Travel and Communication

Snell, Charles; Mattison, Ray; Brown, William; Sheely, Horace; Bradford, S.

The National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings is a resumption of the Historic Sites Survey begun in 1937, under the authority of the Historic Sites Act of 1935. During World War II, and the emergency following, it was necessary to suspend these studies. The Survey has now been resumed as part of the National Park Service MISSION 66 Program. The purpose of the Survey, as outlined in the Historic Sites Act, is to "make a survey of historic and archaeological sites, buildings, and objects for the purpose of determining which possess exceptional value as commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States. 11 In carrying out this basic directive, each site and building considered in the Survey is evaluated in terms of the Criteria for Classification, Which are listed in the appendix of this report. When completed the Survey will make recommendations to the Director of the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior as to the sites of "exceptional value." This will assist the National Park Service in preparing the National Recreation Plan, including sites which may be administered by the National Park Service to fill in gaps in the historical and archaeological representation within the National Park System. It will also recommend and encourage programs of historical and archaeological preservation being carried out by state and local agencies. This study is a joint product. Historian Charles w. Snell, Western Region, San Francisco, wrote the historical narrative and coordinated the theme study. Historians Ray H. Mattison, Midwest Region, Omaha; William Brown, Southwest Region, Santa Fe; Horace J. Sheely, Jr., Southeast Region, Richmond; and S. Sydney Bradford, Northeast Region, Philadelphia, contributed the material on the individual sites in their respective regions that appears in this study. After completion, the study was presented to the Consulting Committee for the National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings. The Committee consists of Dr. Waldo G. Leland, Director of the American Council of Learned Societies; Dr. S. K. Stevens, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Dr. Louis B. Wright, Director Folger- Shakespearean Library; Mr. Earl H. Reed, Chairman Emeritus American Institute of Architects; Dr. Richard H. Howland, Head Curator, Civil History, Smithsonian Institution; Mr. Eric Gugler, Member Board of Directors, American Scenic and Historical Preservation Society; Dr. J, 0. Brew, Peabody Museum of Archaeology, Harvard University; Mr. Frederick Johnson, Curator, Robert s. Peabody Foundation for American Archaeology, Phillips Academy; Mr. Robert R. Garvey, Jr., Executive Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; and Dr. Ralph H. Gabriel, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University, and Professor of American Studies, American University. The over-all Survey, as well as the theme study which follows, is under the general direction of John 0. Littleton, Chief, National Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings, who works under the general supervision of Herbert E. Kahler, Chief, Division of History and Archaeology, of the National Park Service.

Travel and Communication

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