State of Vermont Historic Preservation Plan, 2016-2021

From introduction: "With evidence of Native American occupations extending as far back as 13,000 years ago, Vermont has a rich cultural, historical, and architectural legacy. This significant heritage manifests itself in the state’s ancient Native encampments, agricultural farmsteads with timber-framed barns and rising silos, villages with whitespired churches and town halls marking the valley bottoms and maple-strewn hillsides, downtowns centered on railroad depots and sites of early industrial centers, summer retreats surrounding lakes and ponds, and ski resorts nested on the slopes of the green mountains. The strata of history is a component of the built and natural environment, recounting the stories of Vermont’s buildings, economy, and communities. This legacy does not endure by chance. Over the past forty-six years, preservation of Vermont’s historic resources has been the primary initiative of the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) and its preservation partners. Serving as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), VDHP plays an essential role in guiding the state’s historic preservation agenda. It is a division of the Department of Housing and Community Development, within the Agency of Commerce and Community Development. VDHP fulfills its responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Vermont Historic Preservation Act of 1975 by identifying, preserving, and interpreting historic resources on behalf of the people of this state and promoting t hose resources as significant components of our shared communities. In an effort to create a comprehensive planning and decision-making framework to guide historic preservation activities, the Vermont Historic Preservation Act Rules were adopted in March 2001. The Rules, primarily an internal guide, establish the regulations and state-governing approach for the assessment and management of the state’s cultural, historical, and architectural resources. Awareness and appreciation of Vermont’s distinct heritage is also broadened through the State-owned Historic Sites program, which interprets 22 historic properties and archival collections for the public. The Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, created by the Vermont Historic Preservation Act, augments the efforts of VDHP. The council serves as the State Review Board as required by the National Historic Preservation Act. The seven governor-appointed members are charged with approving nominations to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, assessing of the survey documentation for historic properties, annually evaluating the activities of VDHP outlined in the State Historic Preservation Plan, recommending rehabilitation projects seeking state and federal grant funding, and reviewing state and federal undertakings that may affect historic properties. Some of these activities have been delegated to the staff of VDHP." Funding was provided in part by a 2015 Historic Preservation Fund grant administered by the Vermont State Historic Preservation Office (project number VT-15-016, grant number P15AF00190) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

State of Vermont Historic Preservation Plan, 2016-2021

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