Baranof Castle State Historical Site Preservation Plan

This plan was funded in part by a 2008 Preserve America grant (grant number 02-08-PA-4100) to the Alaska Historic Preservation Office for the project Alaska State Park National Historic Landmark Preservation Plans. The plan became effective July 15, 2011. The digital copy available here is of the second edition of the plan, published April 4, 2012. From executive summary: "In 2008, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation awarded a Preserve America grant to the Alaska Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation (ADPOR), Office of History and Archaeology (OHA) to create preservation plans for the units of the Alaska State Park system designated as National Historic Landmarks. Those units include Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park in Kodiak, and Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park, Baranof Castle State Historic Site, and Old Sitka State Historical Park—all located in Sitka. Established as a State Historic Site in 1959, Baranof Castle Hill was one of the first areas in Alaska to fall under the management of the Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. In 1962, Baranof Castle Hill was designated a National Historic Landmark because it was the location where the official American flag raising took place when ownership of Alaska transferred from Russia to the United States. Although primary significance of the site is derived from its association with the flag raising ceremony, it was a significant site to the local Tlingit long before this ceremony took place. The archaeological collections from the Castle Hill excavation indicate that the site has a rich history of over 1,000 years of occupation. These archaeological records bear evidence of Tlingit occupation dating back hundreds of years, followed by the Russian occupation beginning in the early 1800s, and later the American occupation. The Baranof Castle State Historic Site Preservation Plan provides a framework for decisions pertaining to cultural resource protection, interpretive program development, and stewardship of the site. The preservation planning process involved inventorying resources, compiling research, and discussing and sharing ideas with site managers, industry professionals, and interested public during public meetings and comment periods."

Baranof Castle State Historical Site Preservation Plan

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