South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Evaluation Findings Cynthia Helba, Ph.D. Preethy George, Ph.D. Glynis Jones, M.S. August 2012 Prepared for: Prepared by: United States National Park Service Westat Washington, DC 1600 Research Boulevard Rockville, Maryland 20850-3129 (301) 251-1500 Table of Contents Section Page Executive Summary................................................................................................................ 1 Section 1: Introduction .................................................................................................... 14 Section 2: Overview of the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and Coordinating Entity ........................................................................................ 24 Section 3: The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Corporation Structure and Organization ........................................................................... 37 Section 4: Public/Private Investments in SCNHC and their Impact ...................... 78 Section 5: SCNHC Coordinating Entity Sustainability .............................................. 87 Tables Table 1 Crosswalk of Heritage Area Purposes, Goals, and Current Activities ............................................................................................................. 3 Table 2.1 SCNHC Timeline ........................................................................................... 28 Table 3.1 Crosswalk of Heritage Area Purposes, Goals, and Current Activities ........................................................................................................... 40 Table 3.2 Cumulative SCNHC Grant Awards per Year to Partner Sites ............... 43 Table 3.3 Grants Awarded to Preservation of Historic Structures ........................... 45 Table 3.4 Grants to Sites for Natural Resource Preservation ................................... 51 Table 3.5 Grants to Sites for Cultural Resource Preservation ................................... 52 Table 3.6 SCNHC Coordinating Entity Trainings and Number of Participants in 2009-2011 .............................................................................. 60 Table 3.7 Grants Awarded for Educational and Interpretive Activities .................. 61 Table 3.8 Grants Awarded for Tourism and Marketing............................................. 68 Table 4.1 Direct Financial Investments in SCNHC, Total and by Year .................. 79 Table 4.2 Overview of Federal Funds Awarded, Federal Funds Expended, Matching Contributions and Match Ratio by Year.................................... 80 Table 4.3 Overview of NPS Funds and Matching Contributions by Year .............. 81 Table 4.4 SCNHC Coordinating Entity Operational Spending by Year ................. 83 Table 4.5 SCNHC Coordinating Entity Reported Programming Expenses by Program Type ............................................................................................ 84 Table 4.6 Grant Funding Awarded to Sites by Program Area .................................. 84 Table 5.1 Federal Funds Received, Non-Federal Funds Received, Total Revenue and Total Expenses by Year ......................................................... 94 i Table of Contents Chapter Page Figures and Graphs Figure 2.1 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and its Regions .................... 26 Figure 2.2 Organizational Chart for SCNHC ............................................................... 34 Figure 3.1 National Heritage Area Logic Model– South Carolina National Heritage Corridor ........................................................................................... 39 Figure 3.2 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Website Visitation .............. 73 Figure 3.3 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Website Actions .................. 73 Figure 4.1 SCNHC Match Results by Year ................................................................... 81 Figure 4.2 Percent of Grant Funding Awarded by Program Area ............................. 85 Appendices Appendix 1 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Evaluation Legislation ........................................................................................................ 98 Appendix 2 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Authorizing Legislation ........................................................................................................ 99 Appendix 3 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Evaluation Methodology ................................................................................................. 104 Appendix 4 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Discussion Protocols ...... 115 Appendix 5 Timeline of South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Key Events 1993-2010 ......................................................................................... 142 Appendix 6 South Carolina National Heritage Corridor Partner Sites .................... 146 Appendix 7 Sample Conference Agenda Hosted by the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor ......................................................................... 152 ii Executive Summary Purpose of the Report In 1996, United States Congress through Public Law 110-229 officially designated nine National Heritage Areas (NHAs). An NHA can be any size and is intended to encourage historic preservation and an appreciation of the unique natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources that represent a nationally important American story. The South Carolina National Heritage Corridor (SCNHC) is one of the nine designated areas. The SCNHC coordinating entity began receiving Federal funds in 1998. In May 2008, Congress mandated that an evaluation, under the auspices of the Secretary of the Interior, be conducted of each of the nine NHAs to review accomplishments made over the approximately 15 year period in which they operated. Based on the findings from each evaluation, the Secretary of the Interior will prepare a report to Congress with recommendations regarding the future role of NHAs with respect to NPS. Key Evaluation Questions The key findings from the SCNHC evaluation are organized by the three questions introduced in Section 1 and derived from the legislation, Public Law 110-229, that serve as a framework for this evaluation: 1. Based on its authorizing legislation and general management plan, has the heritage area achieved its proposed accomplishments? 2. What have been the impacts of investments made by Federal, State, Tribal and local government and private entities? 3. How do the heritage area’s management structure, partnership relationships, and current funding contribute to its sustainability? South Carolina National Heritage Corridorw S-1 Evaluation Findings Key Findings Evaluation Question 1: Based on its authorizing legislation and general management plan, has the heritage area achieved its proposed accomplishments? As outlined in Table 1, the legislated purposes for the SCNHC and the goals of the management plan were articulated into four strategy areas of activities that framed our inquiry. Over the last 15 years, the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor nonprofit organization, as the coordinating entity, has fulfilled its legislated purposes and goals outlined in the management plan through the federal resources provided. Its efforts have centered on the following four strategy areas: resource preservation; education, interpretation, and technical assistance; tourism, recreation and economic development; and marketing, advertising and outreach. The accomplishments and impacts in each of these areas are briefly described below. A more complete assessment of each of the areas is provided in Section 3. South Carolina National Heritage Corridorw S-2 Evaluation Findings Table 1 Crosswalk of Heritage Area Purposes, Goals, and Current Activities Purposes as Specified in Current SCNHC Goals/ Legislation SCNHC Management Plan Goals Activities To protect, preserve, To preserve the diverse types of Resource Preservation conserve, restore, promote, historic resources, which portray and interpret the the range of settings and activities Education, Interpretation and significant land and water significant to the entire Corridor Technical Assistance resource values and and its individual communities. functions of the Corridor; Tourism, Recreation and To educate residents/ visitors Economic Development about the history of the Heritage Corridor and its regions, building Marketing, Advertising and appreciation for the special Outreach qualities of man-made and natural landscapes as well as its culture and people. To encourage and support, To define programs and projects, Education, Interpretation and through financial and which can achieve economic Technical Assistance technical assistance, the benefits from increased tourism State of South Carolina, the throughout the Corridor. Tourism, Recreation and units of local government Economic Development of the State, and the private sector in the development of a heritage plan for the Corridor to ensure coordinated public and private action in the Corridor area in a manner consistent with subsection ; To provide, during the To facilitate and expand Resource Preservation development of an recreational and cultural tourism integrated heritage plan, by South Carolinians and out-of- Education, Interpretation and Federal financial and state visitors, capitalizing on the Technical Assistance technical assistance for the Corridor’s rich historical, natural protection, preservation, and human resources. Tourism,