NHA Evaluations Delivered to Congress
On September 15, the evaluation findings for the National Aviation Heritage Area (NAHA), Oil Region National Heritage Area (ORNHA), and Schuylkill River National Heritage Area (SRHA) were delivered to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource and the House Committee on Natural Resources. The National Park Service was directed to study the outcomes of the federal investment in NHAs measuring accomplishments related to NHA laws,
management plans, and sustainability.
 In 2004, NAHA was designated to highlight the history and legacy of the Wright Brothers and aviation in Dayton, OH. The Evaluation determined that the NAH Alliance addressed the legislated purpose of facilitating collaboration to promote heritage tourism, consistent with the management plan, through the NPS funds provided. They successfully met the 50% match requirement from 2005-2015, with more than $3.7 million in cash matched with $2.8 million in NPS Heritage Partnership Program (HPP) funds. Their objectives are to position aviation sites as destinations, to inspire the next generation of industrial and cultural leaders through education, preserve and develop resources, economic development and community revitalization,and sustainable stewardship.
In 2004, ORNHA was designated to conserve, enhance, and interpret resources which played a role in the development of the US with the world's first commercial oil well in 1859 at Drake We
ll, PA.
The Evaluation found that ORNHA addressed its legislated p
urposes and management plan goals with the support of NPS funding. They successfully met the 50% match requirements from 2005-2015 with a total of $6.5 million in funds from state, local, and private sources to the $2.8 million from NPS HPP. ORNHA invested 6.8 million in heritage development activities, redeveloping and reusing historic sites such as the Tarbell House, artifact preservation, education programs, and trail development.
 In 2000, SRHA was designated to conserve, interpret, and develop the resources related to industrial development and heritage of the Schuylkill River Valley, PA.
SRHA met the 50% match requirement from 2001-2015, with over $16.6 million in matched funds to $6.8 million in NPS HPP funds including $6.2 million from the state, $1.7 million from local governments, $5.8 million in corporate/foundation funds, and $2.6 million from events, sales, memberships, donations, and investment income. The goals of Living with the River: SRNHA Management Plan, completed in 2003, include heritage tourism/community revitalization, building the Schuylkill River Trail, and conservation and stewardship.
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Hamilton and JTHG Honored for Work with Students
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Congratulations to Lin-Manuel Miranda on receiving the 2017 US Capitol Historical Society's Freedom Award!
The Journey
Through Hallowed Ground NHA was thrilled to be a part of the event by presenting the "Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student" Service Learning Project, a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant recipient, at the Capitol Showcase. Michelle Kellogg and Bill Sellers were joined by Zack Gargan, a teacher who took part in the project, and Dr. Brent Glass, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Miranda was recognized
for creating Hamilton: An American Musical and the Hamilton Education Program, which integrates the Founding Era into high school studies.
In his acceptance speech, he noted "without humanities and arts programs, I wouldn't be standing here today. The fact is, that in places like Appalachia and California's Central Valley and Native American reservations and the Mississippi Delta and vast swaths of the Great Plains, the private resources simply do not exist to provide kids with the kinds of programs that I was just lucky enough to grow up with. This is why the [NEH] and the [NEA] are so vital to our democracy. Without these resources, we are essentially telling these kids without access to the arts, 'Your world is small. Don't dream too big."
The "Congress and the Humanities Showcase," recognized Congress for its support for the NEH and honored the creative work the NEH supports to serve K-12 students, veterans, tribal nations, and communities. A bi-partisan group of members introduced projects from around the country including Journey Through Hallowed Ground.
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Big Announcement at World Canals Conference
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E
lissa Garofalo, D&L NHC, Miriam Akervall and Katie Durcan of NPS visit Seneca Falls along the Erie Canal.
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The Erie Canlaway National Heritage Corridor hosted the World Canals Conference in Syracuse, NY with tours throughout the area. The conference highlighted the history of canals and celebrated innovative activities taking place today in Scotland, Canada, and in the US including environmental clean-up projects such as Onondaga Lake in Syracuse; Buffalo's Canalside revitalization; the Erie Canalway Trail, restoration of significant canal sites in Lockport, Port Byron, and Seneca Falls.
Elissa Garofalo lead a session regarding Inspiring Connections Along the Delaware & Lehigh Canal NHC.
Bob Radliff, executive director of the Erie Canalway NHC noted "
These projects have taken years of vision, leadership, collaboration and hard work -- the very strengths that combined to build the Erie Canal.
The Erie Canal is more than a reminder of where we came from -- it's a beacon of where we can go."
Gil Quiniones, president and CEO of the New York Power Authority, which operates the state Canal System announced that the state will hold a global competition to find the best ideas to re-imagine the NY State Canal System so it becomes an engine for economic growth as well as a world-class tourist destination. The competition will award up to $2.5 million to develop and implement the winning ideas.
"The Canal System is a vital part of New York's storied past and it is critical that it continues to be an essential component of our state's future," Governor Cuomo said. "We're looking for bold and innovative ideas that ensure the canal system and its surrounding communities can grow and prosper and with this competition, we encourage bright minds from across the globe to contribute their best ideas to help bring this piece of history to new heights."
"There are many people in the public and private sector who are passionate about the canals," said Quiniones. "We want to translate that passion into sustainable projects that will make the canal corridor bigger and better."
The goals of the competition include soliciting programs and initiatives that promote:
- The canal system and its trails as a tourist destination and recreational asset for state residents and visitors.
- Sustainable economic development along the canals.
- The canal system's heritage.
- The long-term financial sustainability of the state Canal Corp.
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National Coal HA Welcomes Boy Scouts to Oak Hill
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Scouts learned about the rich coal and railroad history in National Coal Heritage Area |
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he National Coal Heritage Area welcomed roughly 40,000 Scouts, staff and volunteers to the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Mount Hope, WV for the 2017 National Scout Jamboree. Held every four years, the 10-day Scouting camp encourages Scouts to work toward merit badges, complete community service, and enjoy the West Virginia wilderness.
Eighty Boy Scouts and leaders worked with National Coal in Oak Hill, WV as a part of the Messengers of Peace Days of Service.
Scouts, NCHA staff, AmeriCorps staff, and community volunteers participated in a community service project to paint the White Oak Railroad Depot, plant flowers, and paint benches as well as an education component. This project returned the depot to the signature color scheme used along the Virginian Railroad. A marker designating the depot as a stop along the Virginian Railway Heritage Trail was also installed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Depot was built in 1903 and served as a depot for the Virginian Railroad and later for the Norfolk and Western Railroad until closing in 1983. It is now owned by the City of Oak Hill.
AmeriCorps member Michael Burk provided a history of the depot and Virginian Railroad before NCHA Executive Director Christy Bailey discussed the heritage area and the role that scrip, a form of currency that was used in to pay miners instead of cash, played in coal towns.
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Milestone Reached in Augusta Canal NHA
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Augusta Canal NHA's 19th century textile mill National Historic Landmark District's conversion to a 21st century cyber center reached a milestone August 29.
EDTS, Inc., an information tech and cybersecurity firm that serves clients nationwide, unveiled its new headquarters in the three-story cotton warehouse. EDTS is the first IT company to locate in the Sibley Mill, a former textile plant dating to the 1880s. Hydro-electric power from the Augusta Canal will power a tier-3 state-of-the-art data center at the mill, now known as the Augusta CyberWorks.
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Historic Preservation in Yuma NHA
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Through a grant made possible by National Park Service, the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park was able to complete repair and replacement of the Prison Museum Roof. The existing shingles were cupped and extremely worn. Yuma Crossing NHA obtained Section 106 consultation authorization from the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office to replace the roof. Class B fire-rated cedar wood shingles with stainless steel fasteners matching the approach for the past 50 years and aligned with the Secretary of Interior's Standards. Historic roofing of the Guard Tower was also completed.
New signage re-brands the Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park as the Colorado River State Historic Park -- there is much more to this transformation.
A new master plan of the park determined that the site was well positioned to tell the story of the past, present and future of the Colorado River. New exhibits on John Wesley Powell is being installed, a new theater will show films daily, and an exhibit called "Moving Waters" is being refreshed and relocated into the Storehouse building to tell this story. Existing exhibits show the site as a key transshipment site from steamboats to forts in the Southwest from the 1850's-1870's and then the railroad in 1877. The site took on a new mission in the early 1900's as the Bureau of Reclamation and allied water districts built an impressive array of dams, canals and even an underground water tunnel to serve the Yuma Valley. This is the basis of Yuma's multi-billion winter fresh vegetable business, serving the entire nation.
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"Revolution Through Our Eyes"
b
rings kids' point of
view to the War for Independence
Fourth graders from Livingston, NJ made a personal connection to New Jersey's Revolutionary-era history through a video production project sponsored by Crossroads of the American Revolution, the National Park Service and the NJ Education Association. Using what they learned on a field trip to the Jockey Hollow unit of Morristown National Historical Park and classroom visits from local historians, the students chose to dramatize three stories: "
The Christmas Comeback," highlighting the Crossing of the Delaware River and the Battle of Trenton; "
A Tough Way to Freedom," exploring one family's struggles as their father went off to war; and
"One Life to Lose," the story of Patriot spy Nathan Hale. The students wrote scripts, built scenery, acted and produced videos which they they premiered to parents and friends at an evening assembly. Read More:
revolutionarynj.org/
Patriots Week was honored this September with the Event of Excellence Award by the Princeton-Mercer Convention and Visitors Bureau. The event, an annual week-long festival of reenactments, history, culture and the arts, marks the anniversary of the
Ten Crucial Days;
between Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776, and the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. Crossroads Heritage Partners the Old Barracks Museum and the Trenton Downtown Association, are the lead organizers of the activities that highlight New Jersey's pivotal role in the American Revolution. For more:
princetonchamber.org
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New Place-based Curriculum for Local Teachers
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The Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area (SdCNHA), in partnership with the University of Colorado
Boulder (CU Boulder), launched a place-based program to train teachers to create lessons and curriculum about culture, history and heritage.
On June 18th, teachers from the North Conejos and South Conejos school districts attended the Summer Latino Teacher Workshop hosted by CU Boulder. The teachers' travel, lodging, and fees were paid by SdCNHA. Sixty teachers from Boulder County, and the San Luis Valley attended the workshop and received CEU credits and graduate credits for working to create lessons for K-12 students. CU Boulder launched the teacher workshop as part of their Boulder County Latino History Project, now in its fifth year, to highlight Latino contributions in Boulder County. Many families have their own stories, but these memories are rarely recorded and are in danger of being lost.
Through placed-based learning, the SdCNHA works to highlight the diverse ethnicities and contributions in the San Luis Valley that are also in danger of being lost. Toward that effort, Victoria Martinez and Dr. Benjamin Waddell worked to collect, record, and preserve over 80 oral histories. These oral history videos are in the process of being made available to the public via the heritage area's YouTube channel
(Sangre NHA). The lessons teachers create will be available to teachers at
sdcnha.org
.
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Mississippi Delta Hosts Grantee Orientation
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The Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area recently hosted administrators for over twenty projects that received funding through the MDNHA's grant program. The organization has funded over $300,000 over the last two years to projects throughout the Mississippi Delta region.
The funded projects celebrate the diversity of the Delta's rich cultural heritage including restoration of historical sites such as the St. Francis Xavier Convent in Vicksburg, establishment of a museum featuring the legacy of Dr. L.C. Dorsey at the Delta Health Center in the historic black town of Mound Bayou; examination of Delta Chinese culture's influence on Delta cuisine; and celebration of the "Chitlin' Circuit Years" during B.B. King Day at Mississippi Valley State University.
To learn more, visit
www.msdeltaheritage.com/blog
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Summer at the Illinois State Fair
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Looking
for Lincoln National Heritage Area brought history to life at the Illinois Sta Fair. Visitors
had an opportunity to interact with President Lincoln, participate in
period games, visit with Civil War and living history actors, build with Lincoln Logs, watch
demonstrations, hear music, take a photo with President Lincoln in the photo
booth and learn about all the sites and activities in the Abraham Lincoln NHA
.
Looking for Lincoln presence at the Illinois State Fair created greater awareness of the National H
eritage Area and reached non-traditional visitors to our sites and communities. This event
also strengthened existing partnerships with state agencies and key partners such as the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, the Lincoln Heritage Museum, the McLean County Museum of History, the Vermilion County Museum, reenacting groups, Looking for Lincoln Communities and countless volunteers.
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Discover the Story in Alaska
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Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area offers field trip and educational grants for school children to "Discover the Story" of their National Heritage Area. Through mini-grants, KMTA
serves
summer schools and classroom visits to museums and natural features in the NHA.
In 2017 Girdwood Art Institue/ Girdwood Fine Arts Camp leveraged their field trip grant to create a public art project that will be visible along the highways and byways of the Girdwood community for years to come. Students were taught how to create botanical drawings of the alpine flora of the area. The design created through this year's art camp will be displayed on a new Girdwood Valley Transit bus beginning next spring. Sixty-eight students participated in the Girdwood art camp and community school summer intensives.
(Photo used by permission from the Four Valley Community Schools)
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New Northern Arapaho Tribe Video Series
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William Friday, Northern Arapaho Leader |
The Poudre Heritage Alliance (PHA) made three online video interviews of current Northern Arapaho Tribal Elders that chronicle the people, places, and events that shaped the history of Northern Colorado's first inhabitants.
The goal of the series is to provide historic perspective from the Native American point of view. All three videos can be found on PHA's website:
http://poudreheritage.org/videos/.
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 With additional technical assistance funding from the NPS, the Poudre Heritage Alliance was able to hire former intern Hailey Groo as Marketing & Outreach Coordinator to focus on social media, the Fort Collins water trail project, and PHA's community wellness program
"
On the Trail to Health, Heritage, and Happiness
™.
Groo was successful in gaining new partners such as Northern Engineering and the Girl Scouts of Colorado, while also focusing on relationships with the City of Fort Collins and the Poudre School District.
The program began as a partnership with Northern Colorado Rehabilitation Hospital that encourages physical activity and mental stimulation on the Poudre Trail while simultaneously getting participants to interact with the heritage and history of the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area. Participants are able to pick one or more of PHA's pre-determined routes, answer some National Heritage Area-themed trivia questions, and upload a photo or two of themselves at certain points of interest along the route. Currently, there are four wellness routes that give participants the opportunity to engage with several different sections of the heritage area.
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