Protect, Preserve, & Interpret 
Alabama's Historic Places

468 S Perry St, Montgomery, AL 36104   ( 334) 230-2690
In This Issue
Calendar of Events
March 4
Belle Mont---
Artisan to Conduct Rug Hooking Workshop at Belle Mont Friday, March 4 10 am - 12 pm. For more information call 256-383-4401 OR 256-764-0392.
March 5
Road to Freedom Wagon Tour will trace how the once enslaved residents of Old Cahawba and surrounding plantations breathed new life into the post-Civil War town. For more information call 334-872-8058.
March 8
Council on Alabama Archaeology ----
Scheduled for 1:00pm in the Carriage House at AHC. For more information call 334-230-2690.
March 19
1750s French Garrison. For more information call 
334-567-3002.
March 24
Alabama Review Board Meeting ----
Scheduled for 10:00am in the Carriage House at AHC. For more information call 
334-230-2690.
March 26
Visit Miss Annie's Heirloom Plant Sale and purchase a plant from this historic garden! For more information call 
256-637-8513.
Recent Press Releases



In the News





FEBRUARY NEWS
Alabama's Places in Peril 2016 - Call for Nominations

The Places in Peril program of the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation needs your help to identify, document, and save threatened properties that have significant historic and architect
ural importance. 

A phone call to ATHP (205-652-3497) or email alabamatrust@athp.org is all it takes to take the next step towards protecting the historic built environment of Alabama. Nomination Deadline is March 1, 2016

2016 Historic Preservation Awards

The Alabama Historical Commission and the Black Heritage Council are seeking nominations for the 2016 Historic Preservation Awards. Recipients will be honored during the Alabama Preservation Conference being held in conjunction with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) in Mobile, July 27-31.

Distinguished Service Award
Since 1969 the Alabama Historical Commission has celebrated achievements in preservation by presenting the Distinguished Service Award to individuals and groups whose contributions demonstrate excellence in historic preservation.

Roy Swayze Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a private owner in the restoration of a major Alabama landmark.

Idella Childs Award
Each year the Black Heritage Council recognizes outstanding preservation projects that highlight Alabama's African American history and culture. The late Idella Childs established an enviable record as a preservationist of Alabama's black landmarks.

Click here to download the nomination form. The deadline for submissions is May 15. 

Did you miss the Winter Civil War Tour Series at Fort Morgan?

Get a peek at what you might have missed by watching the video! For more information contact Mike Bailey, Fort Morgan site director, at 251-540-7202.

Be sure to sign-up for the AHC monthly e-newsletter so you will never miss another great event at our historic sites.
Interns at the Alabama Historical Commission
 
Iyesogie Obakpolor (Stephany) is the new student worker for the Black Heritage Council. She is  currently in her junior year at Alabama State University where she is  a political science major and a Spanish minor. While working with the Black Heritage Council , Stephany hopes to learn a great deal more about the preservation of historic sites across the state of Alabama.

Are you interested in interning with the Black Heritage Council? Contact Dorothy Walker at 334-230-2676 for more information.
 
 
Casey Traylor is the new intern at Pond Spring: The General Joe Wheeler Home. She is currently a junior at Athens State University where she majors in history. Casey is interested in the field of public history and while interning  at Pond Spring she  hopes to gain valuable experience working at a museum .

Are you interested in an internship at Pond Spring? Contact Kara Long at 
256-637-8513 for more information.
Remote Sensing at Pond Spring 

Dr. Keith Little and Hunter Johnson, of Tennessee Valley Archaeological Research (TVAR) have generously volunteered to research the Indian site which existed at least 500 years before the site was occupied by the Wheeler family ( Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home) . They will be using a remote s ensin g technology called gradiometry to record traces of human activities left in the soil. The archaeologists will use readings taken in a systematic grid pattern to create a map of the archaeological site.  

Remote sensing is neither invasive nor destructive. 
For this reason, it is often used on public sites where preservation is the goal and aesthetics are a concern.  We will be able to use the information gathered by TVAR to develop our interpretation of the earliest inhabitants at Pond Spring. Furthermore, the information will add to the body of archaeological knowledge that helps us to responsibly maintain and preserve the archaeological site while planning improvement projects that will enhance the visitor experience. 

We are grateful to TVAR for their interest in helping us to discover another chapter in the story of Pond Spring and share it with the people of Alabama. 
"C-SPAN 2016 Cities Tour" Filming at AHC Sites

We are excited to welcome  C-SPAN to Montgomery on their 2016 Cities Tour! They filmed at the  Freedom Rides Museum and at the  Alabama State Capitol. Their team also filmed other historic sites in our city and non-fiction authors.

These segments will air throughout the weekend on March 19-20 on C-SPAN 3 American History TV and C-S PAN 2 BookTV.

Announcement of Availability of a Historic Bridge

The Jefferson County Commission, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposed the replacement of a bridge that has been determined to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. For various reasons, the bridge is not planned to be preserved in place. The bridge is the Buckshort Hewitt Bridge located on Mt. Olive Road (CR-77) over the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Jefferson County, Alabama.

As stipulated in Section 123(f)(4) of the Surface Transportation Act of 1987 and the Memorandum of Agreement with the Alabama Historical Commission, Jefferson County is announcing the availability of this bridge. The structure will be donated to the appropriate recipients and Jefferson County, FHWA and ALDOT will pay the expense of moving the bridge and associated reestablishment costs up to the expense of bridge demolition. For this service the recipient will agree to preserve the historical integrity of the bridge and to properly maintain the structure.

The Buckshort Hewitt Bridge is a two-lane steel Parker thru truss bridge constructed in 1955. Presently the bridge has a National Bridge Inventory System Sufficiently Rating of 47.4. The bridge is rated as functionally obsolete. The structure is 602 feet in length and carries two lanes of traffic for total width of 28 feet.

Any potential recipient interested in further information concerning acquisition of this bridge, please provide a written request within 14 days of the placement of the advertisement to:

Ms. Tracy Pate, P.E.
County Engineer
Jefferson County Department of Roads & Transportation
716 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd N Room A-200
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: 205-325-5154
patet@jccal.org

PROTECTION OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES
SECTION 106 & 110 OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT
Federal law directs all of its agencies to consider how their projects might alter the character of historic buildings and archaeological sites. The Alabama Historical Commission, as the State Historic Preservation Office in Alabama, is charged by law to review these projects.
The review process moves forward in three basic steps:
  • The federal agency identifies historic buildings, structures, and archaeological sites in their project area. If none are found, the review process ends, and the project moves forward.
  • If historic buildings, structures, or archaeological sites are located, the federal agency evaluates the project's effects on those properties.  If there are no effects that alter the historic character of the properties, the review process ends, and the project moves forward.
  • If effects are anticipated that alter the historic character of historic properties, the federal agency consults with the Alabama Historical Commission and other interested parties. Together, an agreement is created that guides how the project moves forward.  Preservation of a building, structure, or archaeological site is not always the outcome.  Section 106 does not mandate the preservation of historic resources, but rather it requires a process by which federal agencies assess and mitigate impacts of their projects on historic places.   
 
In 2015, the Alabama Historical Commission reviewed approximately 2000 federal projects ranging from wireless communication towers to pipelines and highways.

Happenings Around the State  

MARCH

March 3 - Alabama Women's Hall of Fame to induct Anne Beddow and Sarah Gayle, Marion, AL

March 6-8 - Alabama Museum Association 2016 Annual Meeting, Mobile, AL
    

March 15 - American Institute of Architects, Birmingham Chapter Meeting, Jennifer Bailey and Chloe Mercer (AHC staff) will discuss historic preservation tax incentives.

March 16-19 - National Council on Public History and Society for History in the Federal Government, Baltimore, MD

March 19-20 - 7th National Forum on Historic Preservation Practice: The Next 50 Years, Goucher College Baltimore, MD


APRIL
  

April 6-10  - Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL

Spring Preservation Lyceum, Sylacauga, AL. 

 

April 14-16, 2016  -  Alabama Historical Association 2016 Annual Meeting Be sure to register for the annual meeting and take advantage of a FREE student workshop entitled   What Can You Do With A History Degree?


MAY
  
May 23-25 - National Main Streets Conference, Milwaukee, WI


JULY


July 27 to 31 - The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions is proud to present the 10th Biennial NAPC FORUM in Mobile, Alabama . As the only national conference focused on the issues facing local historic preservation boards and commissions, FORUM 2016 includes dozens of educational sessions and discussion panels, mobile workshops and tours, and five days of non-stop networking for commission staff and volunteers representing local, state and national organizations and government agencies.                 
Want to Share Preservation News and Events Statewide?

Send news and event information to the Alabama Historical Commission

Email submissions  to jacqulyn.kirkland@preserveala.org .  
Please mark as "Attention: E-News."

334-230-2690
 
468 South Perry Street
Montgomery, AL 36130-0900