace of Haiti, work of the architect Georges Baussan, dating from 1924 

The Palace of Justice, built in 1927, from drawings by the architect Léonce Maignan.  

The National Post Office (formerly the Post Office Pavilion) built in 1949 on the occasion of the celebration of the bicentennial of Port-au-Prince.  

The Historic Center of Port-au-Prince: La Rue des Casernes  

The Historic Center of Port-au-Prince: La Rue Bonne-Foi in Centre-City  

Part of the St. Louis de Gonzague Academy.  

View of the courtyard of Les Dessalines.  

The Dessalines Barracks, built in 1913 by George Baussan.  

Anita Canovas is associate general counsel in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Law Department.

Obici House (Photo: APVA)

I am embarrassed to say this since I am a proud Virginian, but it was only recently that I learned that Suffolk, Virginia is the “Peanut Capital of the World,” an honor I would associate more with Georgia than Virginia. However, at one time Suffolk was the heart of peanut farming in the United States. Suffolk now celebrates this distinction at the Planters Peanut Center and at their annual Suffolk Peanut Festival.

Suffolk’s claim to fame, however, may never have occurred if not for Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici. At age 11, Obici emigrated from Italy to Pennsylvania and later to Suffolk where he opened up a peanut processing plant in 1913.

In Pennsylvania, Obici built his own peanut roaster out of scrap parts and, calling himself “The Peanut Specialist,” he began selling peanuts by horse cart. With hard work and a gift for marketing, Obici eventually founded the Planters Peanut Company with another Italian immigrant, Mario Peruzzi.

Mr. Peanut was “born” in 1916 when a fourteen year-old Virginia schoolboy entered a drawing of “The Peanut Man” and won a contest to create the company a logo.

In 1924, Obici and his wife Louise moved to Suffolk and built a grand two-story house overlooking the Nansemond River. The house, which is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places, still contains the original inlaid floors and crystal chandeliers and was, only a few years ago, a popular place for social functions such as weddings and parties.

After several years of disuse, the house, which is currently owned by the City of Suffolk and situated within the Sleepy Hole Golf Course, is now in disrepair.  In 2009, Preservation Virginia added the Obici House to its Most Endangered Historic Sites of Virginia List.

The city sent out proposals last year to private bidders to renovate and reuse the home. After turning down two bid proposals, one from the Citizens for the Preservation of Obici House, the community was afraid the mansion would be demolished.

Fortunately after hearing testimony from residents and from Preservation Virginia at the January City Council meeting, the city granted the current golf course manager the opportunity to lease, renovate and reuse the house.

Local residents and members of the Citizens for the Preservation of the Obici House are relieved but remain committed to the proper renovation and reuse of the house. “My goal is not only to save it from the wrecking ball but to restore it,” said Jolyne Dalzell, Obici’s great-niece, who lives in New Jersey and attended the City Council meeting.

As a side note, Obici not only left the legacy of Planters Peanuts to his adopted city of Suffolk but also established the Louise Obici Memorial Hospital in Suffolk in the 1940s.

Sonja Ingram is a field representative with APVA/Preservation Virginia.

Every Dozen Distinctive Destinations list offers something new, some city or town or neighborhood that you’ve never even heard of, much less hung out in. This year’s list offers something else in the way of novelty: You get to vote for your favorite – sort of like “American Idol,” but with less eyeliner.

I’m warning you, picking a favorite won’t be easy. All of this year’s destinations offer lively downtowns to shop in and handsome historic buildings to look at, but every one of them has something special, too. Huntsville, for example, has 19th-century houses and 21st-century space-travel hardware; St. Louis has world-class museums and that incredible shimmering Arch; Sitka has rainforests and whales and Tlingit dancers. Rockland has lobster, while Bastrop has barbecue. See what I mean? “Diverse” doesn’t even begin to describe this year’s embarrassment of riches – whatever you’re looking for, we’ve got it, from glaciers to drag queens. But don’t let the variety intimidate you. Vote – and while you’re at it, start packing a suitcase.

I have to admit that of all the places on this year’s list, the one that intrigues me most is the one called “The Crooked Road,” which really isn’t so much a place as an experience. I lived in southwest Virginia for several years and came to appreciate it as a truly beautiful, truly different corner of the country – and this listing spotlights one of the best, most distinctive things about it: the music. You can plan an itinerary that will keep you toe-tapping for days, in a head-spinning range of venues that includes an open-air amphitheatre on the crest of the Blue Ridge; an old movie house in Galax where they’ve been broadcasting a live radio show every Friday since 1999; a barn-like music hall at the Carter Family Fold, home of the legendary family whose 1927 recordings pretty much gave birth to today’s country music industry; and a gas station (yes, gas station) in Stuart where local musicians get together every Thursday evening to cut loose. Good stuff. No, great stuff.

At the end of your visit to The Crooked Road – or any of the other places on this year’s roster – I predict you’ll be asking yourselves two questions: How come we never came here before? And how soon can we come back again?

That’s a good thing. It’s what the Dozen Distinctive Destinations list is all about.

Dwight Young joined the staff of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977. He currently serves as Senior Communications Associate and writes the regular ‘Back Page‘ feature in Preservation magazine.

Meier & Frank Department Store Building, Portland, Ore. — The Meier & Frank department store was a beloved community landmark for nearly a century before it fell into disrepair. The Portland Development Commission led a visionary effort to turn the once faded terra cotta palace into a luxury hotel and department store. Learn more »

Do you know of a deserving individual, organization, agency, or project? We are now accepting nominations for the 2010 National Preservation Awards. Click here for more information.

The first semester of the school year has come and gone at Timberline High. And while there never seems to be a slow day in room 216, I can say that we’ve jumped head first into round two in such a way that surprises even me.

Regardless, I hope you’ve enjoyed the work Kim M. and a number of other Boise Architecture Project students have done in their blog posts. Did you like our behind-the-scenes tour of the Old Idaho State Pen? Maybe you felt like taking action in your own community after reading about some of the controversial decisions made by our local school district? Perhaps you marveled like I did at Ashley’s amazing photo of the Idaho State Capitol reflected in a puddle. We’ve really had a blast bringing stories about places that matter in Boise to all of you.

I’ve been thinking a lot about technology and social media recently, especially after reading Priya Chhaya’s excellent blog post last week (her schedule sounds all too familiar). Before this school year, I never imagined myself as a “Twitterer,” and to be honest, I’m still having a tough time doing Facebook correctly. That being said, it has been really fun (and educational) to see how PreservationNation.org harnesses the Internet to converse, collaborate, and sometimes commiserate over the issues that make us all tick.

So, as a classroom of juniors and seniors, where is the intersection between preservation, education, and technology? Contrary to the idea that the medium is the message, I believe that the medium enables the message. From the National Trust’s Flickr-fueled This Place Matters campaign to the Boise City Arts and History Department’s use of Twitter to announce events, preservation is reaching a much larger audience these days. Technology enables us as a movement to mobilize interests and to “get the word out.” Over the years, it has also helped me get nearly 800 students connected to their community in ways that continue to amaze me.

At its core, the Boise Architecture Project is a constantly evolving experiment in technology that reflects where students are today, and where they are going tomorrow. And, while kids these days are prolific consumers of technology, I find that (clever tweets and status updates aside) many are not as adept at actually producing things with technology. The short list of skills my students learn while participating in the project includes digital photography and photo editing; website design and programming; data storage and management; and video and audio recording and production.  We do all of this on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, our website, and these bi-weekly blog posts with the National Trust.

Not bad for something that started a few years back as a simple student PowerPoint project on favorite buildings, eh?

While technology has changed our lives, it hasn’t changed the message of preservation. My students get a kick out of learning about Roman arches and mansard roofs the same way I did when I was their age. Just like me, they are drawn to discovering stories about buildings and the people that love them. What’s different – and exciting – is how we’re doing this.

Stay tuned this semester as the experiment continues.

Doug StanWiens teaches U.S. history at Boise’s Timberline High School and spearheads the Boise Architecture Project. This semester, his class of juniors and seniors are blogging about what they are doing in class and in the field to learn more about their community and its history. You can follow the students here on the PreservationNation blog and on their Flickr photostream. Also, get daily updates from the teacher himself on Twitter.

Are you an educator interested in teaching preservation in your classroom? Visit PreservationNation.org for resources, tips, and ideas to enhance your curriculum with lessons that will teach your students to recognize and appreciate the rich history that surrounds them.

Written by Pat Lally

Remember my comments in the blog I posted last week on the State of the Union? That the President’s address sets the stage for his budget? That the three-year freeze he proposed could lead to cuts? Well, the White House sent its Budget Request to Capitol Hill yesterday, as it typically does the first Monday in February. How did preservation fare? Let’s just say that it wasn’t a very good day for us.

Save America’s Treasures (SAT), the nation’s only bricks-and-mortar grant program, is proposed for elimination. Not since the 1980’s has there been such an assault on the programs that protect America’s heritage. Since 1998, SAT has been the federal government’s most successful tool to preserve the important places that tell our nation’s story. Due to the broad, bi-partisan Congressional support it has on the Hill, the program has saved over 1,200 of America’s most significant places in all 50 states, supporting jobs and economic development in every single project it covers. 

The elimination of SAT would represent a 25% reduction in the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), the account that funds the core activities of the national historic preservation program. How ironic just as preservationists have mounted a nationwide campaign to get the HPF fully funded. Even though it is supposed to get $150 million annually, the fund barely sees half that from Congress. If the House and Senate go along with this Budget Request, the HPF will now get only a third of what it should receive.

But here’s the biggest irony in the President’s Budget Request (and a little-known fact). Technically speaking, SAT and the other core national preservation programs under the HPF cost the American taxpayer nothing. You see, this account, by law, is funded by the revenue  received from offshore oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. Years ago, Congress had the foresight to place historic preservation in this dedicated account along with other “conservation” activities. Their rationale was that as non-renewable resources are expended (such as fossil fuels), some of the associated revenue should help pay for the conservation and preservation of other non-renewable resources, such as sensitive ecosystems and nationally-significant buildings, collections, and objects.

Makes sense, right? Well, the problem is that both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue have budgeted much of this money for purposes other than historic preservation, and that simply has to stop. In fact, some of the other conservation activities that are funded by oil and gas leasing revenue are increased substantially in this Budget Request, just as we were slashed. It seems to me that preservationists need to make it loud and clear to their lawmakers as to why we need every penny of the $150 million that we’re supposed to get from Washington every year.

The final irony is that, among federal programs, SAT stands out as a model of efficiency and effective spending. You see, every grant recipient under this program is required to find a dollar-for-dollar, non-federal match. To date, SAT at the National Trust has raised almost $57 million in non-federal and private matching funds. As a result, SAT has been enormously successful in leveraging private-sector financing and creating  productive and sustained partnerships with large corporations, foundations, and individuals that provide matching contributions. Here is just a small glimpse into some of the places and things that SAT has helped preserve for future generations: Ellis Island, Mesa Verde National Park, Valley Forge, Thomas Edison’s Invention Factory,  and the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the “Star Spangled Banner.” 

Now, I’ve placed so much emphasis on SAT because, in the grand scheme of things, it make no sense at all to eliminate. But it is also important to know that this Budget Request would cut and eliminate  other worthy and valuable preservation programs if adopted. Preserve America, a sister program to SAT for preservation education and outreach (funded out of the National Recreation Account), would be eliminated. National Heritage Area funding would be cut by half. And lastly, for the State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers who are the backbone of the national historic preservation program – level funding from last year. What this really means is that they will continue to be inadequately funded and often unable to keep up with their enormous workloads.

In just four weeks, preservationists will be coming to Washington to meet with their elected representatives during Historic Preservation Advocacy Week. We’ll be making a full court press on the Hill to oppose the elimination of SAT and Preserve America. We’ll also oppose other cuts to important preservation programs, and lobby for increased funding for State and Tribal Offices. In the meantime, stay tuned for our call to action to engage your Member of Congress; we need everyone to express their opposition to how this Budget Request treats critical historic preservation programs.

Are you concerned about how this Budget Request would adversely affect the preservation of our national treasures? Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Pat Lally is the congressional affairs director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes look at how preservation policy is made through his weekly posts from the Hill.