National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory Village Of
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National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory Village of Valley Forge Valley Forge National Historical Park Table of Contents Inventory Unit Summary & Site Plan Concurrence Status Geographic Information and Location Map Management Information National Register Information Chronology & Physical History Analysis & Evaluation of Integrity Condition Treatment Bibliography & Supplemental Information Village of Valley Forge Valley Forge National Historical Park Inventory Unit Summary & Site Plan Inventory Summary The Cultural Landscapes Inventory Overview: CLI General Information: Purpose and Goals of the CLI The Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI), a comprehensive inventory of all cultural landscapes in the national park system, is one of the most ambitious initiatives of the National Park Service (NPS) Park Cultural Landscapes Program. The CLI is an evaluated inventory of all landscapes having historical significance that are listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, or are otherwise managed as cultural resources through a public planning process and in which the NPS has or plans to acquire any legal interest. The CLI identifies and documents each landscape’s location, size, physical development, condition, landscape characteristics, character-defining features, as well as other valuable information useful to park management. Cultural landscapes become approved CLIs when concurrence with the findings is obtained from the park superintendent and all required data fields are entered into a national database. In addition, for landscapes that are not currently listed on the National Register and/or do not have adequate documentation, concurrence is required from the State Historic Preservation Officer or the Keeper of the National Register. The CLI, like the List of Classified Structures, assists the NPS in its efforts to fulfill the identification and management requirements associated with Section 110(a) of the National Historic Preservation Act, National Park Service Management Policies (2006), and Director’s Order #28: Cultural Resource Management. Since launching the CLI nationwide, the NPS, in response to the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), is required to report information that respond to NPS strategic plan accomplishments. Two GPRA goals are associated with the CLI: bringing certified cultural landscapes into good condition (Goal 1a7) and increasing the number of CLI records that have complete, accurate, and reliable information (Goal 1b2B). Scope of the CLI The information contained within the CLI is gathered from existing secondary sources found in park libraries and archives and at NPS regional offices and centers, as well as through on-site reconnaissance of the existing landscape. The baseline information collected provides a comprehensive look at the historical development and significance of the landscape, placing it in context of the site’s overall significance. Documentation and analysis of the existing landscape identifies character-defining characteristics and features, and allows for an evaluation of the landscape’s overall integrity and an assessment of the landscape’s overall condition. The CLI also provides an illustrative site plan that indicates major features within the inventory unit. Unlike cultural landscape reports, the CLI does not provide management recommendations or Cultural Landscapes Inventory Page 1 of 137 Village of Valley Forge Valley Forge National Historical Park treatment guidelines for the cultural landscape. Inventory Unit Description: The Washington’s Headquarters/Village of Valley Forge component landscape, approximately 350 acres in size, is part of Valley Forge National Historical Park. Located 18 miles to the northwest of the City of Philadelphia between Phoenixville and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, the component landscape abuts the Schuylkill River to its south, encompassing the river’s confluence with Valley Creek. In addition to lands to the east and west of Valley Creek, the component landscape includes portions of the lower slopes of Mounts Misery and Joy hillsides, as well as relatively level to rolling terrain overlooking the river. Two state roads traverse the component landscape—Valley Forge Road (Route 23) and Valley Creek Road (Route 252)—as does a rail line administered by Conrail. The majority of the site’s buildings and structures are oriented along Valley Forge Road. They are an eclectic mix of styles and materials that range in age from thirty years or less to two hundred or more years, and reflect the site’s extended history as an industrial village. Currently, there are residences, as well as commercial and institutional structures. Some have been adapted for use by the National Park Service for administrative and office use. Much of the remainder of the component landscape is wooded, except for the area around Washington’s Headquarters. Extant features as well as known archeological resources indicate a long history of cultural use and occupation, likely dating from the Archaic period through the twentieth century. Particularly significant are the component landscape’s associations with the Revolutionary War-era encampment of the Continental Army during winter and spring of 1777-1778, including the dwelling where General George Washington made his headquarters, and with the 1893 establishment of the first state park in Pennsylvania. Four sub-areas, defined by landform and landcover, characterize the component landscape. These include the Valley Creek corridor, the heavily wooded lower slopes of Mount Misery, the pastoral area east of Valley Creek around Washington’s Headquarters that includes visitor access, interpretation, and commemorative features, and the densely settled region to the west of Valley Creek. The Valley Creek corridor includes Valley Creek, Valley Creek Road which winds along the creek to its east, a pedestrian trail along the creek’s western bank, remnant industrial features such as dams, headraces, and sites of former structures, and deciduous woodland. The character of the corridor changes dramatically from a narrow gorge that passes between wooded Mounts Misery and Joy to a more open, wider channel as it traverses the river terrace above the Schuylkill River. The wooded lower slopes of northern Mount Misery form the component landscape’s southwestern corner. Evidence of charcoal-producing activities associated with the support of the iron forges along Valley Creek, including remnant charcoal hearths and colliers hut sites, dot the hillside, which is densely wooded. Footpaths and trails associated with park recreational uses traverse the hillside. Remnants of a nineteenth century residence and bottling plant complex also are in evidence within this area. The pastoral landscape around Washington’s Headquarters extends over the red sandstone river terrace that abuts the Schuylkill River to the east of Valley Creek. It is characterized by features established in support of park development—lawn, groves of trees and other ornamental plantings, commemorative features such as monuments and replica encampment huts, worm fencing, stone walls, and visitor amenities such as walks, parking areas, picnic benches and site furnishings, and interpretive Cultural Landscapes Inventory Page 2 of 137 Village of Valley Forge Valley Forge National Historical Park waysides. An early twentieth century train station sits commandingly along the Conrail line just north of the Headquarters building. Evidence of former eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century industrial activities is limited within this area, but includes a remnant canal towpath, road traces, impoundment features, and remains of mill races. The Village of Valley Forge sub-area edges Valley Forge Road to the west of Valley Creek and to the north of Mount Misery. In addition to the many extant buildings and structures with eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century origins, there are remnants of nineteenth century industrial activities including structural ruins, road traces, dam ruins, impoundment areas, and remains of millraces. A prominent residential development dating from the late nineteenth century edges Valley Forge Road. It includes various residences and outbuildings, many of which are Victorian in their architectural styling. Valley Forge National Historical Park is significant for its association with George Washington’s encampment and commemorative aspects (P.L. 94-337). The Washington’s Headquarters/Village of Valley Forge component landscape is nationally significant for its association with the Revolutionary War encampment of Washington’s Continental Army. It is also significant for middle eighteenth century industrial development of at least two iron forges, and as an industrial village district with a long history of industrial and transportation developments spanning the majority of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The component landscape is significant at the state level as part of the first state park established in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. While the archeological significance of the site has not been evaluated, previous archeological investigations have yielded, and the site is expected to continue to yield, important information about the site’s cultural history, ranging from the Archaic Period of prehistory through twentieth century park development. The site is likely part of a significant archeological district. The National Park Service is in the process of completing the draft archeological