The U.S. Virgin Islands Statewide Historic Preservation Plan - Historic Preservation of the U.S. Virgin Islands: Preserving our Past for our Future for 2016-2021

From the Introduction: "The people of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) are the beneficiaries, as well as the custodians of a rich and diverse archaeological, cultural, and architectural heritage. This heritage is visible in prehistoric and historic archaeological deposits (both terrestrial and marine); manifested in sites of cultural and spiritual meaning; and reflected in the outstanding architecture and beauty of many of the above-ground historic buildings and sites of the Virgin Islands. As reflections of the many diverse peoples who have made these Virgin Islands their home over thousands of years, these treasures give the islands their distinctive character and pride. These cultural sites provide physical reminders of the islands' history, while rich oral histories passed down through generations offer compelling reminders of the struggles and achievements that led to freedom, the pathway towards self-governance, and the many factors that help to shape modern-day cultural identity in the USVI. Historic preservation figures prominently in how a community defines its past, but a continued interest in historic preservation can help define a community's future. Accordingly, thus U.S. Virgin Islands Statewide Historic Preservation Plan (SHPP) asserts the importance of cultural resources in contributing to the quality of life in the Virgin Islands, and attempts to describe present and future mechanisms for their continued identification, protection, preservation, and appreciation. This preservation plan reviews the cultural resources of the Virgin Islands and identifies the key issues that impact the Territory's efforts to protect these resources. This plan provides a roadmap for identifying the issues that are likely to impact historic preservation in the Territory over the next five years, 2016 to 2021, and highlights the goals that the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office (VISHPO) will work toward in that timeframe. This SHPP seeks to provide guidance for individuals, community organizations, and government institutions working to protect the Territory's significant cultural resources, and offers an opportunity for those same institutions to provide comment on the relative success of historic preservation through the public presentation of the SHPP. The overarching goals of this preservation plan were developed by the Virgin Island State Historic Preservation Office (VISHPO), a division of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) and the Government of the Virgin Islands (GVI). The VISHPO is a federally funded historic preservation program that is supported by both the Department of the Interior's (DOI) National Park Service (NPS) and the GVI. The VISHPO's missions are to implement federal and territorial historic preservation legislation and limit the impact of development on cultural properties, as mandated by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the Antiquities and Cultural Properties Act of 1998, in addition to other relevant legislation. The VISHPO promotes historic preservation; reviews cultural resource management projects; maintains the Virgin Islands Register of Historic Buildings, Sites, and Places; maintains a list of documented historic and archaeological properties; manages archaeological collections; administers Historic Preservation fund grants; and manages the historic preservation needs of the Territory..." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the US Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office, Department of Planning & Natural Resources, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The U.S. Virgin Islands Statewide Historic Preservation Plan - Historic Preservation of the U.S. Virgin Islands: Preserving our Past for our Future for 2016-2021

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