West Virginia Historic Preservation Calendar 2023: West Virginia's National Historic Landmarks

Pierce, Susan

From the inside cover: " What's in a name? A colleague of mine once collected a list of the ways people refer to the National Register of Historic Places. "Register is often referred to as the "registry." "Historic is often replaced with "historical." Various combinations of the name come into play from there. But all these names refer to the same list of historic places approved by the Keeper of the National Register. "Keeper" sounds a bit medieval, doesn't it? The Keeper is a staff person at the National Park Service who oversees the program. Historic resources can be buildings, archaeological sites, structures, and even neighborhoods. They are nominated through documents which explain the appearance of the resource(s) and their significance. National Register resources can be significant at the local, state or national level. The State Historic Preservation Office administers the program. Working with people in the state, the SHPO forwards nominations to the National Park Service for official listing in the National Register. The National Park Service also administers a program for nationally significant historic resources. These are called National Historic Landmarks. They must be significant at the national level for broad contributions to our country's history. Other organizations have adopted the term "historic landmark" for use at the city and county level. Since 1974, the Jefferson County Historic Landmark Commission has recognized county historic landmarks. On its website, the commission refers to several types of historic landmarks. Jefferson County have on National Historic Landmark, 40 National Register landmarks, 128 county landmarks, and six historic districts. West Virginia has 15 National Historic Landmarks, two that no longer exist, and one currently waiting approval. Our 2023 calendar highlights our state's National Historic Landmarks and their contributions to our national history. I hope you aren't too confused or concerned about the different terms used to identify important historic resources. After all, what's in a name? Shakespeare spoke of a rose which would smell just as sweet as by any other name. Our historic resources are valuable for what they are, not their labels. They represent our past, tell our stories, and are part of our communities. We must cherish and protect them, no matter what we chose to call them. Wishing you all in the best in 2023! - Susan M. Pierce, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer" Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the State Historic Preservation Office - West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P22AF01269).

West Virginia Historic Preservation Calendar 2023: West Virginia's National Historic Landmarks

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