Special History Study/Historic Context Study

Unrau, Harlan

This special history study /historic context study has been prepared to satisfy in part the research needs as stated in the task directive (approved by Charles P. Clapper, Jr., Acting Regional Director, (former) Mid-Atlantic Region, in a memorandum dated June 16, 1993) concerning New River Gorge National River (NERI), Special History Study /Historic Context Study, under Package No. 112 (later changed to Package No. 150). The purpose of this study was to (1) establish the foundation for decisions about identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment of historic properties and (2) integrate preservation planning into the broader park planning process. This study was developed to meet the requirements of the Secretary of the Interior's "Standards for Preservation Planning" included in the "Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation" (September 26, 1983), and complies with the National Park Service's (NPS) Cultural Resources Management Guideline (NPS-28, Release No. 4, September 23, 1994), which delineates the relationship between the secretary's "Standards" and the planning process as applicable to NPS cultural resource properties. As defined in the secretary's "Standards for Preservation Planning," a historic context study organizes information based on a cultural theme and its geographical and chronological limits. The study identifies and describes broad patterns of development in an area that individual historic properties represent and defines the relationships of individual properties to those themes. This study is intended to provide a narrative and graphic document covering the historic resources of New River Gorge National River. Because the focus of this study is historic properties, archeological resources will not be included. This study does not include all historic contexts for the national river, but it does develop five narrative historic contexts which incorporate the majority of the national river's historic properties. These five contexts are: (1) coal industry; (2) railroad industry; (3) lumber industry; (4) Euro-American settlement/ agriculture; and (5) recreation/ state parks. In compliance with the secretary's "Standards," property types which identify important trends are defined for each historic context. In addition, the study includes an annotated bibliography, list of information needs and research questions, a tabular summary of key management information for each surveyed property, and a set of cultural resource base maps. The study includes an evaluation process that addresses the application of National Register of Historic Places criteria for significance and integrity for historic properties associated with each historic context. The historic contexts are intended to provide a framework for the evaluation of historic properties within the boundaries of New River Gorge National River and the subsequent preparation of determinations of eligibility and future National Register of Historic Places nominations for submission to the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office. This study enables those determinations and nominations to be developed in compliance with National Register Bulletins 15, 16A, and 16B. Thus, this study will permit programmed design work to proceed with sensitivity to national river historic properties and provide background information required to make informed decisions for planning, management, and interpretation. The immediate focus of this study are the historic properties in New River Gorge National River that have been subject to inventory and/or evaluation. The evaluation process for each context, however, is generally applicable to properties that may be inventoried/ evaluated in future years.

Special History Study/Historic Context Study

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