George Washington Carver National Monument
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Harpers Ferry Center National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior George Washington Carver National Monument Long-Range Interpretive Plan June 2020 Prepared by Management and Staff of George Washington Carver National Monument National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center Interpretive Planning Approved by: __________________________________________________________ Jim Heaney, Superintendent Date: __________________________________________________________June 10, 2020 Cover photo: The Boy Carver statue by Robert Amendola. Photo: Rick Koeshall Photography ii George Washington Carver National Monument About Interpretive Planning Planning is organized decision-making. Park staff and partners work in collaboration to determine direction, think through parameters and mutually agreed-upon criteria, and use data to make informed, strategic, and realistic decisions about future actions. The goal of visitor experience planning is to make decisions and set priorities that help to strategically apportion limited NPS resources to their best advantage to do the most good in service to the public. A good interpretive plan has focus, provides direction, and reflects informed choices to move an organization forward. Good plans don’t overwhelm or promise to do too many things. Good plans also experiment and stretch organizations and challenge their individual members to experiment to meet current and future audience needs and expectations. Interpretation planning is built on data, regular reviews and analysis, and annual adjustments to the action plan. With attention to annual reviews and incremental adjustments, large-scale, “one-and-done” planning efforts become less necessary, and incremental iterative planning becomes more effective, tailored, flexible, and responsive to current audiences, needs, and circumstances. These shorter cycles Park ranger talking have the added benefit of better matching the strategic planning cycles of partners to visitors at the Boy and philanthropies. Carver statue. Photo: NPS–GWCA The Measure of a Good Plan A primary measure of a good plan is one that is implemented; where actions are systematically accomplished and periodically examined for relevance and adjusted accordingly. A plan that looks pretty but it isn’t used to guide an organization isn’t a real plan. Another measure of success for a planning process is at the end, participants should feel in control (not overwhelmed), confident, connected, and energized. There should be a clear understanding of common direction. Personal and professional relationships will have been strengthened, responsibilities are shared, and there should be a realistic perspective that looks forward to the challenges that will grow and stretch both organizations and individuals. Long-Range Interpretive Plan iii The Planning Process The collaborative process used in planning helps to establish common understanding, direction, and priorities for park staff and partners. Planning helps position a NPS unit to be the strongest park it can be given its strengths, niche, and capacity. It doesn’t try to make a park into something that can never realistically be achieved or attempt to recreate how a park may have functioned in the past. A good plan balances aspiration with the will and capacity to carry out the actions. This plan was built on the park’s Foundation Document and other plans and follows NPS requirements for interpretation planning in Director’s Order #6. The Foundation section workshop was held on August 14, 2019. The Recommendations workshop was held December 3–5, 2019, and the Implementation Strategy meeting was held via teleconference on April 7, 2020. Appendix A includes a listing of all workshop participants. Dedicated staff create a wonderful opportunity for students to get a little experience of life on the frontier during the late 1800s. Photo: NPS-GWCA iv George Washington Carver National Monument Table of Contents About Interpretive Planning .............................................iii Table of Contents ........................................................ v Foundation for Planning ................................................ 1 Brief Description. 1 Purpose .............................................................. 2 Statements of Significance .............................................. 2 Interpretive Themes ................................................... 3 Essential Questions .................................................... 3 Challenges and Opportunities Affecting Interpretation ................... 5 Recommendations ...................................................... 7 Vision for the Future ................................................... 8 Goals for Interpretation and Education .................................. 9 Future Visitor Experiences ............................................10 Implementation Plan .................................................17 Appendices .............................................................21 Appendix A: The Planning Team .......................................22 Appendix B: Accessibility Guidelines ...................................23 Appendix C: Interpretive Theme Matrix ................................24 Appendix D: Desired Visitor Experiences ..............................28 Appendix E: Audiences ...............................................30 Appendix F: Existing Conditions ......................................32 Appendix G: Local Demographic Information ..........................42 Appendix H: Education Standards and School District Goals ............43 Appendix I: Existing Condition Data ...................................44 Appendix J: References ...............................................46 Appendix K: June 2020 Education Plan .................................47 Long-Range Interpretive Plan v Foundation for Planning Grand opening ceremony for the visitor center expansion construction project on August 8, 2007. Photo: NPS-GWCA vi George Washington Carver National Monument Foundation for Planning Brief Description George Washington Carver National Monument is in Newton County in southwest Missouri and is composed of land that was the 240-acre farm of Moses Carver. The farm was the birthplace and childhood home of George Washington Carver, the distinguished African American scientist, educator, and humanitarian who became known for his work at Tuskegee Institute. On July 14, 1943, the bill authorizing the establishment of the monument passed and became Public Law (PL) 148 of the 78th Congress. Congress directed the National Park Service to maintain and preserve George Washington Carver’s birthplace as a suitable and enduring public memorial in his honor. This was the first time in United States history that a birthplace site was designated as a national monument to someone other than a United States president, and the first time a unit of the national park system was established to honor the contributions of an African American. While the park was established in 1943, it was not until July 23, 1949, that the District Court of the United States for the Western District of Missouri, Southwestern District, entered a judgment decreeing the title to 210 acres of land to the United States for the purpose of establishing the monument. Funding to pay for the decree was not authorized by Congress until September 1950. On June 14, 1951, almost eight years after PL 148-78 passed, 210 acres of the original 240- acre Moses Carver Farm were turned over to the National Park Service. In 2004 the remaining 30 acres of the original Moses Carver Farm were donated to the George Washington Carver Birthplace District Association by Mrs. Evelyn Taylor and her late husband W.J. “Bud” Taylor. The Association later donated the land to the National Park Service, making the 240-acre Moses Carver Farm property complete. The National Park Service began staffing the park in September 1952, and on July 14, 1953, George Washington Carver National Monument was officially dedicated. The park’s first visitor center, maintenance building, roads, and residences were constructed as a part of the “Mission 66” program, and were dedicated in July 1960. Mission 66 was a program to improve park facilities and conditions within the national park system after World War II. The original visitor center housed a museum, restroom facilities, and administrative offices. In June 2007 the construction of a newly remodeled and expanded (18,000 square foot) visitor center was completed. This multilevel facility houses a museum, theater, gift shop, interactive exhibit areas, classrooms, additional restrooms, library, museum collection storage facility, office space, and a large multipurpose area that also serves as a tornado shelter. The current landscape of the monument is a combined setting of restoration prairies, woodlands, streams, riparian corridors, and the manicured lawns surrounding the visitor center. 2016 Foundation Document Long-Range Interpretive Plan 1 Foundation for Planning Purpose As the first national park dedicated to an African American, George Washington Carver National Monument preserves the site of his birthplace and childhood home to memorialize and interpret the life and legacy of George Washington Carver. 2016 Foundation Document Statements of Significance Significance statements are important for identifying resource management and interpretation priorities, and in defining the kinds of visitor experiences most appropriate for George Washington Carver National Monument. • The park preserves the