Martin Van Buren National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Report, Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, National Park Service

Uschold, David; Curry, Geroge

The purpose of this Cultural Landscape Report is to provide a basis for preservation treatment and management for the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. This is accomplished by documenting the evolution of the property from the time it was first established as a farm, circa 1780, until the site’s existing conditions in 1993. Based on this documentation, the report analyzes the property and states its degree of integrity. Although several reports have been written to document the property and its associated features, they have lacked sufficient information regarding the landscape to justify any treatment of the grounds beyond preservation of the existing conditions. This Cultural Landscape Report addresses the need for detailed and comprehensive documentation of the landscape and its evolution. From this information, a plan for future treatment and management of Lindenwald as a cultural landscape can be easily formulated. Three different methodologies were used to complete this report. They included a thorough research of written and graphic sources to provide a complete record of the evolution of the site; a field survey documenting the existing conditions of the site; and an analysis of the existing landscape’s integrity for the site’s significant time period. Prior to research and documentation, the character-defining features of a cultural landscape were defined in an effort to create a system for documenting these features. A list of character-defining landscape features was developed. To fully document the evolution of the landscape, these features and changes that occur to them are recorded through time. Features are therefore documented in each period and chapter of the report so that their individual evolution may be followed. This Cultural Landscape Report is organized into six chapters, with the site history providing the structure for the report. The history is broken into chapters based on five identifiable time frames designated by the corresponding owners. The demarcation of each of these time frames is explained within the respective chapter of the report. Each of the five periods is discussed in detail, documenting events on the site as well as important aspects of the time frame that may have affected the site and its evolution. Each chapter begins with an historic overview of the site during the period. The overview presents information on the general environment of the site including the natural physical form and the socio/cultural conditions of the period. The overview is followed by a detailed description of the evolution of the site’s landscape features. At the end of each of the chapters is a set of “period” which graphically illustrate the site during the corresponding time frame. The period plans represent all of the elements discussed in the landscape features for that time frame. In addition to the plans, photographs and other illustrations are used to support the text. Chapter 5, National Park Service Period: 1973-1993, documents all of the changes that occurred during that time frame as well as the landscape features and existing conditions of the site at the completion of this report in 1993. A set of existing conditions maps is also included at the end of chapter 5. The last chapter presents the site analysis, which evaluates the significance and integrity of the landscape at the site. At the end of the report extensive appendices include such items as information sources used for the research process, pertinent historic documents used in the report, a bibliography, and further explanation regarding the landscape features developed for the report.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Report, Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, National Park Service

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