Number 54 Virginia Department of Historic Resources 2016 A Special Commemorative Issue

Celebrating 50 Years of Preserving Virginia’s History Number 54 Virginia Department of Historic Resources 2016

Notes from the Director 3 Part I: Beginnings A “New Preservation”: Creation of the National Historic Preservation Act 6 by Ronald D. Anzalone Historic Preservation in Virginia & The Department of Historic Resources 10 by Margaret T. Peters Profiles of DHR Directors 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, 25 by Robert A. Carter Part II: DHR Yesterday and Today DHR’s Archives: 30 Under One Roof, Informaton about VA’s Historic Resources by Elizabeth Lipford

Virginia’s Historical Marker Program: Its History and Growth 36 by Jennifer Loux DHR Collections, The Future of the Past: The Hatch Site 43 by Michael Barber The Great Neck Excavations: Partnerships and Field Schools Serve Virginia Archaeology 44 by Michael Clem Partnerships in Preservation: Summerseat Revival 51 by John S. Salmon and Marc C. Wagner Protecting Our Heritage Through Rehabilitation Tax Credits 53 by DHR Staff Part III: Looking to the Future: Virginia’s Coasts Architectural Survey of Virginia’s Coasts: 56 NPS, DHR & Local Communities Partner to Record Historic Resources by Blake McDonald Archaeological Resources on Virginia’s Coast: 64 Recording Cultural Resources on Shifting Shorelines by Darrin Lowery Coda: DHR at a Glance: 50 Years by the Numbers 70 DHR Staff, September 2016 71 Our Mission The Department of Historic Resources is dedicated Notes from the Director to fostering, encouraging. and supporting the stewardship and use of Virginia’s significant Julie V. Langan architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources. 016 stands out as a special opportunity for reflection for the Headquarters: 2Department of Historic Resources (DHR) as we celebrate 2801 Kensington Avenue the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act About this Issue: In celebration of the 50th anniversary of DHR as Richmond, VA 23221 well as the National Historic Preservation Act and Virginia Open- and the creation of a state preservation policy in the Com- (804) 462-6446 Space Land Act, DHR created this special commemorative issue of monwealth of Virginia. This milestone has prompted us to take Notes on Virginia, last published online in 2009. stock of how our agency, as well as the preservation movement Eastern Region Preservation Office: Thanks to all current DHR staff for their work, and, in particular, at large, has evolved over time and to appreciate and savor 2801 Kensington Avenue for help with this commemorative issue of Notes on Virginia, special our accomplishments. This anniversary is not ours alone, but Richmond, VA 23221 thanks to Mike Barber, Melina Bezirdjian, Dominic Bascone, Michael is shared by all who have ever been involved in efforts to pre- (804) 462-6446 Clem, Dee DeRoche, David Edwards, Joanna Wilson Green, Jim Hare, Quatro Hubbard, Carey Jones, Roger Kirchen, Lauren Leake, serve Virginia’s cultural resources. Together, we can be proud Northern Region Preservation Office: Elizabeth Lipford, Jennifer Loux, Blake McDonald, Brad McDonald, of our collective achievements and the integrity and efficacy of 5357 Main Street Lena McDonald, Megan Melinat, Wendy Musumeci, Chris Novelli, the core preservation programs that have been put in place to Stephens City, VA 22655 Michael Pulice, Jen Pullen, Jolene Smith, Elizabeth Tune, Tyler identify, evaluate and protect historic resources. While there is Turpin, Jessica Ugarte, Marc Wagner, Stephanie Williams, and Direc- (540) 868-7030 tor Julie Langan; thanks, too, to former DHR staff members Robert A. always much work left to be done, the last five decades of this Carter, Calder Loth, Margaret T. Peters, and E. Randolph Turner. The relatively young movement built a rock solid foundation upon which we can continue to build Western Region Preservation Office: magazine was edited and designed by Randall Jones. well into the future. 962 Kime Lane In recognition of this anniversary year, DHR printed this spe- All of us at DHR have been in a celebratory mood as we have planned for low cost, yet cre- Salem, VA 24153 cial issue of Notes on Virginia for release at Preservation Virginia’s ative and meaningful ways to commemorate this jubilee year. In addition to a number of special (540) 387-5443 annual conference, held on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the National Historic Preservation Act on October 16, 1966. The agency’s events, this issue of Notes on Virginia, improvements to our website and the development of a Historic Resources Fund covered the printing costs of the magazine. plan for a digital version of the Virginia Landmarks Register publication, are legacy projects that will benefit the public in the years ahead. This one-time commemorative issue of Notes revives a popular publication that, due to budget constraints, has been dormant since 2009. An expanded digital version will be available online later this year. Board of Historic Resources State Review Board Virginia has always been, and remains to this day, a national leader in the preservation move- Notes on Virginia was financed, in part, ment. This stature derives in large part from a legacy of strong leadership and vision. In the late with federal funds from the U.S. Depart- ment of the Interior, through the Virginia Clyde P. Smith, Chair, Elizabeth A. Moore, Ph.D., 1960’s, the General Assembly, which understood that history is one of the Commonwealth’s most Department of Historic Resources, Com- Great Falls Chair, Martinsville valuable assets, had the foresight to put programs in place to protect our irreplaceable wealth monwealth of Virginia. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of historic properties. Just as cultures evolve over time, so too has the Commonwealth’s own of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the U.S. Margaret T. Peters, Vice Chair, Joseph D. Lahendro, involvement and investment in our relatively young movement to preserve cultural resources. Department of the Interior prohibits discrim- Richmond Vice-Chair, Charlottesville ination on the basis of race, color, national The rich and prescient history of the preservation movement in Virginia is eloquently summa- origin, or disability in its federally assisted rized in Margaret Peter’s excellent overview, which begins on page 10. programs. If you believe that you have Nosuk Pak Kim, Newport Sara Bon-Harper, Ph.D., been discriminated against in any program The overall mission of the Department to“ foster, encourage, and support the stewardship of or activity described herein, or if you desire News Charlottesville Virginia’s significant historic architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources” has guided and further information, please write to the Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Depart- defined this agency’s work over the past fifty years. Through a combination of state and federal ment of the Interior, MS 5221 – 1949 C Dr. Colita Nichols Fairfax, Gabrielle Milan Lanier, Ph.D., programs, we are committed to documenting, evaluating and protecting the full range of historic Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240. The Norfolk Harrisonburg contents and opinions of this publication do properties. This important work is undertaken by a “lean and mean” professional staff, each of not necessarily reflect the views or policies whom contributes a strong academic background and depth of experience, as well as a passion of the Department of the Interior, nor does Frederick S. Fisher, Lauranett L. Lee, Ph.D., for sharing Virginia’s rich history with the public. Putting history into context so that the public any mention of trade names or commer- Charles City County Chesterfield County cial products constitute endorsement or can understand and appreciate it is at the heart of what we do. recommendations by the Department of In the beginning, those associated with the preservation movement tended to focus on the Interior. The Virginia Department of Ashley Atkins-Spivey, Carl Lounsbury, Ph.D., Historic Resources, in accordance with the and appreciate attractive buildings, or buildings associated with our forefathers, over the many American Disabilities Act, will make this Richmond Williamsburg publication available in Braille, large print, other types of historic resources of equal importance. As a consequence, we came to realize and or audiotape upon request. Please allow 4 acknowledge that this bias had resulted in a skewed view of Virginia’s past. To correct this dispar- to 6 weeks for delivery. Drew Gruber, Williamsburg John Salmon, Richmond

4 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 5 ity, DHR has taken deliberate steps to explore other themes and aspects of our shared history so that the record more fully represents the diverse story of the history of Virginia. In recent years, Part I: Beginnings we have made it a priority to survey, register and celebrate through our highway marker program topics pertaining to Native Americans, African Americans, women and the recent past. These efforts, which sometimes require us to address sensitive and difficult issues from our past, have National Historic Preservation Act (1966) been embraced by the public and have resulted in a recorded history that is more fully representa- tive, multi-faceted and complex. Over the years, we have faced our share of challenges. Budgets have expanded and contracted, Virginia’s Open Space Land Act (1966) directly impacting our agency’s capacity. We often struggle to engage residents and decision makers who are complacent, taking our history for granted, failing to recognize its considerable contribution to the Virginia economy and our collective quality of life. Currently, we are trying to come to terms with the very real and incontrovertible threat to cultural resources due to sea level Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission to rise. We would be remiss if this issue didn’t focus on this very real and powerful environmental threat, which is the thrust of Part III of the magazine. Nothing has had a more profound effect on how we go about our work than technology. In the Department of Historic Resources addition to creating efficiencies, technology enables us to make huge amounts of information accessible to the public. It also makes it easier for the public to access and participate in our pro- grams. Our ever-evolving website, the Virginia Cultural Resource Information System (VCRIS) and even Facebook have changed the way we do business and enable us to provide enhanced cus- tomer service. Thankfully, this is a trend that will continue to influence the way we work, enhance our productivity and create new efficiencies. For those of us interested in history, preserving our historic resources is obvious. But even for those focused solely on the bottom line, preservation makes economic sense. Year after year, our impressive collection of properties, that span roughly 16,000 years of prehistory and history, generates income for the Commonwealth by revitalizing communities, attracting tourists and fostering an overall quality of life that make Virginia a desirable place to live and visit. Count- less studies have shown that there is “Prosperity through Preservation.” The preservation of our wealth of historic resources triggers economic development that in turn, triggers reinvestment as well as new construction. As you read through this issue, please don’t miss page 70 where we have summarized the agency’s accomplishments by program area. Not reflected, as we did not keep a count prior to technology making that easy to do, are the nearly 100,000 projects reviewed during 50 years as required under Section 106. The organizational history of DHR includes a legacy of capable and qualified leadership. I am humbled to walk in the footsteps of my accomplished predecessors who are profiled on pages 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, and 25. It is an honor and privilege to have been entrusted with the stewardship of this agency, and it is no exaggeration to say that I have been blessed with my dream job. After working in the field of preservation for 34 years, I am still excited to come to work every day and have the pleasure of working alongside such inspiring colleagues. Like the rest of the staff at DHR, I know in my heart that our programs make Virginia a better place, not just today, but well into the future. Here’s to the next 50 years!

Sincerely, A “New Preservation” Congressional charter of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1949 Creation of the National Historic Preservation Act provided official legitimacy for broad private preservation efforts. But neither this nor other statutes created a national rallying point by Ronald D. Anzalone for more comprehensive preservation or pro- ver the last century, as a counterpart years—after all, preservationists are all about vided a means to integrate preservation into to the creation and expansion of the “historic context” to help evaluate historical governmental planning or programs. National Park system, historic pres- significance. The year 1966 gave us the the At the local level, in the 1920s there was Oervation in the U.S. has changed from a lim- Clean Water Restoration Act to combat the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. ited pursuit of preserving great houses and pollution, as well as the TV debut of the Shortly thereafter preservation ordinances other major historic landmarks into a grass- sci-fi series ’Star Trek’ It was a decade of were passed in Charleston and New Orleans. roots movement concerned with preserving Flower Power, antiheroes like Clint East- The Charleston ordinance gave its purpose: communities and everyday places important wood were on the big screen and the music “In order to promote the general welfare through the preservation and protection of historic places to our past. In conjunction with this trans- of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Cover of With Heritage So Rich, a groundbreaking formation, a public-private preser- Temptations, and the Supremes, and areas of historic interest.” But although report first published in January 1966. vation partnership has developed among others, was playing on there were a few local efforts, there were involving all levels of government, vinyl records and the radio. neither strong incentives nor good models for growing population, a lack of modern the non-profit world, property More seriously, the country preserving downtowns or neighborhoods. infrastructure, and a need for housing, the owners, and businesses. Concerned was gripped by upheaval, protest, After World War II, with a rapidly United States began to make major invest- citizens, preservation profession- and confrontation. The struggle ments in highways, urban renewal, and als, and elected officials regularly for Civil Rights was in full swing, public works. Unfortunately, despite some debate the breadth and depth of and the war in Vietnam rapidly tremendous accomplishments, federal public preservation support as well escalated. For the first time, projects and programs began to irrevoca- as what to do to improve it. But the cigarettes carried an FDA notice: bly change communities. Neighborhoods fact that nationally there are thou- “Caution: cigarette smoking may were demolished, historic buildings razed, sands of cities, towns, and counties be hazardous to your health.” archeological sites destroyed, bypasses cut with established historic districts, So within that context, how through landscapes. In short, federal dol- and that these places teem with did a new approach to preserva- lars were being used to destroy the nation’s enthusiastic volunteers, vibrant tion come about? history, and there wasn’t even a process in local government programs, and successful While there were earlier private pres- place to consider the impact. Billboards Main Street entrepreneurs, gives us hope. ervation efforts in Philadelphia, and at and other roadside clutter, along with sub- While most preservation is indeed local, Mount Vernon, Monticello, and a few other a game changer and principal factor in this landmarks, the earliest federal preservation

change has been federal law—the National law was the Antiquities Act of 1906. The Urban Renewal projects in the 1950s Historic Preservation Act of 1966, which law authorized the protection of antiquities and 1960s impacted many of Virginia’s turns 50 this year. The law was passed by on public lands (mostly in the west) along major cities including Norfolk and Rich- mond, among others; however, urban Congress in the mid-1960s at a time that saw with presidential designation of national renewal also took place in smaller cities widespread destruction of older buildings, monuments. The Historic Sites Act of 1935 as well including Harrisonburg, as seen neighborhoods, and other important cul- declared a national policy to preserve for in this aerial photograph (right) from circa 1961 of an area on the city’s north tural sites across the country through urban public use historic sites, buildings, and end that was cleared of houses, comn- renewal, highway construction, and other objects of national significance, and autho- mercial buildings and several churches. public improvements. The NHPA signaled rized the Interior Department to conduct The city executed the project in antici- pation of the thousands of travelers who America’s commitment to preserving its her- several related programs. It was the founda- would visit the city while passing by itage in spite of those trends. In the process, tion for today’s National Historic Landmark when Interstate 81 was completed. The its key components helped point the way to a program as well as the Historic American image above shows a block of houses destroyed during the Harrisonburg new covenant for preservation in America. Building Survey (HABS) and Historic project. (Photos: Carrier Library, Special It is instructive to look back at those American Engineering Record (HAER). Collections, James Madison University)

8 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 9 1966 report, With Her- While it was recognized that national our community life and development itage So Rich, revealed preservation goals could best be achieved in order to give a sense of orientation the extent of loss and the by supporting states as well as local citizens to the American people. breadth of public inter- and communities, it was also understood est in preservation. This that the federal government must set an The federal role now would be to report influenced Con- example through enlightened policies. “provide leadership” for preservation, gress to enact a strong Key provisions included: “contribute to” and “give maximum new statute establishing a encouragement” to preservation, and • A statement of national policy and “foster conditions under which our nationwide preservation direction to the federal government policy—the National His- modern society and our prehistoric on policy implementation; toric Preservation Act, or and historic resources can exist in pro- NHPA. • A National Register of Historic Places ductive harmony. The report called for a which recognized properties of state Section 106 of NHPA granted legal “new preservation” inte- and local as well as national signifi- status to historic preservation in federal grated with, rather than cance; planning, decision-making, and project The U.S. Postal Service issued stamps in the mid-1960s honoring Lady Bird execution. Section 106 requires federal Johnson’s “Beautify America” campaign. In 2012 the USPS issued adaptations of isolated from contemporary • Statewide programs and State His- the stamps to commemorate Johnson’s legacy. life, and went on to say: toric Preservation Officers; agencies to “take into account” the effects If the preservation of their actions on historic properties, and urban sprawl, led to blighted landscapes. • Matching grants for states and the provide the ACHP with an opportunity to movement is to be successful…it must National Trust; With the Johnson Administration and go beyond saving occasional historic comment. Through pwublic consultation, the “Great Society” programs of the 1960s houses and opening museums. It must • An Advisory Council on Historic Section 106 has evolved to ensure that citi- there was increased interest in conserva- be more than a cult of antiquarians. It Preservation to advise the President and zens have a voice in those decisions. tion, the arts, and the humanities. First must do more than revere a few pre- Congress, coordinate policies and pro- Amendments in 1980 recognized “Cer- Lady “Lady Bird” Johnson encouraged cious national shrines. It must attempt grams, and advise on projects affecting tified Local Governments” for enhanced “Beautifying America,” and President to give a sense of orientation to our historic properties; and local involvement, along with federal Johnson began 1965 with a special message society, using structures and objects of agency requirements to integrate preser- to Congress on “Conservation and Resto- • Review of federal and federally-as- vation into their missions. In 1992 amend- the past to establish values of time and sisted undertakings affecting historic ration of Natural Beauty.” The message read place…. This new preservation must ments formalized the role and interests of in part: properties under Section 106 of the Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organi- look beyond the individual building and law. To deal with these new problems will individual landmark and concern itself zations, and established Tribal Preservation Two policy statements contained in the require a new conservation. We must with the historic and architecturally val- Officers. original NHPA in 1966 are particularly tell- th not only protect the countryside and ued areas and districts which contain a In 2016, the NHPA celebrates its 50 ing—the Congress “finds and declares” that save it from destruction, we must special meaning for the community… anniversary. As the preservation commu- restore what has been destroyed and .In sum, if we wish to have a future the spirit and direction of the Nation nity struggles with many issues, it needs to salvage the beauty and charm of our with greater meaning, we must concern are founded upon and reflected in its decide on priorities for the program’s future cities. Our conservation must be not ourselves not only with the historic historic heritage,” and “the historical so that it can continue to be effective, just the classic conservation of protec- highlights, but we must be concerned and cultural foundations of the Nation relevant, and responsive to our changing tion and development, but a creative with the total heritage of the nation and should be preserved as a living part of society’s needs and aspirations. conservation of restoration and inno- all that is worth preserving from our vation. past as a living part of the present. A White House conference on the sub- One motivation was to transform the Ronald D. Anzalone is director of the Office of Church, Virginia, he chairs the city’s Historical ject was proposed, and the Highway Beau- post-World War II federal government from Preservation Initiatives at the federal Advi- Commission. The opinions expressed in the tification Act was passed. These actions an agent of indifference or worse to a facil- sory Council on Historic Preservation, where article are the author’s and do not represent encouraged others to look into the related itator, an agent of thoughtful change, and a he has worked since 1980. A resident of Falls those of the ACHP or the federal government. needs of historic preservation. responsible steward for future generations. A special committee of the U.S. Con- The law also provided support needed for ference of Mayors, with the National Trust state and local preservation efforts. and several federal agencies, began a study The NHPA was signed by President of American preservation. The resulting Lyndon Johnson on October 15, 1966.

10 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 11 the law directed the VHLC to provide tan- National Historic Preservation Act created, Historic Preservation in Virginia gible and technical help to owners of land- among other things, the National Register of marks and to local governments. The Land- Historic Places, a comparable national regis- & the Department of Historic Resources marks Register became an educational tool as try that would guide all levels of government well, informing the public that historic build- as they coped with growth and development. by Margaret T. Peters ings had intrinsic value.5 Later in 1966, the Again, Virginia led the way.

Editor’s Note: The following is adapted from Chapter 5 (“Historic Preservation”) of the author’s James W. Moody Jr. book Conserving the Commonwealth: The Early Years of the Environmental Movement in Virginia, Director, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, 1967–1972 published in 2008 by the University of Virginia Press. istoric preservation has a long served historic properties all over Virginia, ames W. Moody, Jr. served as the first National Register of Historic Places. In tan- history in Virginia, thanks largely focusing on resources from Virginia’s colo- Jdirector of the Virginia Historic Land- dem with other State Liaison Officers he pio- to the individual efforts of genera- nial and antebellum periods. The Jamestown marks Commission from 1967 to 1972. neered in identifying and addressing common Htions of women’s groups that strived to save Island sites of the colonial church ruins, a A native of Oak Park, Illinois, graduate of problems faced by the states in working with the houses of Virginia’s heroes. The Mount graveyard, and a colonial fort and some Civil Sewanee, and naval officer in World War II, the National Park Service and other federal Vernon Ladies’ Association of the War earthworks, were acquired by Moody served as executive sec- agencies to implement statewide Union was organized in the 1850s. donation from Edward E. Barney retary of the Tennessee Historical historic preservation programs The founding of the Association for in 1893.2 Commission and administrator of under the 1966 Act. the Preservation of Virginia Antiq- In 1926, the Reverend W.A.R. Belle Meade Plantation in Nash- Moody aimed to foster a uities (APVA) in 1888 was moti- Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish ville, before taking on the challenge spirit of cooperation between vated by the collapse of Powhatan’s Church in Williamsburg, per- of organizing a new preservation the VHLC and land developers, Chimney in Gloucester County. suaded wealthy philanthropist agency for the Commonwealth of public and private. His efforts to Norfolk’s Mary Jeffrey Galt gathered John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to fund Virginia in Richmond. achieve cooperation bore fruit some friends from Richmond and the restoration or reconstruc- Moody recruited the Commis- in good working relationships Williamsburg and modeled the tion of historic buildings in that sion’s first team of historians, archi- with the Virginia Department new organization after the Mount colonial capital. Thus was born tectural historians and archaeolo- of Highways (VDOT) in trans- Vernon Ladies’ Association.1 In Colonial Williamsburg, serving as gists and warmly encouraged their portation project review and the early 1890s, the Confederate a classroom for 18th-century his- professional development. During with the Anheuser-Busch Com- Memorial Ladies’ Association tory and spurring efforts to save his tenure VHLC staff members pany in their development of the saved the White House of the or restore other historic buildings visited and surveyed nearly 10,000 James Moody, ca. 1946 Kingsmill Plantation Tract. More Confederacy in Richmond. In the 1920s, a across the Commonwealth and the nation.3 places in pursuance of their man- contentious were conflicts over group in Fredericksburg formed a chapter of With the creation of the Virginia Historic dated goal to identify and record the principal the demolition of a whole commercial block the Daughters of the American Revolution Landmarks Commission (predecessor to the historical, architectural and archaeological land- of iron-front buildings on East Main Street (DAR) to save Kenmore, the home of George Department of Historic Resources) in 1966, marks of the State. He formed a lasting part- in Richmond, the proposed development of Washington’s sister Betty and her husband, Virginia’s historic preservation program “took nership with the Historic American Buildings Richmond’s canal system, and the commis- Fielding Lewis. on a life of its own,” according to Junius R. Survey (HABS) that produced measured draw- sion’s support for property owners opposing The William Byrd Branch of the APVA Fishburne, Jr., historian and former VHLC ings of many of Virginia’s most outstanding his- construction of state facilities in Green Springs, in Richmond, inspired by local preserva- director.4 The state began to define historic toric landmarks. The Commission listed 330 Louisa County-- the agency’s first major con- tionists Mary Wingfield Scott and Elizabeth properties as part of Virginia’s environmental buildings and sites on the Virginia Landmarks troversy involving state-owned property. Scott Bocock, spearheaded efforts to found treasure. The mandate to the fledgling agency Register. By July, 1972 the Commonwealth had When Moody relinquished his position the Historic Richmond Foundation in 1957. was to identify, survey, and evaluate signifi- received easements on seven historic properties. in 1972, he took deep satisfaction in knowing That organization, one of the nation’s old- cant buildings, sites, and districts associated Appointed as State Liaison Officer by that the commission stood on a solid footing est and most effective local preservation with the Commonwealth’s history. The new Governor Linwood Holton in 1971, Moody and was served by an outstanding professional groups, was responsible for saving much of law authorizing the VHLC called for the helped create the role of State Historic Pres- staff. He continued his work in historic pres- the 19th-century neighborhood known as publication of a Virginia Landmarks Register, ervation Officer as administrator of federal ervation in the less stressful environment of Church Hill along with historic houses in an expandable official list of resources that funds granted to Virginia under the National Pensacola, Florida, servings as director of the what is left of historic downtown Richmond. reflected Virginia’s history. Beyond merely Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and nom- Pensacola Preservation Board until his retire- Meanwhile, the APVA acquired and pre- compiling a significant resource honor roll, inator of Virginia historic landmarks to the ment in 1986. He passed away in 1992.

12 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 13 preservation professional The 1966 Virginia Outdoors Plan, than government purchase or other public from Tennessee, as its first legislation enacted by the General Assem- ownership. George Freeman, the originator director. Under the National bly, had authorized both the VHLC and of the easement legislation, convinced key Historic Preservation Act the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to hold General Assembly members that Virginia authorizing the National perpetual easements on historic properties should encourage preservation of privately Register of Historic Places, listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register. owned historic landmarks by obtaining the VHLC director also The preservation easement program proved permanent legal protection of them while served as the State Historic to be a more effective and less costly tool for keeping them in private ownership and on Preservation Officer for saving historic homes and other buildings the tax rolls. He believed the best caretakers Virginia, which gave Moody and his staff responsibil- ity for running the federal Junius R. Fishburne Jr. program in Virginia. Vir- Director, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, 1972–1977 ginia Landmarks Register criteria and all other his- Charlottesville native, University of a broad spectrum of public and private agencies. The Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission–Department of Historic Resources toric preservation activity headquarters was housed in Morson’s Row off Capitol Square until 1998. AVirginia graduate, and the first Virgin- A decade after its inception, 688 proper- followed federal guidelines. ian to head the VHLC, Junius R. Fishburne ties were listed on the state register. An ongoing Reviewing federal projects for Jr., developed the Commonwealth’s historic statewide survey of historic structures and sites The VHLC began its work in 1967 their effect on historic properties, an activ- preservation program during became a primary source of data with a modest budget of $145,000 in ity mandated by the newly enacted federal its first decade. for preservation-related activi- th th offices on the 11 floor of the old 9 Street legislation, fell to the VHLC, and in return, After earning his Ph.D. ties throughout the Common- Office Building on Capital Square, mov- Virginia received federal funds to help defray in American colonial history wealth. th ing in 1973 to Morson’s Row, a 19 -cen- its preservation program costs. from Tulane University, Fish- Despite successes, Fish- tury historic row house at 221 Governor The VHLC developed property infor- burne joined the newly-formed burne was continually chal- Street. Stressing the importance of the new mation files that became the heart of its VHLC as research historian lenged by the Commission’s agency, legislators directed that represen- work. The staff gathered historical, archi- in 1967 and then as assistant limited staff and budget, which tatives from the most respected statewide tectural, and geographic data from surveys director. Appointed director in impeded timely responses to institutions serve on the new commission. conducted in the 1950s by the Historic July 1972, his first challenge was requests for technical assistance Experts in history, historical architecture, American Building Survey Inventory, maintaining and expanding or launching extensive new pro- landscape architecture, and archaeology supplemented by historical information the programs started by James grams to encourage and main- were all included. The first chairman, Dr. gathered in the 1930s by scholars working Moody Jr. while strengthening tain strong public interest. He Edward P. Alexander, was director of edu- for the Works Progress Administration public awareness of the impor- bequeathed to future directors Junius R. Fishburne, ca. 1971 cation and interpretation for Colonial Wil- (WPA). VHLC staff visited many properties tance of historic preservation to his hopes for a sophisticated liamsburg. John Melville Jennings, VHLC’s recorded in the Historic American Building Virginians. taxing policy, expanded his- vice-chair, was director of the Virginia Survey Inventory, photographing the build- Under Fishburne, the VHLC moved its head- toric district legislation and controls, inclusion Historical Society. Randolph Church, the ings and marking them on U.S. Geological quarters to Morson’s Row on Capitol Square, in the state Code of a comprehensive Antiqui- State Librarian; Em Bowles Locker Alsop of Survey maps. By July 1968, when the VHLC nurtured the establishment of the Virginia ties Law, greater resources to make the Com- the APVA; and Frederick Doveton Nich- submitted its first report to the governor, the Research Center for Archaeology at the Col- mission’s information more comprehensive and ols, professor at the University of Virginia staff had visited historic buildings in every lege of William and Mary as VHLC’s separate accessible, and creation of a revolving fund to School of Architecture, represented their county in the state.6 Today, the VHLC’s suc- archaeological branch, and doubled the number support local preservation. respective constituencies. Other members cessor agency, the Department of Historic of its professional staff. Fishburne departed the agency in 1977 of the first VHLC were Stanley W. Abbott, Resources, maintains files on more than The state program grew to include protection to become president of Southside Historical landscape architect from Williamsburg; 183,200 buildings and archaeological sites of thirty historic easement properties, a robust Sites and director of the Historic Hopewell Marvin M. Sutherland, director of the across the state. These materials – maps, grants-in-aid program to renovate registered Foundation. He left Virginia for South Dakota Department of Conservation; Dr. Frederick photographs, and historical data – collected landmarks, new legislation to confirm VHLC’s in 1980 to serve as State Historic Preservation Herman of Norfolk representing the Amer- in the course of surveying historic proper- role in review of state undertakings and state- Officer, then joint SHPO and director of the ican Institute of Architects, and William R. ties, have enabled nominations of thousands owned landmarks, publication of the first hard- South Dakota Historical Society. In 1994 he Seward of Petersburg. of buildings, sites, and structures for listing cover edition of the Virginia Landmarks Register returned to Virginia to become director of The VHLC selected James W. Moody, a on the Virginia and National registers. and strong outreach and training efforts aimed at Stratford Hall until 1999.

14 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 15 Historic Landmarks Com- open space and historic structures by 200 acres in rural Louisa County for a new mission and the Virginia condemnation for urban renewal, a serious prison facility. This provoked an outcry of Outdoors Foundation problem today in some other states. opposition to what was viewed as a threat were drafted with simple, The VHLC encountered its first major to the historic agricultural area known as straightforward language controversy involving state-owned property Green Springs. The Green Springs area that could be understood in the early 1970s, when the state bought had been farmed since the 18th century by laymen as well as law- yers. George Freeman made Tucker H. Hill speeches on the garden club Director, Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, 1977–1982 circuit throughout Virginia to explain the easements and their tax benefits to ppointed by Governor Mills Godwin in public to view the excavation site. The Commis- potential donors.8 Today, A1977 and reappointed by Governor John sion (via VRCA) also completed excavations of the easements are far more Dalton in 1978, Tucker Hill was the first gov- Governor’s Land and also established fourteen complex, in part because of ernor-appointed director and regional satellite offices in the The Branch House in Richmond, with 28 major rooms, was completed in ever-growing IRS regula- the first architectural historian state in cooperation with edu- 1919. tions. to serve as SHPO. Joining cational institutions, local his- When, in 1969, Gove- the Commission’s staff at its torical societies, and local gov- of historic properties, particularly residential nor Mills Godwin accepted the easement formation, he had served as ernments, and thereby greatly ones, were their owners.7 for the 128-acre property, Old Mansion assistant director from 1972, expanded its inventory of his- The legislation had been crafted so that in Caroline County, which contained an and as a member of the APVA’s toric, prehistoric, and archi- easements carried appreciable financial ben- important colonial manor house, it was Advisory Board and the City of tectural resources. Threats to efits to the donors as well as the preservation to preserve the land as well as the circa- Richmond’s urban design com- the preservation of the Green benefit to the Commonwealth. In exchange 1740 house. The family of the donor, Anne mittee. A Richmond native, Springs Rural Historic District for relinquishing the right to develop their Maury White, had owned Old Mansion Hill received his B.A. from in Louisa County (see p. xx) property or tear down their houses, donors for many generations and wanted to save the College of William and ended with the Department of could count on several tax breaks. Because the plantation for future generations. The Mary and a Master’s degree in the Interior’s decision to accept the perpetual easement restrictions gener- easement’s viability was soon tested. When architectural history from the easements on 8,000 acres of ally reduced the fair market value of a prop- the Virginia Department of Transportation University of Virginia. Tucker Hill in 1973 land in that district. erty, the difference in value before and after wanted to acquire a sizable portion of the Under Hill’s leadership, the During Hill’s final years as application of an easement as determined Old Mansion property to build a highway Commission gave new impetus to listing his- director, Congress changed the laws governing by a real estate appraiser, could be taken as a bypass around Bowling Green because that toric and prehistoric sites surveyed by the Vir- the federal preservation program, resulting in charitable tax deduction on both federal and was the cheapest alternative route, it asked ginia Research Center for Archaeology. He also restructured federal preservation and rehabil- state income taxes. the VHLC board to release the preserva- boosted the registration of urban districts in itation tax credit programs. The Commission In addition to providing tax benefits, tion easement on the land. The board held order to encourage the use of federal rehabilita- suffered serious funding problems brought on the easements allowed for adaptive re-use a public hearing at VDOT’s request and tion tax credits. (Virginia had no state historic by recision of its 1981 federal funds and the pro- of a property that was compatible with the concluded that it could not do so under rehabilitation tax credit program.) Hill’s appoint- longed uncertainty over its 1982 funds, resulting preservation values being protected, under the stringent criteria set forth in statute.9 ments to the Virginia State Review Board made it in temporary layoffs of staff. In early 1982, Hill the rationale that new functions often instill The highway segment was built elsewhere. one of the most distinguished SRBs of any State resigned to join the Valentine Museum as a con- new life into old buildings. For example, Fortunately, the 1966 Open Space Land Act Historic Preservation Office in the country. The sultant for researching and developing a perma- the Branch House, on Richmond’s Monu- had addressed this potential threat to open Commission also accepted its first easements in nent exhibition on Richmond’s history. When he ment Avenue described by the VHLC’s then space preservation—condemnation by state the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. departed, the Commission had listed over 900 senior architectural historian, Calder Loth, or local governments for alternative public The Commission also launched the Virginia historic places on the Virginia Landmarks Reg- as “one of the country’s finest examples of purposes. At that time the threat appeared Research Center for Archaeology‘s Yorktown ister, received on behalf of the Commonwealth the Tudor-Jacobean style,” now houses the most likely to come from proposed new Shipwreck Project, which located eight scuttled easement donations on more than 80 properties, headquarters of the Center for Virginia roads and highways. In hindsight, we can Revolutionary Warshipwrecks from British Gen. and certified 63 rehabilitation projects represent- Architecture and the Branch Museum of see that perpetual open space easements Cornwallis’s fleet. Underscoring its educational ing total rehabilitation expenses of over $13 mil- Architecture and Design. held by “public bodies” under that act also value, the project included construction of a cof- lion. The first easement forms for the Virginia offer protection against efforts to destroy ferdam and pier from the river shore to allow the Hill passed away in 2010.

16 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 17 Top: The Ninth Street Office Building in downtown Richmond housed the Virginia Historic Land- marks Commission, 1966–1973. Middle: Morson’s Row, near Capitol Square, housed VHLC/DHR 1973–1998, and DHR’s headquarters today at 2801 Kensington Avenue, Richmond, where the agency leases space from the Virginia Historical Society. 1976 case related to the Green Springs Historic District11. The Court called official landmark recognition a “hortatory act.” That is, recognition as a Virginia landmark was defined as “an act of encouragement”—and not an edict—to the owner to care for and pre- serve the historic prop- erty. 12 More specifically, being listed on the Vir- ginia Landmarks Register Caroline County’s Old Mansion in Bowling Green. The town was named for the did not prevent property property’s bowling green, one of the earliest established in English North America. owners from using their landmark in any way they and retained much of its rural landscape wished. Fortunately, pressure from other and many historic farmhouses. Governor landowners ultimately forced the mining Linwood Holton, faced with local opposi- company owning the property involved in The Green Springs Rural Historic District was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic tion led by landowner, attorney, and ardent that case to withdraw its mining plans. Places in 1973. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1974 and the focus of an important court case defining the legal preservationist Rae Ely, offered to withdraw Historic Green Springs, Inc., later meaning of historic district designation. the state’s proposal to build a prison if “the transferred its easements to the U.S. Gov- area could be preserved.”10 ernment, and they are now managed by ervation easement on his property given tus Hill in Sussex County, where human In 1973, the VHLC responded to Gover- the National Park Service. In 2005 a new by a previous owner in 1973 to Historic occupation dated back nearly 15,000 years. nor Holton’s requirement by listing the Green landowner in the Historic District tried Green Springs was invalid, but the Virginia Using funds donated by the Anheuser Springs Historic District on the Virginia to get the courts to declare that a pres- Supreme Court rejected his arguments.13 Busch Corporation, VHLC staff conducted Landmarks Register and nominating The VHLC’s role in seeking recogni- an in-depth archaeological survey of the it for the National Register of Historic tion for the exceptional landscape of Green 17th- and 18th-century Kingsmill Plantation Places. Stanley Abbott, a VHLC mem- Springs was quite a debut for a small state in James City County near Williamsburg. ber, respected landscape architect, and agency that was unaccustomed to newspa- Beyond historic belowground resources, the advocate for the value of special rural per headlines. The VHLC worked hard in Landmarks Commission and its successor landscapes in Virginia, strongly supported subsequent years to convince a skeptical the Virginia Board of Historic Resources Green Springs’s registration as a historic public that formally recognizing buildings has recognized other well-known planta- landmark. To protect their holdings from as “historic” did not usually restrict private tions and prominent public buildings such being taken by the state for a new prison property rights. But being listed on the as county courthouses and city halls.14 In or devalued by its presence in their neigh- National Register of Historic Places or being 1976, the Jackson Ward Historic District in borhood, many landowners in the new eligible for such designation did mean an Richmond was granted official recognition, district donated protective easements to environmental review at the federal level becoming the then-largest African-Ameri- Historic Green Springs, Inc., a Virginia and ensured that all feasible alternatives had can historic district in the nation. nonprofit corporation. A measure of to be explored before any action detrimental To fulfill its mission to provide informa- Green Springs’ significance was its rec- to the historic resource could take place. tion about historic landmarks and to promote ognition in 1974 as a National Historic VHLC staff documented archaeological good preservation practice, VHLC members Landmark, the highest honor accorded by During a ceremony in July 2016 in Bowling Green to recognize sites across the Commonwealth, inspired by and staff gave talks and slide lectures around the federal government. the 50th anniversary of state’s first preservation easement, VHLC member and internationally-known the state and published Notes on Virginia, The Virginia Supreme Court George Freeman was honored for his work in drafting Virginia’s archaeologist Ivor Noel Hume, leading to which regularly listed new additions to the easement legislation. L-R: Delegate Hyland F. “Buddy” Fowler Jr., explained what it meant to be listed on Anne Freeman, George Freeman, and Marialuz Moreno Badia, official recognition for many of the sites. Virginia Landmarks Register and newly the Virginia Landmarks Register in a owner of Old Mansion. One significant prehistoric site was Cac- acquired easements on historic properties

18 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 19 restored their historic buildings involved H. Bryan Mitchell the VHLC by 1981 more deeply in building technology, and the commission served as Director, VHLC / Division of Historic Landmarks, 1982–1989 an important clearinghouse for good pres- ppointed by Gov. Charles Robb in 1982, most notably creating a Department of His- ervation practices. The federal tax credits Aand reappointed by Gov. Gerald L. Bal- toric Resources with its own Board of Historic stimulated interest in programs like the iles in 1986, Bryan Mitchell brought consid- Resources. This act authorized new staff posi- Virginia and national registers, because erable experience as an administrator and tions and supported the new agency’s pro- “income-producing” historic landmarks preservation planner to the director’s posi- grams including its first regional office in Roa- were eligible for tax credits. Interest in fed- tion. He had previously served as VHLC’s noke. It created a historic properties revolving eral income tax credits grew after the Gen- assistant director, as a legislative assistant to fund; mandated DHR involvement with other eral Assembly enacted legislation in 1996 the Speaker of the House of Delegates, and environmental or cultural agencies; appropri- that created a Virginia historic rehabilitation as chairman of Petersburg’s Planning Com- ated new funds for a threatened properties tax credit, which can be applied on rehabil- mission, and a VCU instructor of historic grant program, and over $5 million to address itation projects involving either income or preservation planning. A Virginia specific preservation needs. non-income generating properties listed on native and graduate of University Under Mitchell’s leadership, the Virginia Landmarks Register. of Virginia, Mitchell received his DHL launched the Virginia Cer- By the early 1980s, the VHLC’s workload M.A. in political science from the tified Local Governments (CLG) had grown beyond the small agency’s capabil- University of Georgia in 1972. Program and funded free design ities. Local governments sought the VHLC’s Mitchell saw that Virginia’s need services for façade improvements guidance in developing local land use plans for an active, aggressive, missionary in Virginia Main Street communi- In 1995 DHR partnered with the University of Virginia now that Virginia Code permitted planning Landmarks Commission was greater ties. The agency managed a robust Press to publish this book, edited by DHR’s esteemed for historic resources.16 Preservationists real- architectural historian Calder Loth, who began working than ever but its financial resources state grants program, launched at VHLC-DHR in 1968. ized that the VHLC needed an organizational impeded its ability to do more. To the first comprehensive survey improve service, he restructured the of state-owned historic resources until it ceased publication. [This commem- VHLC’s programs, first by merging and took new and innovative orative issue of Notes on Virginia is the first the staff of its archaeological and approaches to registering historic published since 2009. –Ed.] The first land- architecture and history branches properties and renewed interest in marks register book was produced in 1976, into new functional divisions, then educating students to the values of a hard-bound illustrated volume containing by moving the archaeological staff, historic preservation. Virginia wit- a comprehensive list of properties enrolled archives and collections to Rich- nessed the greatest investment in as historic Virginia landmarks.15 A far larger mond. Under a restructuring of the its history in renewal of its historic third edition was published in 1986, followed executive branch, the VHLC in 1985 resources, spurred by a 25% fed- in 1999 by a fourth edition. Today, the size of joined other agencies to form a new Bryan Mitchell, ca. 1985 eral investment tax credit for cer- the landmarks register makes it financially Department of Conservation and tified rehabilitations (lowered to impractical to publish a fifth edition, which Historic Resources within a new Secretariat 20% in 1986). The agency published Manag- of necessity would have to be broken into two of Natural Resources. While the Commission ing a Resource, which set out Mitchell’s vision or three volumes. The Virginia Landmarks itself remained a governor-appointed board, of the agency’s role in promoting urban revi- Register is now maintained online, on DHR’s VHLC became the Division of Historic Land- talization; a new guidebook on state highway website. Other agency publications included marks (DHL)in a new department incorporat- markers; and a third edition of the Virginia A Guide to Virginia’s Historical Markers ing five other agencies. Landmarks Register. (1984) by Margaret T. Peters (updated in a Despite the agency’s loss of independence, From 1989 to 1994 Mitchell served as dep- 2007 third edition), and Virginia Landmarks the years under the succeeding Baliles admin- uty director of the new Department of His- of Black History (1995) by Calder Loth. For istration represented a time of optimism and toric Resources and president of the National 13 years, the VHLC sponsored a program of hard work for the new DHL. The newly orga- Conference of State Historic Preservation instruction about Richmond’s architectural nized Preservation Alliance of Virginia per- Officers. Following his state service, Mitchell history for inner-city schoolchildren, a series suaded Gov. Baliles to appoint a Study Com- had a distinguished career as chief for Heri- that was adopted in several other localities. mission on Historic Preservation in 1987 and tage Preservation Services of the NPS, over- Row houses along Clay Street in Richmond’s Jackson The passage of a 1976 federal law Ward Historic District, a large historically African-Ameri- earned gubernatorial and bipartisan support seeing a broad range of NPS’s external preser- providing income tax credits to those who can neighborhood in the city. for implementing its key recommendations— vation programs until his retirement in 2012.

20 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 21 reach the level that under Hugh C. Miller state policy triggered an Director, Department of Historic Resources, 1989–1994 automatic environmental impact review. The state ugh C. Miller served as the first director launched Virginia Heritage Tourism Weeks for believed it could proceed Hof the Virginia Department of Historic the first time and partnered with the Forestry without any consideration Resources and the first architect to fulfill the Department to provide training to forestry offi- of the historical value of role of State Historic Preservation Officer. cials and property owners to encourage inclu- the structures. Addition- Appointed by Gov. Gerald L. Baliles in 1989 sion of archaeological sites in management ally, even though VHLC and reappointed by Gov. Douglas Wilder plans. DHR and VDOT also reached mutual Chair Mary Douthat Hig- in 1990, Miller previously served as chief agreement on timely review of all state-funded gins had publicly declared historical architect of the National Park Ser- highway projects. the buildings historically vice, capping a twenty-eight-year career in Leasing new space in Tobacco Row for and architecturally sig- preservation with the federal government. A DHR’s growing archaeological collection, nificant, they had not yet Pennsylvania native and Fellow of the Amer- DHR also expanded its curatorial and conser- been formally entered on ican Institute of Architects, Miller earned his vation staff and became more active in taking Waterford Historic District (Loudoun County), in 2008. The district was listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places in 1969 the Virginia Landmarks bachelor’s degree in architecture from the the collections to the public. The establishment and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. (Photo: Acroterion/ Register. University of Pennsylvania. of an independent department also required Wikimedia Commons) Adjacent property Miller defined compre- the development of a new owners in the Shockoe hensive, high-quality sur- fully functioning Division advocate to lobby for more funding and staff. Valley, represented by the Shockoe Slip vey of historic resources as of Administration—which Leaders of several state groups joined forces Foundation, filed a lawsuit alleging that the the first goal of the agency. earned high marks from the to form the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, state had failed to consider its own policy to During his term, DHR pro- Auditor of Public Accounts. comprising the Historic Staunton Founda- conserve its historic resources as articulated vided support for surveys in The major controversy tion, the Association for the Preservation of in its 1970 constitution. The legal question twenty-five localities. DHR of Miller’s term involved Virginia Antiquities (APVA), the Historic was whether the policy directives in the state developed an innovative vehement opposition to Richmond Foundation, and the Waterford constitution were “self-executing.” On Jan- system of cost-sharing with the state designation of the Foundation, a group of Loudoun County res- uary 18, 1985, the Virginia Supreme Court local governments, whereby Brandy Station and Bris- idents organized to protect the tiny Quaker ruled that the constitution’s Article XI, sec- localities were invited to toe Station battlefields. The village of Waterford from expanding devel- tion 1, was not self-executing, which meant share the costs of survey Hugh C. Miller, ca. 1990 battle ended with new state opment and sky-rocketing land values in that environmentalists could not depend in mutually agreed upon legislation requiring owner Northern Virginia. on the language in the constitution alone to areas while the agency assumed administrative consent to any proposed state landmark des- In the spring of 1984, the first meeting of protect natural and historic resources from responsibilities. DHR completed and published ignation and a mandated re-study of the two the new Preservation Alliance took place at official state actions such as demolition.17 its survey of all state-owned historic buildings; battlefield designations that resulted in the Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Individuals, The buildings were torn down and replaced and developed and implemented use of Inte- removal of both battlefields from the Vir- local historical societies, institutional organi- with a state parking garage. grated Preservation Software (IPS) to automate ginia Landmarks Register. Nevertheless, DHR zations, local governments, and libraries were In 1987, David J. Brown, then-director of and exchange survey information. had affirmed that designated battlefield areas all invited to participate. Although the VHLC Preservation Alliance, persuaded Governor The newly opened Roanoke Regional Pres- must include the larger terrain that defined had always enjoyed strong support from Gerald L. Baliles to authorize a formal study ervation Office proved to be one of DHR’s most the troop movements. With gubernatorial prominent individuals, it could now call upon of historic preservation in the Common- fruitful efforts during his term. Other accom- support Miller enlisted Virginia as an active this statewide lobbying group to speak for wealth. The first comprehensive evaluation plishments included expansion of Archaeology partner in in the American Battlefield Protec- preservation interests in the political arena. of preservation of the built environment, the Week to Archaeology Month, development of tion program and fired the opening shots in a Regrettably, Virginia’s entire environ- study recommended that VHLC become a archaeology teaching trunks and field schools, long campaign to make the case for battlefield mental community suffered a serious blow in full-fledged department in state government. and publication of the book First People: The stewardship as a valuable tool for education, 1984, with historic preservation at the heart A newly named Department of Historic Early Indians of Virginia. With Gov. Wilder’s full heritage tourism and conservation. of the controversy. The state had developed a Resources would carry out the same func- support DHR expanded its work with Virginia’s Miller resigned as director in 1994 to con- long-range plan for Capital Square in Rich- tions and retain the same mission, but would African American community to recognize its tinue to pursue a fruitful career in historic preser- mond and wanted to demolish the historic be placed on a level with the Departments of heritage places with new highway markers, rec- vation both as an architectural consultant in pri- buildings it owned on East Main Street. Esti- Conservation, Transportation, Health, and ognition of special landmarks, and publication vate practice and as a thesis advisor and adjunct mated costs to demolish the buildings did not Taxation in the hierarchy of state agencies. of Virginia Landmarks of Black History. DHR professor at Goucher College in Baltimore.

22 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 23 ervation Virginia) is now H. Alexander Wise a powerful force for all Director, Department of Historic Resources, 1994–2000 aspects of historic preser- vation.19 The General Assembly lex Wise taught school, worked in all ley Battlefields Foundation, and in the success of later expanded the preser- Athree branches of the federal govern- DHR’s 1999 Community Awareness Campaign, vation easement program ment, and practiced law before accepting Gov. which trained volunteers in 130 localities to by requiring that historic George Allen’s appointment as director of the become local preservation advocates. properties receiving Department of Historic Resources in 1994. A Wise tirelessly promoted preservation as state grants of more than New York native raised in Lexington, Virginia, a tool to enhance Virginia’s economic, educa- $50,000 be placed under Wise graduated from UVa and held graduate tional, environmental and civic health. With a perpetual easement to degrees from George Washington University, strong gubernatorial support for what became the state. This requirement Georgetown University, and Washington known as the Virginia History Initiative, DHR protects not only the land- & Lee University Law School. He was reap- in 1995 convened a coordinating council of mark but also the public’s pointed by Gov. James Gilmore in 1998. Virginia’s major history and cultural institu- Shirley Plantation in Charles City County is one of several colonial-era James investment in its preserva- Wise took the reins just as DHR faced major tions and separate working groups on muse- River plantations under easement. The plantation lands date to 1613; construction on the current mansion began around around 1723. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) tion. The law limited these reductions in state funding as well ums and historic sites, state grants to local govern- as strong citizen opposition to the agencies with historic resources Under the new agency the former ments or qualifying nonprofit organizations. Walt Disney Company’s plans to and preservation partnerships. VHLC’s seven-member board would con- This led to protection of a far broader assort- build a history-related theme park The initiative opened avenues tinue to be appointed by the governor and ment of buildings: courthouses, theaters, in Haymarket. In the crucible of of cooperation and mutual sup- would retain its responsibilities to designate train stations, and even churches. By the end the so-called “Disney War,” which port such as the Virginia Time historic landmarks and accept preservation of 2006, these grants had resulted in more ended when Disney suddenly Travelers Program, Museums easements as the Board of Historic Resources, than 50 Virginia historic buildings being canceled the project, Wise formed on the Boulevard, the Tredegar just as the original Virginia Historic Land- placed under easement protection. Today, a partnership with the Virginia National Civil War Center, and marks Commission had done under the 1966 easements protect the nationally famous Historical Society to move DHR exciting plans for heritage trails legislation. The General Assembly adopted James River plantations of Westover, Berke- headquarters to a new, privately and special events leading to the recommendation for the Department of ley, Shirley in Charles City County and Tuck- funded wing of Battle Abbey on Jamestown 2007. On his watch Historic Resources in 1989, and Governor ahoe, Thomas Jefferson’s boyhood home in Kensington Avenue. Completed the agency also produced a Baliles selected the former chief architect for Goochland County. Private easements have by 1998, the new state-of-the-art new edition of the Guidebook the National Park Service, Hugh C. Miller, been donated on an a historic sheet metal facility met ADA standards and to Virginia’s Historical Mark- as DHR’s first director. George Freeman was shop, a canal lock-keeper’s house, tobacco gave DHR enhanced and new Alex Wise, ca. 1995 ers, a fourth edition of the Vir- appointed chair of the new Board of Historic factories, gristmills, historic taverns, Civil capabilities including a much ginia Landmarks Register, and Resources for the new department.18 War earthworks, a general store, and an alms- improved reading room and meeting spaces, the manuscript for The Official Virginia Civil A state revolving fund was authorized house. Virginia’s African-American heritage secure climate controlled facilities for housing the War Battlefield Guide. By 2000 Virginia had in 1989 under the same legislation that is guarded by several easements, including agency’s collections, a conservation lab, a museum put final regulations in place for one of the elevated the historic VHLC to department Madden’s Tavern in Culpeper County, Mount gallery, on-site parking, and the infrastructure to most aggressive state historic rehabilitation tax status. The revolving fund was used to buy Moriah Baptist Church in Roanoke, the make DHR’s archives electronically accessible. credit programs in the country and ranked #2 historic buildings and resell them with pres- Dover Slave Quarter Complex in Goochland Wise also reorganized DHR to make it more in the nation for applications for federal reha- ervation easements. In 1999, administration County, and some properties in the Jackson available to Virginians. In partnership with local bilitation tax credits. The General Assembly of the fund was transferred to the APVA, Ward Historic District in Richmond. governments, three new regional offices were had also voted to increase DHR’s base budget and in 2005, the APVA, its focus having Virginia has secured, at minimal expense, established—in Winchester, Portsmouth, and by 20 percent in the coming biennium. evolved from individual historic buildings permanent legal protection through perpet- Petersburg—by sending existing staff into the Wise resigned in 2000 to serve as Founding to a far broader concern for historic districts ual easements of more than 600 privately field. Together with the Roanoke office the new President of the American Civil War Center at and long-range preservation issues, merged and publicly owned historic places as of centers allowed DHR to work more directly and Historic Tredegar until 2007. He currently lives in with the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, August 2016, representing the full spectrum actively with citizens and local governments in Memphis, TN, and serves as director of advance- the statewide preservation advocacy con- of Virginia’s history and culture. The Com- every region to meet their goals. This capability ment and stewardship for the Church Health sortium. The new organization, today’s monwealth can take great pride in its many was powerfully demonstrated in DHR’s effective Center and chairs the Initiatives of Change USA Preservation Virginia (formerly APVA-Pres- citizens who have voluntarily elected to support for the creation of a Shenandoah Val- Board of Directors.

24 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 25 preserve important historic resources through the ease- Kathleen S. Kilpatrick ment program. The values of Director, Department of Historic Resources, 2001–2013 these easements at the time HR’s longest-serving director, Kathleen S. wocomoco. Through other partnerships, DHR at which they were given Kilpatrick was appointed by four succes- also published Lost Virginia: Vanished Architec- amounted to hundreds of D sive governors. A Sweet Briar College graduate, ture of the Old Dominion, The Official Virginia millions of dollars. These acts Kilpatrick arrived at DHR with extensive expe- Civil War Battlefield Guide, and a third edition of of stewardship enable a rich rience in federal and state cultural resource A Guidebook to Virginia’s Historical Markers. and irreplaceable cultural policy matters, serving from 1988 to 1993 in While she was director, DHR advanced dig- legacy to be passed intact to the U.S. Department of Interior, and as a Spe- itally. It launched a website; pioneered for Sec- future generations. cial Assistant for Policy and Legislation to Vir- tion 106 review a large-format, high-volume An unfortunate situation ginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources. In 1996 exchange system, ePIX; for historical resources evolved in 1992-1993. Wide- she joined DHR as deputy director; in 2001, mapping, research, and inventories, it harnessed spread growth in North- Gov. James Gilmore named her director. internet and GIS-based technoloogy, updated in ern Virginia had brought Then DHR director Kathleen S. Kilpatrick speaks during a ceremony in 2010 at Kilpatrick built strong gubernatorial, sec- 2013 to VCRIS. tremendous increases in Chancellorsville to highlight battlefield land conservation and the irginiaV Civil retarial, and bipartisan legislative support for When the U.S. Army announced a 2005 Base land assessments. At the War battlefield preservation grant program. To meet Governors Tim Kaine’s and DHR’s mission and programs, including suc- Realignment and Closure plan to decommission same time, a revived interest Bob McDonnell’s ambitious open-space land conservation goals in their succes- sive administrations, Kilpatrick enlisted bipartisan legislative support working with cessfully promoting Civil War battlefield pres- Fort Monroe, Kilpatrick led the arduous Section in saving historic Civil War Speaker of the House William Howell to get sustained funding for battlefield pres- ervation (see photo, opposite). 106 process mandated by the post’s reversion battlefields conflicted with ervation. During the sesquicentennial of the war, through 66 easement donations, A vital player in establishing Virginia’s reha- from federal to state ownership in 2011. DHR the inexorable development DHR helped to preserve approximately 7,387 battlefield acres, on lands associ- ated with battles at Appomattox, Brandy Station, Cedar Creek, Chancellorsville, bilitation tax credit (RTC), Kilpatrick brought worked with dozens of stakeholders to develop spreading from metropoli- Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Winchester, and the Wilderness, among many others. entrepreneurs, businessmen and developers to a detailed Programmatic Agreement to guide tan Washington and Rich- preservation’s table. She touted the economic post-BRAC development of the National His- mond. DHR and its Board benefits of historic preservation and commis- toric Landmark, including creating design stan- of Historic Resources became convenient property rights when it certified as an “his- sioned Virginia Commonwealth University in dards and protocols to safeguard Fort Monroe’s targets for attack by the foes of open space toric landmark” the site of the large battle- 2007 to study the state’s rehabilitation tax cred- historic character and archaeology. and historic preservation. These groups field around Brandy Station in Culpeper its. That study, subsequently updated, consis- Ever innovative, Kilpatrick forged a 2009 charged the state with infringing on private County. It was there that on June 19, 1863, tently revealed that state RTCs leverage private precedent-setting 106 mitigation agreement with the largest cavalry engage- investment to re-purpose historic buildings and the Army at Fort A. P. Hill., by which the Army ment of the Civil War took generate billions of dollars in economic activity, purchased a preservation easement on 500 acres place. Another somewhat while creating tens of thousands of jobs. of an important NHL American Indian archaeo- smaller battlefield area at The first woman to direct DHR, she spurred logical site at Camden Farm, the first off-post mit- Bristoe Station in Prince its staff to increase register listings of historic igation for the military. The Secretary of Defense William County had also sites pertaining to women, African Americans, recognized Kilpatrick-DHR with an award for been officially designated. Virginia Indians, and other minorities. DHR the agreement, a model for other installations. It was where A.P. Hill also secured federal funds to create dozens of Kilpatrick supported research into, and suffered a disastrous defeat new highway markers for the same purpose. preservation of Werowocomoco, the legend- on October 14, 1863, a loss She articulated the sustainable environmental ary site where chief Powhatan, Pocahontas that ended Lee’s attempt to benefits of preservation and rehabilitation, forg- and Capt. John Smith crossed paths. DHR cut off Meade’s withdrawal ing alliances between preservation and conserva- funds and staff assisted with investigatons into from the Rappahannock tion groups and helped agencies understand that Werowocomoco’s significant archaeology. She River to Washington. good stewardship of the built environment is key also courted the property’s owners to bring the Property rights advocates to good stewardship of the natural environment. roughly 58-acre site under a preservation ease- contended that historic Under Kilpatrick, DHR partnered with the ment with the Commonwealth in late 2012. designations imposed Holy Cross Abbey in Clarke County was placed under easement with the Virginia National Park Service on many projects. Ahead After nearly 13 years as DHR director, Kil- hardships on owners who Board of Historic Resources in 2014. An example of the variety of easement sites of the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, DHR-NPS patrick resigned in late 2013 to become director wanted to get top prices managed by DHR, the property includes nearly 925 acres of open space, including brought to publication John Smith’s Chesapeake of the Capitol Square Preservation Foundation. the historic Cool Spring Battlefield landscape, agricultural fields, and a monastery for their land, and that and retreat center owned and operated by the Community of Cistercians of the Voyages, 1607-1609, and in 2013 an DHR-NPS A forceful presence in preservation in Virginia historic designation made Strict Order. agreement resulted in Virginia Indians at Wero- and the nation, her legacy still unfolds today.

26 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 27 nomic development. In response to the news preservation setbacks during the 50 years since of a possible state park at Brandy Station and the legislation that gave rise to the agency, Cedar Mountain, Culpeper Board of Supervi- today it continues its quest to save the body of sors member Steve Walker told the Fredericks- man-made resources that portrays our shared burg Free Lance-Star, “I think it’s a great idea. It history. It has provided oversight and guidance would draw more people to enjoy our multi- for the rehabilitation of hundreds of historic ple, different tourism sites in the county—win- buildings through preservation tax credits, eries, distilleries, Civil War and Revolutionary resulting in millions of dollars of investment War sites, and great restaurants.”22 and revitalization of dozens of Virginia’s cities Clearly, while the Department of His- and towns. It has indeed taken off with a ven- toric Resources has experienced a handful of geance and assumed a “life of its own.”

Endnotes: 1. See James M. Lindgren, Preserving the Old Dominion – Historic Preservation and Virginia Traditionalism, (Char- lottesville, 1993), 42-43, 46. 2. Lindgren, Preserving the Old Dominion…, 91-94 for a detailed description of this transaction. 3. www.history.org/Foundation (Site of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). 4. Phone interview with Dr. Junius R. Fishburne, Jr. former director of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commis- sion (1972-1976), June 21, 2006. 5. Virginia Code, § 10.1-2200 et seq. 6. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Report, 1967-1968, (first biennium). 7. Calder Loth. “Forty Years of Preservation: Virginia’s Easement Program,” Notes on Virginia, No. 49 (2005), 49-54. . 8. Information provided by George C. Freeman, June 2007. 9. Information from George C. Freeman, June, 2007. Muddy Creek Mill in Cumberland County was placed under easement in July, 1989. The mill achieved its current appearance after 1792. It is Virginia’s only surviving mill with two tiers of dormers, The mill operated until the 10. Background information in United States of America v. Peter F. Blackman, Upon Questions of Law certified by the United 1960s, producing flour, meal, and other products. Much of the early machinery is intact, including French mill- States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, opinion by Justice Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr., June 9, 2005. stones. 11. VHLC v. Louisa County Board of Supervisors, 217 Va. 468 (1976). 12. Conversation with Fred Fisher, Assistant Attorney General of Virginia, March 2006. their land less saleable. Despite the Virginia original 1966 legislation by undermining the 13. U.S. v. Blackman, 270 Va. 613 S.E. 2d 442(2005). See also discussion of this case in Chapter IV. Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that listing on value of the Virginia Landmarks Register 14. For a discussion of all the courthouses and city halls in Virginia that are listed or eligible for listing on the Virginia the Virginia Landmarks Register was only as a non-regulatory honor roll of landmarks Landmarks Register, see John O. and Margaret T. Peters, Virginia’s Historic Courthouses, (Charlottesville, 1995). a “hortatory act” various interests groups whose importance is measured by their 15. The first edition of the Virginia Landmarks Register was a small, soft bound volume produced in the early 1970s. 16. Virginia Code of 1973, section 15.2-2306. rallied to persuade the General Assembly intrinsic historic value. 17. Virginia Reports, 228, September 1984-January, 1985, 678-679; other information provided by Robert A. Carter, to change the existing law. A bill was passed During the same session, the General now-retired Community Services Manager, DHR that allowed landowners to block historical Assembly in an action never taken before 18. Calder Loth. The Virginia Landmarks Register, Fourth Edition (Charlottesville, 1999), Preface,” x. designation of their individual properties by enacted legislation removing those two 19. Interview with Elizabeth Kostelny and Louis Malon of the APVA-Preservation Virginia, April, 2006. filing a formal objection, and that allowed Northern Virginia Civil War battlefields from 20. Senate Bill 514 (1993) later incorporated into the Virginia Code, §10.1-2200 et seq. 21. The language that spelled out the notification process was pulled from the section of the Code that spells out notice a majority of owners to block designation the Virginia Landmarks Register. In a sign of requirements for zoning actions that can only be done by a local government, not the state. While zoning actions of a historic district for listing as a Virginia how things have changed since 1992, in the do place restrictions on land use, historical designation does not. Also, the new law sponsors insisted that a “public Landmark.20 Complex notification pro- summer of 2015 the Department of Conser- hearing” be held prior to consideration of historic districts, again an action that was confusing because a “public cedures were written into the legislation, vation and Recreation confirmed publicly hearing” usually calls for those appearing at the hearing to give their statements under oath. Prior to then, the public resulting in legal verbiage that confused the that it was exploring the possibility of creating meetings were informational only, allowing the state agency, -- here the Department of Historic Resources – to pro- vide information about the historic resources and to explain the process for historical designation. process with zoning actions by local govern- new state parks at Brandy Station and Cedar 22. “Virginia considers creating state park at Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain battlefields” June 12, 2015. http://www. ments.21 Angry editorials in several news- Mountain in Culpeper County. Moreover, the fredericksburg.com/news/local/culpeper/virginia-considers-creating-state-park-at-brandy-station-cedar-moun- papers around the state supported the bill. Civil War Trust as of May 2016 had preserved tain/article_cb1a4fa1-fbfc-5505-bc47-160e779451fa.htmlw Following unusually acrimonious debate, roughly 1,900 acres of the Brandy Station with several environmentally sensitive leg- Battlefield, including acreage purchased with Margaret T. Peters, a retired DHR staff historian and program manager, served in the agency from islators strenuously opposing the proposed the assistance of grants from the Virginia 1968 until 2002. She is currently a member of DHR’s Board of Historic Resources and resides in restrictions on DHR, the bill was adopted by Battlefield Preservation Fund and placed Richmond with her husband, author John Peters. both the Senate and the House and signed under easements with DHR’s Board of Historic Robert A. Carter, a former DHR historian and division manager, authored the director profiles for this by Governor Douglas Wilder. Its enactment Resources. Many local officials now see heri- article. After serving 35 years with DHR, he retired in 2015. He resides with his wife, Lauren, in Nel- defeated one of the major purposes of the tage tourism as important to long-range eco- son County where he currently serves as president of the Nelson County Historical Society.

28 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 29 DHR Partner Publications of Interest Part II: DHR Yesterday & Today

DHR Archives Historical Highway Marker Program Virginia Indians at Werowoco- moco (2015) and John Smith’s DHR Collections: The Hatch Site Chesapeake Voyages 1607– 1609 (2007) are both available from online book sellers, your Partnerships Serving Virginia Archaeology local book store or through the University of Virginia Press. Partnerships in Preservation Virginia’s Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits

Publications Available Online or from DHR Go to the DHR website (www.dhr.virginia.gov) to download PDFs of three below.

Above: These two architec- tural guides, one for “classic” architecture in Virginia up to 1940, and one for archi- tecture since World War II through the present were compiled by DHR’s architec- tural historians.

How to Research Your His- toric Virginia Property (left) is a great place to start for research. It, too, is available online for free.

A Handbook and Resource Guide for Owners of Vir- ginia’s Historic Houses is only available in softcover from DHR, postage $3. DHR’s Archives HABSI property and select those worthy of nomination to the state and Under One Roof: Information about VA’s Historic Resources national registers. These early field trips also introduced local commu- By Elizabeth Lipford nities to the commission’s work and launched the task of identifying new rom typewriters, paper topographic maps, strips of photographic negatives and properties for recordation. VHLC’s color slides through floppy disks and the arrival of the Internet, digital images, and architectural historians Tucker Hill and GIS, the DHR Archives have come a long way, evolving during the past 50 years, Calder Loth developed an architectural survey form, which facilitated steady Fgrowing with the agency. It now contains a remarkable collection of records covering an growth of survey files for individual array of cultural resources in Virginia. Indeed, it is an historic collection in its own right. properties. These early files gradually The passage of the National Historic Preservation Act and Virginia’s Open Land swelled into legal size envelopes, with Act in 1966 led to the formation of the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission, photo sleeves, miscellaneous notes and predecessor agency to DHR. Among its first priorities, the VHLC was charged correspondence, newspaper articles, with identifying and nominating Virginia’s significant historic resources to a new- and other information about each historic property. Those initial VHLC ly-created Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. files bear a striking resemblance to To meet that goal, commission staff, drawing on the survey work of others before subsequent hardcopy files housed in them, obtained a complete copy of the Historic American Buildings Survey Inven- the DHR Archives today. tory (HABSI) from the Virginia State Library. Compiled in the 1950s, the HABSI In 1973 the VHLC relocated to his- became a foundational collection of VLHC architectural survey materials. toric Morson’s Row (behind the Gov- Armed with cameras and a complete set of USGS topographic maps for Vir- ernor’s Mansion and Capitol Square), providing much needed space to store ginia, VHLC staff traveled throughout the Commonwealth to field-verify each a growing architectural inventory. And grow it did. A federal grant in the summer of 1973 employed seventeen students and recent graduates to con- duct architectural surveys across the state, adding hundreds of properties to the inventory for each geographic region of Virginia. Staff architectural

historians also continued to conduct This excerpt from an early 19th-century Mutual Assurance Society surveys and began encouraging and (MAS) policy provides valuable information that helps to determine collaborating with local governments the construction date and original footprint of a tavern in Richmond to survey their historic resources with Court House. an eye to preservation planning. A notable archives expansion occurred current DHR architectural historian David in 1980 when the NPS started requiring that Edwards completed in 1979-1980. National Register historic district nomina- With research comprising a large part tions include complete inventories of “con- of the agency’s work, the archives’ collec- tributing” and “non-contributing” resources tions flourished in other ways. A signif- in a register-listed district. Also, in the icant addition came through receipt of a 1980s, VHLC hired architectural historians complete photocopied set of the Mutual to conduct field work in regions of the state. Assurance Society (MAS) policies for Vir- These staff members carried out recon- ginia. The MAS collection offered a trove When paper was king, before the digital age, surveyors often drew precise site plans on the hard-copy survey forms. The above example shows the site plan for a property surveyed in Bath County in 1979 by architectural historian naissance and intensive surveys in specific of information on thousands of historic David A. Edwards. counties such as the one of Bath County that buildings, and propelled agency staff to

32 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 33 undertake creating a coun- Similar to the origins of ty-city index for the MAS the architectural survey files, policies. A tedious task to the archaeological survey complete, all the same, the files are built on work done MAS index allowed DHR decades before the advent of staff to search for a historic the VHLC. In 1947, Colonel property by accessing it Howard MacCord conducted through either a property the first methodical archae- or policy holder’s name. ological survey in Virginia Because of its significant with a grant from the Virginia research value, DHR gave Conservation Commission. a copy of the MAS index In 1962, the Virginia State to the State Library, the Library hired Col. MacCord repository of the original after he retired from the policies. military; he then developed Photocopies of historic the first archaeological sur- maps from various hold- vey form for Virginia sites. ings, including the Vir- Systematic recordation of the ginia State Library, were state’s archaeological sites con- also collected and indexed, tinued under Col. MacCord’s mostly by former DHR direction until his retirement employee Martha McCa- in 1976, at which time sur- rtney, resulting in one of vey forms for approximately the largest collections of 1,500 sites were transferred historic maps for Virginia. to the newly-opened Virginia Additionally, the need for Research Center of Archae- a collection of professional ology—thus establishing a published source material foundational collection of for staff gave rise to the information about Virginia’s archives library. Virginia’s archaeological sites. renowned architectural In 1985 VHLC joined the historian Calder Loth This detail from a USGS topographic quadrangle map is of a portion of the town Department of Conserva- An unusual collection in the DHR Archives is the Ferol Briggs scrapbooks. Briggs, a recalls during the agency’s of Smithfield in Isle of Wight County. It shows the careful notations that DHR staff tion and Historic Resources long-time librarian at UVa’s School of Architecture, also worked as a field representa- early days then-senior made over the years to indicate the precise location of historic properties in the tive for the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission. Between 1998 and 2000, working agency’s inventory. Today, these paper maps have been replaced with GIS- as the Division of Historic in concert with Suzanne Durham, then the archivist at DHR, Briggs collected over historian Junius Fishburne based online mapping. Landmarks (DHL). That year 50-years’ worth of photographs, newspaper clippings, and brochures related to historic scoured used book shops marked another important properties throughout the state, creating 31 scrapbooks that he donated to DHR. This for any title pertaining to Virginia’s history. William and Mary, and the National Park first page of the the volume containing properties in Gloucester and Mathews counties archive’s milestone when the gives a sense of the scrapbooks’ contents. Some of the scrapbooks are available on Today, the archives library continues grow- Service. The VHLC archaeological program Virginia Research Center for the DHR website. ing with the acquisition of newly published gained notable visibility through a 1972 Archaeology moved from books about Virginia’s resources along with grant from Busch Properties, Inc., for a sur- its quarters at the Yorktown Victory Center public and other agencies and entities informa- unpublished academic reports and studies. vey and salvage of the important colonial- to the DHL’s Morson’s Row headquarters in tion about historic sites. The 1966 legislation that established the era Kingsmill archaeological site in James Richmond. The move consolidated into one In 1986 the agency hired its part-time VHLC also created the Virginia Research City County. Finally catching the eye of the repository all of Virginia’s historic resource first archivist, a position that eventually Center for Archaeology—but did not fund Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia materials. In merging the two libraries, DHL evolved into full time as it became critical it. Regardless, VHLC began an archaeolog- Research Center for Archaeology was at last staff incorporated published and unpublished to DHL’s purpose in caring for, and making ical program by hiring professional archae- funded and officially opened in the Wren materials and survey forms, and topographic accessible cultural resource information ological staff that networked with existing Building at the College of William and Mary and historic maps. The unified collections for many clients. With a rapidly growing programs such as Colonial Williamsburg, in 1975 with one of its primary functions to enhanced the archives’ research utility and archive in the late 1980s, the eve of the the Virginia State Library, the College of inventory Virginia’s archaeological sites. improved agency efficiency in providing the Information Technology era found agency

34 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 35 staff still using typewriters, dated a library reading room and map room, as a book, last updated and published in 1999 telephones and U.S. mail open to the public. A space for open-stack as a fourth edition. Today it would require a to share information, and shelves also allowed the agency to house large, multi-volume book to encompass the writing pencil notations on an ever-growing collection of architectural VLR, an impractical and prohibitively costly paper topo maps. resource envelope files, some many inches project. As with the book format, the Online Virginia’s historic preser- thick, and expandable archaeological site VLR will summarize each property’s signifi- vation office, during its vari- files. The agency’s collection of black- and- cance, display a representative photograph and ous configurations, has often white negatives and color slides, returned (unlike in print) provide links to its nomina- proved a leader in the national from the Library of Virginia, were also incor- tion form and other documents. arena of preservation. When porated into the library. Public computer The DHR website’s e-digital archives con- then-deputy director H. Bryan stations also allowed—and still do—Archives tinue to expand beyond register nominations Mitchell was president of the visitors to review inventory and unpublished with downloadable copies of material such as National Conference of State report databases, and other finding aids that reports, historic scrapbooks, brochures, and Historic Preservation Officers facilitate research. other documents, from our library’s special (NCSHPO), and now-retired In June of 2001, IPS made way for a collections.. Of particular value are reports staff historian Robert Carter A researcher digs into assembled material, including photographs, contained in new database, the Historic Resources Data and educational by-products (e.g. Power- served on NCSHPO’s Survey one of the large property file envelopes in the DHR Archives. Sharing System, later shortened to DSS. The Points, brochures) generated from the agen- Committee, the Department Data Sharing System resulted from another cy’s cost share survey program. These reports of Historic Resources partnered with the partnership between VDOT and DHR. With typically cover hundreds of historic proper- National Park Service to pilot development of the introduction of DSS, DHR entered the ties and include research that puts town, city, computer software for cultural resource surveys, Internet era. Consultants conducting archi- or county resources into a regional context. known as Integrated Preservation Software tectural and archaeological survey in Virginia In September 2013, DHR retired the DSS, (IPS). Virginia staff worked closely with NPS could now log into a common database. DSS after its long and fruitful tenure as DHR’s his- to tailor the software first for architectural, then allowed field surveyors to create electronic toric resources database. , It has been replaced archaeological survey. One of the first states to records on newly identified historic resources by the more streamlined and robust Virginia automate inventory data, Virginia began using and update records of previously docu- Cultural Resource Information System, or IPS for architectural survey by 1992 and for mented sites and properties. VCRIS. VCRIS is more user-friendly for the archaeological survey by 1993. DSS made it possible for cultural resource field surveyors entering data, including allow- With IPS came the ability to share new professionals and local planners to recreate ing the consultants to upload the boundaries survey information with other state and fed- the DHR archival experience without having of properties directly into each record. The eral agencies as well as local governments. to travel to Richmond. With the GIS platform database also has more flexible querying and While the IPS was helpful going forward, available, licensed users could search specific geo- reporting capabilities than its predecessor. An pre-IPS survey records—approximately graphic areas for previously documented historic exciting additional aspect to the creation of 30,000 archaeological sites and 100,000 resources. The database’s querying and reporting VCRIS was the development of a simplified architectural properties—remained inac- capabilities also allowed researchers to retrieve public version of the database, allowing the cessible until 1994-95, when the Virginia property and site records. general public to find basic information on Department of Transportation, a heavy user DHR’s public website, initially developed historic districts and properties through the of survey information for transportation The DHR Library is routinely used by agency staff primarily by now-retired conservator Melba VCRIS--GIS platform. planning, generously provided a sizeable and researchers alike. Here, archaeologist Jolene Myers, ushered in the next major change for Whether online or in-person, the DHR grant to enter the data for the older survey Smith (L) and archives assistant Lauren Leake work the archives. National Register nomination Archives welcomes anyone interested in on projects for a 2016 Capitol Square Fair in which records into IPS. But alas, while IPS, with a DHR participated. forms, now submitted to DHR in both hard learning more about Virginia’s architectural few bumps along the way, carried DHR into copy and digital form, were posted as PDFs on and archaeological historic resources. the information technology age, its limita- While DHR moved into information the website, building an electronic archive on tions soon became apparent. For instance, technology during the late 1990s, it made a those listed properties. A scanning project led Elizabeth Lipford is a preservation special- it lacked internet compatibility and a Geo- significant physical leap when it relocated out to the posting of older nomination forms as ist with DHR and was DHR’s first-hired graphic Information Systems component. of the historic Morson’s Row to a new wing well. Currently an effort is underway to com- archivist. Quatro Hubbard, DHR’s current The 1990s closed with several attempts to of the Virginia Historical Society on The plement the full listing of PDF nominations archivist, contributed to this article. make IPS work in an internet environment Boulevard in Richmond, under then-director with an online version of the Virginia Land- with a GIS component without success. Alex Wise. The new building accommo- marks Register, similar to its previous iteration

36 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 37 Virginia’s Historical Marker Program a slowly moving car. The now-iconic design value of property to an incredible degree.” of Virginia’s markers was patented in 1928. Erecting historical signs on underdevel- Its History and Growth Eckenrode and two assistants quickly oped highways would stimulate enterprise, began traveling throughout Virginia to “resulting perhaps in the establishment of by Jennifer R. Loux gather historical information from resi- better restaurants along the way and more dents. When possible, they confirmed the numerous filling stations.” Eckenrode accuracy of the information using primary envisioned carloads of travelers stopping s the National Historic Preservation The Conservation Commission hired documents, and then they wrote brief for lunch, fueling their automobiles, pur- Act turns 50, Virginia’s historical Hamilton James Eckenrode, who held a inscriptions for potential chasing items in local highway marker program is on the doctorate in history from the Johns Hop- markers. A twelve-mem- shops, and perhaps Acusp of its 90th anniversary. Having placed kins University, to develop and manage ber advisory committee spending the night. more than 2,500 silver-and-black signs the marker program. A native of Fred- composed of prominent The perceived desires throughout the state, the marker program ericksburg, Eckenrode had previously historians reviewed and interests of tour- offers a visible account taught history at the and approved the texts, ists shaped many of of Virginia’s past. college level, managed many of which were the decisions about Although the program the department of only one or two sen- which subjects would has evolved in crucial archives and history tences long, and the first be featured on mark- ways over the decades at the Virginia State markers were installed ers, resulting in a pro- and will continue to do Marker Program Library, and edited late in 1927 along Route gram heavily weighted so, it is rooted in the Turns 90 schoolbooks for a 1 between Richmond toward the colonial allure of special places publishing company in and Alexandria. As the period, the Revolu- and evermindful of the in 2017 Richmond. Convinced system expanded, each tionary War, the Civil benefits to be reaped by that “Virginia is the marker was assigned War, and places asso- combining preservation, The traveler’s car was to be like an most historical region an alpha-numeric code ciated with great men. tourism, and education. “easy chair” and the “roads before him” of the continents of based on the highway These were the same In 1926, at the the “open pages in the most thrilling North and South on which it was erected. categories that the his- beginning of Harry history of the Nation.” America,” he began his Route 1’s markers were torical profession then Byrd’s term as governor new job early in 1927 labeled “E,” for example, considered significant of Virginia, the General by planning a system while Route 11 had “A” and worthy of study. Assembly established of informational signs markers and Route 50 Only seven of the the Commission of Conservation and intended to catch the eye and capture the had “B” markers. (The 700 markers erected Development; that agency consolidated imagination of motorists. program no longer fol- before 1930 focused the state’s departments of geology, forestry, His idea was to tell a continuous, lows the roadways when on women. Most of parks, and water power, and it soon added unfolding story along the highways, reveal- assigning codes to new these were relatives of a new division of history and archaeology. ing “the development of historic move- markers. Each marker is Conservation Commission members debated the type famous men, such as Charged with stimulating economic devel- ments such as the spread of settlements simply given the letter of marker to use for their new program. Some favored the sister of George granite blocks with bronze plaques. Finally they adopted opment in the new age of the automobile, or the march of armies.” The traveler’s that is most prominent an innovative concept: a large iron or aluminum sign on Washington and the the commission sought to fill Virginia’s car was to be like “an easy chair” and the in its locality and then a post, easily readable from inside a car. The design, mother of the Wright expanding highway system with residents “roads before him” would be “open pages receives the next avail- drafted by Landon L. Perdue, was patented in 1928. Brothers. Virginia and tourists eager to explore the state’s in the most thrilling history of the Nation.” able number.) Indians were often unique natural and historic resources. To Members of the Conservation Commission The Conservation Commission’s referred to as “heathens” or “savages,” and that end, the commission quickly estab- had imagined that the markers in their marker program obtained funding from were discussed largely in the context of lished a formal program for marking Vir- new program would be monumental—tall, the state’s advertising budget, and the “massacres” or “outrages.” African Ameri- ginia’s historic sites. These markers would granite columns or thick, concrete blocks— purpose of the markers as a promotional cans were almost entirely absent except for link important events from the past to the but Eckenrode convinced them to adopt tool for Virginia was never far from Eck- Nat Turner and one reference to the “faith- landscape where they had taken place, a format that better matched the function enrode’s mind. “It is in our power to make ful slaves” who hid their masters during turning the Commonwealth into an open- he had in mind: single posts bearing large Virginia the greatest tourist state in the Turner’s revolt. air museum. signs that were easily readable from inside union,” he wrote, “thereby increasing the Civil War topics alone accounted for

38 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 39 fully one third of the first 700 markers. removed when the inscriptions did not and Archaeology and its The primary objective of these markers comport with their version of the facts, highway marker program. was to guide motorists along the paths of leading Eckenrode firmly to rule that “we His staff praised the pro- particular military campaigns. Accordingly, cannot take down markers at the dictation gram for accomplishing its they addressed subjects such as “Where of private parties, since then we should be goals and asserted that the Sheridan Turned,” or “Where Burnside at the mercy of every crank and sorehead.” addition of new signs could Crossed.” Inscriptions were not designed to Vandalism and theft of signs prompted only detract from the “pres- glorify the Confederacy. In fact, Eckenrode an extended discussion in 1929 about the tige of the significant mark- saw the marker program as possibility of hiring detec- ers already in the system.” an agent of reconciliation tives solely for the purpose In the opinion of a commit- between North and South. of “watching Highways tee of professional histori- He hoped that “the thou- and protecting Markers.” ans, “the saturation point sands of tourists that come General maintenance also in the historical marker to Virginia from the north quickly became a problem. system has about been and west will have a new By 1931, when the oldest reached.” The program, in feeling of friendship for markers had been on the much pared-down form, By the late 1940s, perhaps reflecting on stops like this one along Route 5 in the state when they gain an roadsides for only three or was folded into the State Henrico County, a committee of professional historians advised the state that the adequate idea of its mighty four years, many already Library in 1950. In 1966 marker program had reached its “saturation point.” past.” Regarding his plans for were in need of repainting. the program was transferred to the newly After the withdrawal of state funding, Civil War markers, he stated The marker program established Virginia Historic Landmarks the program began accepting applications that “Confederate positions forged on despite the obsta- Commission (forerunner of the pres- for highway markers from private groups would not be neglected, but cles. Almost 1,500 markers ent-day Department of Historic Resources, and local governments; those groups were the elaborate marking of had been erected by 1941, or DHR). For thirty years, from 1950 until required to pay for the manufacture of Union positions along the when the program was about 1980, the program was technically the signs if the topics and texts won the road would show the north- suspended during World alive but practically dormant. Only about approval of the Landmarks Commission ern visitor the impartial War II. By then the sys- 100 new signs were erected during those (later the Board of Historic Resources). nature of the work.” Early tem of historical signs had three decades, and state funding for mark- This approach led to the revival of the pro- on, Virginia erected markers generated positive atten- ers was discontinued in 1976. The system gram beginning early in the 1980s. During commemorating Winfield tion around the country. remained heavily focused on military and that decade, about 20-25 new markers were Scott (of Dinwiddie County) Officials from other states political subjects, while markers pertaining approved each year. Texts were expanded and George Thomas (of wrote to ask for advice to women and African Americans were still to about 100 words, and the markers were Southampton County), both about starting their own almost nonexistent. designed to be self-contained, not part of of whom served as Union programs, and travelers a serialized story that unfolded as a driver generals during the war. sent notes of apprecia- progressed down the road. Allowing the As with any major public tion. “These markers add Published in 1930, the cover of a guide public to apply for and sponsor markers—a undertaking, the marker to the state’s historical markers empha- immeasurably to the plea- project often taken on by historical societ- program faced a number sizes the program’s appeal to travelers sure of motoring in Vir- ies, heritage associations, alumni groups, of challenges. Chief among and tourists.The guide was made to fit ginia,” wrote a woman from into a car’s glove compartment. churches, and student organizations— these was the impossibility of Alabama, while a man from helped generate a much greater variety always satisfying tourists, local residents, Ohio reported that he enjoyed the markers of topics. The definition of what qualified and factual accuracy all at the same time. so much on his first trip to Virginia that he as historic expanded greatly during this Complaining about the tone of the Civil had since spent two additional vacations in period, as a new generation of scholars War markers, one Virginia woman con- the state. raised awareness of social and cultural tended that the signs “toady to northern The program’s very success almost history, prominently including the lives tourists and humiliate southern people.” triggered its downfall after World War II. A sign in Dinwiddie County honors Elizabeth Hobbs of people other than elite, white men. The Some owners of historic homes tried to In 1948, during a reorganization of state Keckley, a dressmaker and abolitionist. Enslaved, marker system, for example, now features prevent the installation of markers so as government aimed at reducing its size and she bought her freedom in 1855, eventually becom- ing “a seamstress, personal maid, and confidante” to signs about the First Southern African to keep nosy tourists away. Occasionally, increasing its efficiency, Governor William First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Keckley later pub- American Girl Scouts, the 1936 Virginia local groups petitioned for markers to be Tuck discontinued the Division of History lished a memoir about her White House years. Prison Recordings of traditional African

40 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 41 the historian presents it to the that relied on TEA funds Board of Historic Resources for to create markers about official approval. The board, a women, African Ameri- seven-member panel appointed cans, and Native Ameri- by the governor, meets four times cans, further broadening each year. the way history is told While DHR and its board are on Virginia’s roadsides. responsible for the texts of mark- Markers erected under ers, the Virginia Department of this program include those Transportation (VDOT) handles for Anthony Burns, Eliz- the site approval, installation, and abeth Keckley, Grandma maintenance of markers in the Moses, Janis Martin, Mary VDOT right-of-way. If a marker Greenhow Lee, Powhatan, is to be placed in an independent and Werowocomoco. TEA town or city, the locality’s pub- funds also made possible a In July 2011, descendants of Henrietta Lacks gathered after the dedication of lic works department performs series of markers about the These Mecklenburg County signs encapsulate aspects of the marker program’s a marker honoring her. Lacks grew up in Halifax County. She died in 1951 of these functions. After a marker is War of 1812 to highlight history. R-L: A 2001 sign uses 100 words for its topic, a road; one from 1962 focuses cervical cancer. Her cell tissue, removed for medical research, led to the “HeLa installed, the sponsor may host a its bicentennial as well as a on a local Revolutionary War officer; a 1994 sign includes African-American history; line,” which Jonas Salk used to develop a polio vaccine. “Henrietta Lacks, who and a 1930 marker about a Revolutionary War campaign never mentions the war. in death saved countless lives, is buried nearby,” the marker reads. dedication and unveiling cere- number of new Civil War mony to celebrate the culmina- markers at the sesquicentennial. history—the signs are meant to stand for American music, the origin of Brunswick tion of the project. The modern-day marker program does decades—the Virginia marker program Stew, George Washington Carver Regional While the application system has sus- not avoid difficult subjects. The Bloody strives to be as dynamic as possible within High School, actor Joseph Cotten, author tained the marker program since the 1980s, Monday marker in Danville addresses an the constraints of the medium. In 2016 Pearl S. Buck, and many other subjects. a series of federal grants received through attack by police on a nonviolent civil rights the Virginia General Assembly allocated Today the marker program is thriving, the Intermodal Surface Transportation demonstration, for example, while the Buck $2 million in recreational access funds to with 40-50 new texts approved annually. To Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and the Transporta- v. Bell marker in Charlottesville describes VDOT for the purpose of, among other be eligible for a marker, an event, person, tion Equity Act for the 21st century (TEA- eugenics legislation under which more than projects, refurbishing and replacing dam- or place must be of regional, statewide, or 21) between 1996 and 2009 also provided 8,000 Virginians were sterilized. Governor aged and deteriorated historical markers in national significance; subjects of strictly crucial support. These funds enabled DHR Mark Warner used the occasion of this the VDOT right-of-way. A recent VDOT local importance do not qualify. The sub- to begin replacing some of the oldest, most marker’s unveiling to issue a formal apol- assessment revealed that more than 200 ject must have attained its significance at outdated markers with updated versions. ogy for the state’s role in the sterilization markers—many from the 1920s, 1930s, and least fifty years ago, and a marker may not In 2001 DHR launched a diversity initiative program. He noted that the marker “would 1940s—have reached the end of their lifes- commemorate a living person. Each appli- remind us of past events and assist us to pans owing to cracks, rust, peeling paint, cant is asked to propose a 100-word text strive to do better.” and other problems. for the potential marker, suggest a location, While a system of roadside markers The opportunity to replace these old and provide documentation confirming is one of the most static forms of public markers with new ones manufactured the accuracy of the information that would appear on the sign. DHR’s marker histo- rian evaluates the applications, checks the Tribal members who attended facts, conducts additional research, and Sharon Indian School pose after edits the proposed texts for clarity, brev- the unveiling of the historical marker in May 2003. The sign ity, thoroughness, and educational value. relays that the school “served After working closely with the sponsor to as a center for education for the produce an agreed-upon text, the historian Upper Mattaponi Tribe.” A brick school building constructed in sends the text to DHR’s marker editorial This marker recalls a civil rights demonstration in 1952 replaced the original one- committee, a group of outside scholars who June 1963 during which Danville police “clubbed room frame structure. Students evaluate the potential marker’s historical and fire-hosed the marchers, injuring at least 47 and attended school there until 1965. arresting 60.” The event drew national news cover- “It was one of the last Indian accuracy, prose style, and level of signif- age. Martin Luther King Jr. visited the city to show schools to operate in Virginia,” icance. If the committee accepts the text, support for the protesters. the marker concludes.

42 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 43 using modern technology and materials will result DHR Collections Future of the Past: The Hatch Site in a substantial aesthetic improvement. The pro- by Mike Barber, DHR State Archaeologist cess will also allow DHR first visited the Hatch Site in Prince site into the 1980s. Hatch proved an iconic to expand the texts of old George County one fall day in 1972. site in Virginia prehistory. It contained hun- markers beyond the orig- It would be thirty-four years until I dreds of refuse-filled pit features producing a inal one or two sentences Ireturned. The archaeological site at Hatch cornucopia of new data, numerous hearths, and to correct factual represents the remnants of a long term Indian and oval house patterns of post stains dating errors. The replacement village on a tributary of the James River. My to the Middle and Late Woodland periods markers will benefit from first visit was with the man who eventually (AD 300–1650), as well as a 17th-century modern scholarship and spent more than a decade in excavations Colonial earthfast structure built on posts set research methods, result- there, Mr. Leverette ‘Lefty” Booth Gregory. in square pits, numerous trade goods, and ing in a richer and more He was a legend in Virginia archaeology; two intriguing ditch features. It also yielded educationally valuable ending his formal schooling after the largest prehistoric dog ceme- overview of each topic. third grade, he spent his youth tery in North America with 120 DHR with VDOT input is creating a mobile phone application that will digitally deliver Because many older spoken texts of markers to interested passersby. A GPS signal will trigger a high-quality traveling as a carny with his family, canine burials. markers are now regarded audio recording of a marker’s text whenever a listener is within proximity, in effect “nar- who managed a Donkey Basketball Time moved on. Lefty ended as important artifacts and, rowcasting” the text to a mobile device. By making a marker text audible rather than Team—a unique background for excavations at Hatch, funding displaying it on a mobile device screen, drivers of vehicles will be visually undistracted, in some cases, as commu- a crucial safety consideration. A prototype of the mobile app will be launched on the an archaeologist. ebbed, and 500 boxes of Hatch nity landmarks, DHR has Virginia Capital Trail (above), which runs between Richmond and Williamsburg. After running through a artifacts got stored in sheds at established a program by number of craft careers in wood, Lefty’s house for thirty years. which local museums, historical societies, or for electronic devices. Drivers who open bronze, and clay, Gregory joined Lefty passed on in 2015. His other organizations with an educational mis- the app would hear an audio recording of the anthropology department staff wife, Eve Gregory, now president sion can apply to receive a retired marker for the text of each marker they pass, mak- at The College of William and of the Virginia Foundation for display to the public. To qualify, organizations ing it unnecessary to pull over and read Mary, working on such projects as Archaeological Research, knew must meet certain criteria and must agree to the sign. In this way the landscape would a Chickahominy Survey of Indian the research value of the collec- a set of conditions, including that the marker come alive with important stories about sites, excavations at Poor Potter of tion and wanted Lefty’s legacy not be permanently installed outdoors and Virginia’s past. Yorktown, Maycocks Point shell to live on. As the Gregorys were that the display be accompanied by an inter- Highway markers are visible to a very midden, and finally at the 17th-cen- dedicated to bettering the under- pretive text. large audience, including many people tury fort at Flowerdew Hundred, standing of the past, Eve sought Leverette Booth Gregory in 1985 Finally, DHR has brought the marker who might have no other occasion to where he became vice president of a solution for long-term curation program into the digital age by offering a read about Virginia history. The mark- Southside Historic Sites Foundation, of the collection and records. In searchable marker database on its website. ers bear the state seal, convey a sense of an archaeological contracting firm. April, 2016 she donated both the artifacts This format is more flexible, and more easily authority, and indicate what Virginians That day in 1972, Lefty and I were work- and the records to DHR. updatable, than the traditional printed think is important about their history. ing a shell-filled trash feature when a couple Now housed in Richmond, the collec- guidebooks to the system, the last of which As the program reaches its 90th anni- of fox hunters stopped by and mentioned tion will be available for study. During a was published in 2007. Because students, versary, it is fitting that we look back at that they saw similar shell along a nearby recent informal review of the collection, it educators, and researchers looking for its origins and appreciate what we have creek. A few days later, we visited the site was apparent that the data base could pro- information about Virginia history are likely inherited, while at the same time recog- and knew it was something very important vide the grist for a multitude of theses and to find markers online, it is particularly nizing that the program’s future relevance in the understanding of prehistory. dissertations for generations to come. DHR important that the brief, almost telegraphic will depend on our ability to continue We eventually lost touch. A job offer is already collaborating with local universi- texts of older markers be updated to include enhancing its accessibility, inclusivity, moved me to a different part of the state. ties, meaning the collection will see a bright more context, enhancing their value as and educational value for the benefit of Lefty moved on from William and Mary and future in interpretation, exhibits, and print. educational documents. Meanwhile, to Virginians and visitors alike. founded the Virginia Foundation for Archae- Howard Carter, when asked what he saw make the marker program safer and more ological Research and began excavation at as he opened King Tut’s tomb, said, “Won- accessible for drivers in an environment that Jennifer R. Loux, Ph.D., is the historian Hatch. Meanwhile, I spent three decades as derful Things.” When one of the boxes from has changed radically since the 1920s, DHR and coordinator of the DHR marker an archaeologist for USDA-Forest Service Hatch is opened, we say, “Wonderful data.” is working to develop a mobile application program. She joined the agency in 2014. and Lefty continued investigating the Hatch Stay tuned.

44 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 45 through 1987 under the The Great Neck Excavations supervision of now-retired DHR archaeologists Keith Partnerships & Field Schools Serve Virginia Archaeology Egloff and Dr. Randolph Turner. by Michael Clem Through the years the people involved in the excavations with DHR n the fall of 2015 and the spring of 2016, earlier Paleo and Archaic Period usage. at Great Neck reads like DHR and the Archeological Society of A local amateur initially collected Native a who’s-who of Virginia Virginia (ASV) teamed up to excavate the American artifacts there as early as the late archaeology and includes IGreat Neck site in Virginia Beach. The spring 1930s and into the 1940s. One collector many individuals who have investigations occurred during an annual recalls going there after school as a teen in gone-on to long careers field school DHR hosts with key partners the 1950s to scavenge artifacts in plowed in the field. The primary such as the ASV. fields. He again source detailing early These excavations returned in the excavations is Mary Ellen Volunteers work a pit during the spring 2016 field school at Great Neck (L-R): through the com- 1970s and exca- Hodges’ Native American Ryan Ramirez, of Department of Planning & Budget, and Stephanie Williams mon interests of vated a number of Settlement at Great Neck: DHR’s deputy director, who along with other DHR staff participated during por- tions of the field school. historians and features that were Report on DHR Archaeologi- professional and exposed during cal Investigations of Woodland Components from James Madison University excavated avocational archae- the development at Site 44VB7, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 44VB9 in 1984 in preparation for the wid- ologists benefit of newly divided 1981-1987 (1998). The report consolidates ening of Great Neck Road. That site likely public history and housing lots. By all the excavations conducted by DHR represents an extension of the VB7 Wood- archaeology in the 1970s this and offers a comprehensive summary of land period occupations and is probably, in Virginia. The Great collector and other the work undertaken by the pre-DHR reality, all part of the same complex. Neck work show- well-known ama- collectors. Several other smaller volumes While VB7 (and VB9) appears to have cased the breadth teurs began earnest covering specific aspects of the investiga- been occupied continuously throughout and depth of excavations at the tions were also produced by various profes- the Woodland periods, the most intensive Virginia’s archaeo- site which they sionals who assisted with the excavations. occupation seems to have been around 200 logical community, continued into the Those works are on file at DHR and can to 400 A.D. and again circa 1400 to 1500 A.D. which has grown early 1980s. Eventu- be accessed in the agency’s Richmond There is a mix of evidence of both Middle during the past ally, several primary archives. Also of note is site 44VB9, which and Late Woodland settlement interspersed decades through collectors of the site lies to the west of VB7. Archaeologists across this south side of Broad Bay, with the closer collabora- A Mockley ware vessel reconstructed with sherds recovered at shared with DHR later period concentrated Great Neck. Note its net-impressed surface and conical shape. tion between DHR, the field notes, to the east, the earlier one ASV, the Council of drawings, and maps to the landform’s west. The Virginia Archaeologists, and local organiza- they made during their excavations along site as a whole included tions—and, importantly, the cooperation of with published papers in ASV’s Quarterly numerous human burials many private property owners in Virginia. Bulletin that detailed their findings. Two of from both periods; at least The archaeological site at Great Neck the amateur excavators also donated to DHR one example of post molds (44VB0007, its official designation; herein, the artifacts they recovered from VB7. indicating a Late Wood- simply “VB7”) is one of the most signifi- DHR’s involvement at Great Neck cant pre-European contact sites on Virgin- started in 1981 when an anthropology Two ASV volunteers, Clau- ia’s coastal plain and covers nearly 20 acres student, whose family purchased one of dia McDonald (L) and Celia on the south bank of Broad Bay. Its signif- the new house lots, contacted DHR after Isbrecht, take careful measure- icance derives mostly from its association conducting some of his own excavations ments in a test unit during the 2016 field school. Volunteers are with Middle and Late Woodland period there. In response, the agency quickly began responsible for keeping accurate occupations (around 500 B.C. to 1600 A.D.), systematic excavations of several house lots notes and other documentation although it has yielded some evidence of and continued investigations intermittently of their work.

46 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 47 age and onsite lab work.) For the initial inves- tigations in 2015, DHR decided to focus primar- ily on the eastern most of the three subdivided lots since construction of a house would get underway soon. With limited time and funds to conduct the work, DHR enlisted the vital assis- tance of the ASV, which helped get the word out about the urgent need to Three ASV volunteers (L-R) Bev Barker, Sonja Ostrander, and Cynthia Hansen, conduct the excavations. measure and document an excavation pit. Barker and Hansen have completed ASV’s summons brought an ASV Certifications course in archaeology. The three were steadfast volun- teers during the Great Neck excavations. to Great Neck experi- enced professional and land palisade; several post mold patterns amateur archaeologists to begin opening likely showing house sites; and an abun- up and documenting the site. The work dance of trash- and shell-filled pits. began the first week of October and con- In the spring of 2015 DHR discovered tinued through the first week of Decem- Mockley pottery shards recovered from the Great Neck site. The pottery is distinguished by its thick walls and net-impressed design. The top row are three “rim” sherds from the top lips of vessels; the center shard (lower row) is that a Virginia Beach construction permit ber. Multiple DHR staff members were the bottom cone-shaped piece from a conical pot. application pertained to three new lots deployed to oversee the day-to-day oper- that had been subdivided at the edge of the ation of the work and as many as ten ASV structural post molds, and two human dietary information about the people living Meadowridge neighborhood, the western volunteers showed up on a regular basis burials. at VB7. To date, faunal samples reveal small end of Great Neck. DHR also learned no to assist, with a core group of four-to-five DHR recovered thousands of artifacts: shark and dolphin teeth, stingray and other federal, state, or city requirements would volunteers in attendance nearly every day. pottery, bone tools, lithics (stone tools and fish bones and a variety of scales. Radio necessitate the lots undergo archaeolog- Volunteers also arrived from VDOT, the related waste) and multiple bags of soil carbon tests of two samples taken from ical testing beyond a limited area along Virginia Museum of Natural History, and for later processing in a flotation tank—a deer bones date to around 200 to 400 A.D. the waterway for a permit from the U.S. the Jamestown Rediscovery Project, which device that uses screens of various weaves Mockley pottery, the dominant ware recov- Army Corps of Engineers (a requisite of the sent its entire crew of archaeologists for a to gradually separate larger and heavier ered—and distinguished by its shell temper National Historic Preservation Act). Because day. material from lighter and smaller matter. and net-impressed design—has long been of the well-known importance of Great Archaeologists and volunteers worked The flotation process has produced an associated with sites in the same date range Neck, DHR contacted the landowner to quickly. Each day involved shovel and unusually large amount of faunal—e.g. as the bone samples. Such pottery, typically inform him of the site’s significance and to trowel scraping of the stripped surface to bones, scales, and teeth—and flora—seeds, conical in shape and thick walled, is often request permission to conduct excavations. reveal soil differences that could indicate stems, and other plant matter. These associated with cooking and storage uses. Pleased to hear of our interest, the owner a subsurface feature. Once identified, a remains can provide environmental and Very few lithic artifacts were recov- proved to be an exemplary partner. In addi- feature was mapped in relation to other This deer leg bone was tion to granting permission to investigate ones and then bisected to test it for width, worked into a tool called the soon-to-be developed housing lots, the depth, and contents, all aimed at deter- a beamer, used for scrap- ing the inside of deer and owner at great expense provided a backhoe mining its original purpose. If a feature other hides. Its a fairly to strip the surface, allowing archaeologists proved distinctive or yielded potentially rare artifact type to find. to view potential features for recording and significant or unique artifacts, it was exca- Bone recovery at VB7 was exceptional in some excavation. (He also extended free accom- vated in its entirety. Dozens of features features because of the modations to staff and volunteer archaeol- emerged during the excavations includ- amount of shell in them ogists at his nearby hotel for the duration of ing several large bell-shaped storage pits, which neutralizes the acidic soil and allows for the excavations and allotted space for stor- multiple small, shell-filled roasting pits, good bone preservation.

48 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 49 ered—only eleven the bones, we can also quantify the numbers identifiable projectile of large mammals in relation to small ones, points and very few the number of mammals compared to birds, stone flakes. A surprise the numbers of those compared to fish, and in light of the projected so on. In this way we may also figure out length of occupation the seasonality of the occupations at Great and size of the site. The Neck. Were people there year round or only points mostly represent in the summer? Perhaps they were there types associated with only when certain fish species were avail- much older sites, which able. Perhaps we’ll find that most of their may indicate the VB7 diet was made up of deer meat and that for people reused found some reason no large water fowl were pres- materials. Because of ent. Why would that be true? In the end the the lack of available rock bones will tell us a lot—but as is usually the on the coastal plain, one case inevitably raise more questions. would expect to find Our ongoing research into the botan- little evidence of stone ical remains from Great Neck will delve tools in this location; L-R: Lucy Treado, Dr. Elizabeth Moore, and Joe Dillon, all three with the Virginia into the field of ethnobotany, the scientific however, archaeolo- Museum of Natural History, use a flotation tank to recover faunal and flora matter discipline that studies human relationships from soil collected at Great Neck. The VMNH is assisting DHR with processing much gists were somewhat of the Great Neck material and Dr. Moore, the museum’s curator of archaeology, is with plants; that is, what plants people use taken aback at how few overseeing the project. (Photo: Courtesy of VMNH) and consume as a culture. DHR saved a lot pieces were found. Bone of soil from specific deep pit features and One of the few lithics found at Great Neck, this is a quartzite broadspear. Found with Middle Woodland pottery, artifacts make up the second largest artifact processing artifacts. As in the 2015 excava- carefully “floated” the plant remains out this point type is generally considered older than Middle type recovered at Great Neck in 2015. Many tions, Native American pottery sherds were of the soil. An ethnobotanist will analyze Woodland time period. were simply waste materials from meals but the predominant artifacts uncovered, again, a few items had been worked into tools— much of it Mockley ware. A few additional awls, punches, and scrapers. We may be lithic items were found, too. able to determine with a few bones if they At the time of this writing, DHR is were used as projectile points in lieu of stone processing the artifacts from VB7 at our points, which are typically found at sites Richmond conservation lab and an exten- west of the coastal plain. One unexpected sive report will be published of our findings. find is an elk antler, almost certainly not a The soil flotation process is ongoing at the locally available species. Virginia Museum of Natural History in The spring 2016 DHR-ASV field school Martinsville under the direction of Dr. Eliz- at VB7, a great success during its two week abeth Moore. The resulting samples will be run, drew as many as 25 volunteers per day. processed and catalogued by a combination The work unfolded similarly to the plan of ASV volunteers and VMNH and DHR employed in the 2015 excavations. During staff. DHR hopes that once complete this the field school, volunteers excavated fea- research will allow archaeologists and histo- tures previously identified but which had rians a better understanding of the lifeways yet to be tested. They also identified and of people who lived on Virginia’s Coastal excavated new features on two additional Plain long before European settlement. house lots. Several new pit features were We are closely examining the bones recov- discovered as well as what appears to be a ered, dividing them into two groups: those series of posts representing a possible house worked into tools, versus those likely to be structure. Volunteers were responsible for food waste. Collectively the bones can offer note keeping, photographic documentation, insight into the diet of the people and the mapping, and proper collection of their The profile of a large bell-shaped pit feature is seen here. The east half of the feature has been excavated. The diam- tools will improve our knowledge of what eter is just over one meter and is approximately that deep as well. The bottom right shows a level where a collection finds. The crew also spent time washing and activities engaged them. By inventorying of periwinkle (small edible sea snails) shells were concentrated..

50 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 51 this material to identify what plants were cooking habits and food storage. Varying present at the site at the time of occupation. types of pottery may reveal that different Partnerships in Preservation Summerseat Revival Such analysis may determine what plants groups occupied the site at different periods, were used as food, what ones were native or possibly at the same time. Or maybe one by John S. Salmon and Marc C. Wagner to the location, or found their way into the group settled there in the cooler months and pit by happenstance. Such information is another moved in during warmer weather. valuable for understanding what portion The association of specific vessel types and of the VB7 people’s diet con- bones may indicate a relation- sisted of plants; it can also tell ship via cooking or storage uses. us something about the natural We may also learn how pottery environment of present-day production and style evolved Virginia Beach some 2,000 years over time. In the end, a lot can ago. Additionally, this informa- be learned from closely consid- tion may indicate if the people ering recovered fragments of domesticated any plants such pottery. as corn and squash as well as Plans are now in place to locally available plants. We will interpret for display in both also submit samples of soil for Richmond and in Virginia phytolith research. Phytoliths Beach some of the artifacts are generally microscopic silica from VB7. Our goal is to allow absorbed by thriving plants. more people to see the items A lack of natural stone on the Once a plant perishes its silica coastal plain may explain the the native population used returns back to the soil with scarcity of projectile points or nearly 2000 years ago. a signature of sorts that helps other lithics recovered during The opportunity to excavate excavations at Great Neck. This scientists figure out what type of point (center) is made of a chert/ a site like Great Neck is rare but plant it derives from. We hope flint variety not of local origins; it could never happen without this, too, will yield some infor- the material or the point itself a vibrant and robust network of was imported from western Vir- mation about diet and environ- ginia, possibly beyond. Note the archaeologists and volunteers— ment of the area at the time. three distinct color bands. The and the partners that make hrough a consortium of local, state, and national preservation partners, a Ongoing analysis of the point rests on pottery sherds. events like DHR field schools long-neglected architectural gem in central Virginia is coming back to life. pottery recovered at Great Neck and excavations at threatened Summerseat, in the old mill town of Ettrick in Chesterfield County, is a superb may also tell us something about the people sites a possibility. Meanwhile, DHR is com- TItalianate cottage dating from around 1860. Set off by itself on a large parcel, Sum- of VB7. We hope to learn about produc- mitted to processing and documenting the tion methods and clay sources. The types finds so that we can advance our knowledge merseat now stands as a remaining land- and sizes of the vessels can inform us about of North America’s cultural past. mark denoting the historic Ettrick com- munity. To local residents, it’s an icon on Michael Clem is DHR’s eastern region archae- of the ASV. This work also would never have Chesterfield Avenue, Ettrick’s main street. ologist. He joined the agency in 2014. For been completed without the dedicated labor Owned by Virginia State University, the their support and participation at Great Neck, of Bev Barker, Cynthia Hansen, and Sonja house sits in an area VSU targeted for rede- he thanks Dr. Elizabeth Moore and Lucy Ostrander. Mike Makin at the College of velopment under a multi-year plan. Treado from the Virginia Museum of Natural William & Mary was a huge help in the field. History, ASV President Dr. Carole Nash, and Thanks, too, to Dr. Shiflet for providing so The vacant Summerseat seemed for- Wayne Edwards of the Nansemond Chapter much to make the excavations possible. gotten until a partnership of local citizens, county officials, the Cameron Foundaton,

Above: “One of the most unusual dwellings in Ettrick,” wrote DHR architectural historian Jeffrey M. O’Dell describ- ing Summerseat in the 1970s (black-and-white image is ca. 1983). “[A] one-room variation on the so-called ‘raised cottage’ house form,” he added, “built ca. 1860, the house has undergone virtually no significant alterations.” O’Dell noted the wonderful exterior dentil cornice and original veranda with deeply chamfered posts. He also pointed to he interior’s “bold Italianate architrave trim and Greek mantels,” and “an enclosed winder stair leads to the basement.”

52 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 53 Preservation Virginia, VSU and DHR formed 1859, the area was described as the “pret- to encourage its preservation. The partner- tily situated mechanical village of Ettricks, Protecting Our Heritage through Rehabilitation Tax Credits ship benefitted with new momentum when which peeps over the city [of Petersburg] HistoriCorps, a non-profit restoration group, from the north bank of the Appomattox” joined it in the summer of 2016. Historic- Linneaus H. James, a carpenter, born Corps, which depends on volunteer laborers in Virginia between 1831 and 1833, likely and craftsmen, agreed to take on the project, built Summerseat. A dwelling long rumored a process entailed peeling back layers of mod- to have been used for some court functions, ern exterior cladding to reveal the cottage’s modern tradition held that the lower floor 19th-century character and beauty. served as a jail or holding cell. But recent Summerseat’s story intertwines with research reveals its association with the Ettrick’s. By the 1830s, Ettrick Manufactur- county courts appears to date from the ing Company and Fleet’s Manufacturing 1920s through the 1950s. That’s when Judge Company were established on the north John W. Snead periodically held magistrate’s bank of the Appomattox River. The mill court in Ettrick and Colonial Heights. He factories produced “cotton, wool, hemp, may have used the house during those flax, metals, [and] wood” and “iron, steel, decades for court proceedings when no brass and other metals” products. The village other convenient public space was available. of Ettrick was laid out near the river bluff For most of its life, Summerseat serced as and drew employees and tradesmen of the a residence. During the 1980s, it was repur- mills who moved into southern Chesterfield posed as a commercial building and modi- County to live closer to their places of work. fied with aluminum siding and the additon A festival in Stauntons’ downtown historic district, where historic tax credits have assisted in restoring buildings. The pres- On the eve of the Civil War, August, of a one-story rear, a kitchen, and bathroom. ervation of Virginia’s historic built environment makes communities more liveable and benefits the state’s economy.

he preservation of historic buildings benefits communities, connecting us to our heritage and enriching our lives in many tangible and intangible ways. In addition to cultural and environmental benefits, preservation of historic Tbuildings also provides demonstrable economic benefits. The federal rehabilitation tax credit (RTC) program, established in 1976, and the Virginia RTC program, established in 1997, provide property owners with compelling financial incentives to invest in their historic buildings. By leveraging private investment in historic buildings, the state rehabilitation tax credit program has made a positive visible and economic impact throughout Virginia, boosting revitalization, enhancing livability, and encouraging tourism in places urban and rural. The recycling and re-purposing of historic buildings is indeed good for Virginia’s economy. Above: A work crew conducts lead and asbestos Beginning in 2007, Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder removal. School for Government and Public Affairs has studied the economic benefits of the Above right: The eastern elevation shows masonry rehabilitation work accomplished through Virginia’s RTC program. In their most repointing work on the brick basement. recent report, VCU found that during the 17-year period between 1997 and 2013, Right: With a ruinous 1980s rear addition and $3.9 billion in economic impact was realized through the rehabilitation of 2,375 deteriorated Masonite on the dwelling removed, scaffolding is in place for carpentry work on walls historic properties—ranging from warehouses, hotels, theaters, garages, general and trim. stores, and other commercial buildings as well as private residences found through- out Virginia. The rehabilitation tax credit and the private investment that it stimu- lates supported approximately 31,000 full- and part-time jobs. John S. Salmon is a retired historian with DHR who now serves on DHR’s State Review Board. The following page offers a sampling of projects from around the state since Marc C. Wagner, an architectural historian, is director of DHR’s Eastern Region Preservation Office. 1997.

54 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 55 Union Station, Bristol

Occupying a commanding position on the edge of Bristol’s commercial district, this elegant railroad station was con- structed in 1902 of stone and brick in a Romanesque style. Part III: Looking to the Future It is one of the last surviving examples of a series of out- standing structures which were designed and built by the Norfolk and Western Railway for its extensive rail system before World War I. In 2008, a restoration and repurposing Architectural and Archaeological Surveys using tax credits created a dynamic commercial space for banquets, weddings and other events in downtown Bristol. on Virginia’s Coasts

The Captain Timothy Hill House, Chincoteague Island, Accomack Co.

This modest rehab project using tax credits reclamed a community’s history, adding to its heritage tourism. Built circa 1800, the 16’x17’ one-room residence is likely the old- est surviving structure on Chincoteague. Numerous images of 19th-century cutter ships are etched, inside and out, into its hand-hewn logs. In 2010, two New Jersey-based actors who appreciated the building’s heritage and craft, preserved it as a museum, now open to the public, seasonally.

Hanover Tavern, Hanover Co.

Although the oldest part of this legendary tavern dates to 1791, a tavern on the site traces back to circa 1733. The tavern’s guests have included Patrick Henry, George Washington, and Marquis de Lafayette. Since 1990, the Hanover Tavern Foundation has committed itself to restor- ing the building and ensuring its continued vitality as a valuable community resource and national historic trea- sure. Historic rehabilitation tax credits have been key to sustaining that effort.

Mimslyn Inn, Luray, Page Co.

This Colonial Revival-style inn opened in 1931 and estab- lished itself as a popular destination for visitors from Wash- ington D.C. and the region. However, by the late 20th-century the Mimslyn Inn had fallen on hard times and into disrepair. After new owners purchased it, they used tax credits to rehabilitate the building and re-opened it as an elegant inn, returning it to its former glory. It is once again a center of social life in Luray and the northern Shenandoah Valley.

56 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue constructed past, the Virginia Department of Architectural Survey on Virginia’s Coast Historic Resources (DHR) is actively working to document places imperiled by sea level rise NPS, DHR & Local Communities Partner to Record Historic Resources while also spearheading efforts to prepare for the impact of climate change on the state’s by Blake McDonald diverse historical assets. The following pages details these initiatives, specifically the ongoing architectural surveys in several of the Com- monwealth’s most vulnerable coastal localities. The main risks posed to Virginia’s coast by climate change are three fold. Most commonly addressed is the incremental increase in sea level rise caused primarily by melting ice sheets in the Arctic Circle. Grace Providence Methodist Church anchors the small community of Mobjack in Mathews County. Once a local Tidal gauges indicate that water levels in the hub for seafood processing and shipment, Mobjack, Chesapeake Bay have risen approximately sited on a small and low-lying peninsula, is one of many one foot since the 1930s, and conservative similar villages in the region highly susceptible to sea level rise. estimates by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS) indicate a localized sea tions will result in considerable loss. Studies level rise of slightly more than three feet by show that a five-foot sea level rise in Vir- the year 2100.2 Worst case scenarios, which ginia would inundate approximately 54,000 incorporate accelerated ice sheet loss, esti- residential properties, 67 religious buildings, mate a rise of nearly eight feet over the same and seven schools.6 Though staggering, this time span.3 According to a 2014 study by figure gives only a glimpse of the actual the nonprofit Climate Central, a moderate threat, as it does not include damage to estimate of five-foot sea level rise by 2100 other building types, structures, or sites. A would entail inundation of over 250,000 five-foot sea level rise will also result in new acres in Virginia.4 Rising waters intensify tidal zones, and anything within this area and accelerate the second threat to Virginia’s will experience daily recurrent flooding. coast, tidal erosion. While the wearing away Even more difficult to quantify is the loss of esidents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore know well the price of living against of coastal land produces an immediate risk local culture and shared identity represented to oceanfront communities, the gradual by the homes, civic facilities, and other ever-changing coastlines. Since the mid-19th century, half a dozen Eastern disappearance of barrier islands—such as buildings within the flood zones. Shore communities have relocated or been abandoned as a result of hurri- Assateague, Chincoteague and numerous Though climate change is often dis- Rcanes, erosion, and shifting barrier islands.1 smaller landmasses--leaves many previously cussed in projections or timelines, the effects On Mockhorn and Cedar Islands, visitors can still view deserted vacation homes sheltered areas further exposed to erosion. of sea level rise are already being felt along slipping into the sea. Yet in the 21st century those living on the Eastern Shore, and else- With higher sea levels and stronger tides, Virginia’s coast, particularly on the low-lying where along the state’s coast, face an amplified threat in climate change–induced sea level Virginia stands increasingly vulnerable to a peninsula of the Eastern Shore. Perhaps the third hazard, inclement weather. Amplified most widely publicized example is Tangier rise. The stronger storms and accelerated rates of coastal inundation promised by cli- hurricane storm surges and recurrent flood- Island, located off the west coast of the East- mate change will entail a host of problems for those living in low-lying parts of Virginia, ing associated with regular coastal storms ern Shore’s Accomack County and settled in from job loss to property damage. Climate change also poses an incalculable threat to are already observed in the Hampton Roads the 1700s. Isolated from the mainland, those thousands of cultural resources. Many of the state’s earliest known settlements, historic area. With climate change assuring unpre- living on Tangier maintain the historic life- summer communities, and foundational urban centers lie within high-risk flood zones dictable and extreme weather patterns, the ways of the Virginia watermen. The island’s and stand to suffer significant damage within the next century. As stewards of the state’s likelihood of major storm events in Virginia 727 permanent residents face threats of increases substantially.5 erosion in tandem with frequent flooding as In considering the effect of climate seawater permeates through the marshy soil. Above: In Wachapreague, a late-19th century home overlooks the marshes and barrier islands that buffer the town from the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, Eastern Shore residents have depended on the sea for livelihood. change on Virginia’s built environment, A study by the Army Corps of Engineers Now, local culture and associated historic sites are at risk of inundation. even the most cautious sea level rise projec- suggests that Tangier Island may become

58 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 59 uninhabitable in as few as Interior’s Historic Preservation Fund to dis- of potentially threatened properties, DHR thirty-five years.7 tribute as grants in the twenty-six counties stands better equipped to assist homeowners On the Atlantic side of and three independent cities most affected in the event of a natural disaster. The sur- the Eastern Shore, NASA by Hurricane Sandy. DHR was charged with veys also give an opportunity for DHR staff scientists at the Wallop’s administering this funding, which became to publicize the necessity of incorporating Flight Facility—a crucial known as the Hurricane Sandy Disaster historic preservation planning into disaster launch site and research Relief Assistance for Historic Properties preparedness efforts. For town and county facility active since 1945— Grants Program. officials, the publicly available records pro- have recorded a seven-inch Hurricane Sandy Grants enabled the duced by the surveys can serve as a valuable sea level rise over the past DHR to launch numerous multi-year proj- tool for local planning efforts. sixty years. In response to ects focused on repairing damages from * * * accelerating coastal erosion, Hurricane Sandy and preparing the state’s Beginning in early 2015, DHR’s archi- NASA has constructed a coastline for future threats. These projects tectural survey coordinator reached out to new beach to temporarily include repairing historic sites that sustained the localities most impacted by Hurricane guard their most crucial damage during Hurricane Sandy, as well as Sandy, compiling a list of seven high-prior- 8 Some property owners are already taking measures to protect their historic homes assets. Directly to the north from rising sea level. In the town of Saxis, several buildings have been lifted on field review of archaeological sites exposed ity surveys. These projects concentrate on in the historic resort town of concrete block or wooden piers. by coastal erosion. Of the seventeen cur- areas with the increased potential for inun- Chincoteague, the beach is rent initiatives that utilize Hurricane Sandy dation or damage related to hurricanes and eroding at an unprecedented rate of 10-to-22 stands the necessity for immediate action grant funding, seven consist of broad-based, sea level rise. The selected localities also feet per year.9 In an article published by the to identify and protect historic places at reconnaissance-level architectural survey. represented regions in which DHR archi- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chincoteague risk from rising seas. The agency’s com- These surveys address several needs; first, tectural survey records are either sparse or Mayor Jack Tarr reported that “70-to-80 mitment to the matter began in the fall of by recording the location and condition outdated. The final list of survey localities percent of the town’s businesses depend on 2012 with the announcement that DHR the beach,” raising questions of the town’s would pursue National Register of Historic economic viability over the coming decades. Places listing for the entirety of Tangier Equally concerning is a study published in Island. In 2013, DHR architectural histori- 2015 by the Accomack-Northampton Plan- ans recorded over 300 individual properties ning District Commission, which suggests to produce a detailed documentation of that the access roads to Chincoteague and the Tangier Island’s built environment and more than fifty other Eastern Shore commu- cultural history. The National Park Service nities could be permanently submerged by approved the nomination in June of 2014. 2050.10 The inevitability of climate change-re- Predictions for other parts of the Eastern lated impacts to historic resources was Shore are just as dire. A growing number brought into sharp relief by Hurricane of the historic farms that once powered the Sandy, which made landfall in October area’s economy and provided fruits and vege- 2012. As Hurricane Sandy moved up the tables for much of the Mid-Atlantic are losing Eastern Seaboard, the storm damaged iconic acres as seawater permeates once arable sites such as Ellis Island in New York, while fields.11 Sea level rise maps published online flooding dozens of historic beach commu- by VIMS show that the one-meter rise widely nities along the Eastern Seaboard. Though predicted by year 2100 will flood the bayside the brunt of Hurricane Sandy’s destructive communities of Cape Charles, Saxis, and power centered on New Jersey and New Onancock. Additionally, the climbing waters York, Virginians experienced high winds, will overtake the large swaths of marshland coastal flooding, and widespread power that currently protect the peninsula from the outages, leading President Obama to include rougher waters of the open Atlantic.12 Virginia as one of twelve states issued a These case studies make clear the range disaster declaration in the wake of the hur- of cultural resources at risk from climate ricane.13 As a result, Virginia received nearly Though often located further inland, historic buildings associated with coastal agriculture—like this potato house on change on the Eastern Shore. DHR under- $1.5 million from the Department of the the Eastern Shore—are too at risk as sea level rise inundates once-arable farm land.

60 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 61 properties in parts of the Eastern Shore never before surveyed, this survey entails updat- ing the architectural records for a handful of properties that have not been surveyed since the mid-20th century. To prioritize the survey, DHR-hired consultants are utilizing FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) storm surge charts in con- junction with VIMS sea level rise maps. A second project on the Eastern Shore focuses on the Town of Saxis, a low-eleva- tion community isolated from the mainland by large swaths of marsh. In an effort akin to the documentation of Tangier Island, DHR- hired consultants are surveying the entirety of the town and preparing a National Register of Historic Places historic district nomination form. The finished product will provide a detailed history of Saxis in addi- tion to a catalog of the town’s constructed fabric, including such regionally distinctive elements as front yard family burial plots During an architectural survey, consultants collect property-level data including the approximate age, style, and significant characteristics of each building, structure, or site visible from the public right of way. This property in the Northern Neck community of Lewisetta, for example, consists of an early 20th century residence, several domestic outbuildings, and a dock.

included the counties of Accomack, Lan- listing. While all of the survey projects entail caster, Mathews, Middlesex, Northampton, the identification of low-lying and potentially Northumberland, and the towns of Colo- at risk properties, several also incorporate nial Beach, Saxis, and Surry. components specifically designed to better In order to best meet the needs of the prepare a locality for future disasters. In the diverse areas where the Hurricane Sandy Town of Surry, consultants are preparing a grant-funded projects are taking place, DHR management plan focused on stewarding staff collaborated with local representatives to the town’s historic resources before and after tailor each initiative. For each of the projects events including hurricanes, flooding, fire, that include an architectural survey element, or earthquakes. The plan will be the first of the finished products will vary depending on its kind in Virginia and will function as a the locality. In Mathews County, for example, template to assist other communities prepare the survey scope includes the preparation for the intensifying storms and unpredictable of several Preliminary Information Forms, weather patterns projected to occur with which are used to determine National Reg- climate change. ister eligibility. Other projects build upon While the survey projects encompass previously completed studies. In the Town many of the areas affected by Hurricane of Colonial Beach, the survey will record Sandy, the Eastern Shore is receiving particu- properties in a neighborhood found eligible lar focus due to its vulnerability. The largest of as a National Register historic district in 2001 the Hurricane Sandy-funded surveys consists Top: Budd’s Store, located in the Accomack County community of Hacks Neck, is a well-preserved example of early but never formally nominated. The current of the recordation of 500 properties in both 20th-century commercial architecture on the Eastern Shore. Middle: “Burton’s Colored School,” built in 1922 near Wachapreague, served the area’s African-American community until 1964. Above: The town of Colonial Beach has a project lays the groundwork for the Colonial Accomack and Northampton counties. While tradition of tourism. Surveyors in Colonial Beach recorded several early motels including Doc’s Motor Court, the office Beach officials to complete a historic district focusing on the documentation of historic of which is pictured above.

62 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 63 Virginia’s coastal resources. These summits are part of a growing dialogue on how the preservation commu- nity will respond to climate change; such discourse will continue to inform how DHR approaches the stew- ardship of historic resources endangered by rising seas. Alongside the ongoing docu- Virginia’s shores are home to a variety of historic buildings related to the seafood processing industry. Reedville mentation through the Hur- Oyster (R), built in 1913, in Northumberland County anchors the town’s waterfront. Crabhouses, such as the one (L) ricane Sandy Grant-funded on Quinby Bridge in Accomack County, date to the first half of the 20th century. While collecting information about surveys, this foundational newly identified historic resources, surveyors also update records on some previously documented properties. Reedville Oyster, was last surveyed with DHR in 1984. first step moves Virginia closer to a comprehensive Waveland, a circa-1880 residence in the town of Deltaville, is one of many newly and seafood processing facilities. letters to homeowners’ primary addresses strategy for managing our recorded historic buildings documented during the NPS Hurricane Sandy–funded An essential component of the Hurri- provided project information and points of historic resources in the face survey of Middlesex County. Due to its age, unusual design, and local prominence cane Sandy Grant–funded surveys is public contact at DHR. Perhaps the greatest allies of climate change. of several previous inhabitants, this property is recommended for additional study. engagement. DHR views these projects as a in this effort were the many local news Endnotes: way to communicate the agency’s mission sources that ran articles announcing the 1. http://www.barrierislandscenter.org/aboutbarrierislands/ to foster interest in and stewardship of the projects. As a result of this publicity, several 2. Tompkins, Forbes & Christina DeConcini. (June 2014). Sea Level Rise and Its Impact on Virginia. World state’s built history. Each survey project homeowners reached out to share local his- Resources Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/wri_factsheet_virginia_final.pdf includes opportunities for residents of the tories or to give permission for surveyors to 3. Virginia Institute of Marine Science. (2014). Sea-Level-Rise Scenarios. Retrieved from: http://www.vims.edu/ project area to share their ideas, concerns, or access their property. newsandevents/topstories/slr_scenarios.php 4. Strauss, Ben, Claudia Tebaldi, & Scott Kulp. September 2014. Virginia and the Surging Sea. http://sealevel.climate- questions. In the communities with greater As of June 2016, the Hurricane Sandy central.org/uploads/ssrf/VA-Report.pdf percentages of full-year residents, including Grant–funded surveys have resulted in the 5. Boon, John, Harry Wang, & Jian Shen. (October 2008). Planning for Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding. Virginia Insti- Middlesex County and Colonial Beach, pub- documentation of 1,015 historic properties. tute of Marine Science. Retrieved from: http://www.vims.edu/research/units/programs/icccr/_docs/coastal_sea_level.pdf lic meetings at the start of the project pro- By the time the projects conclude in 2017, 6. Virginia and the Surging Sea. vided a forum for people to learn about the DHR staff anticipates that a total of 1,200 7. Marshall, Christa. (December 11, 2015). Virginia Islanders Could Be U.S. First Climate Change Refugees. Scientific American. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/virginia-islanders-could-be-u-s-first-climate- initiative and provide feedback. In localities survey forms will be added to the depart- change-refugees/ with many seasonal residents, like Saxis, ment’s publicly available archives. Through 8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (2012). Adapting Now to a Changing Climate: Wallops Flight Facil- the continued recordation of coastal prop- ity and the Eastern Shore. Retreived from: https://nex.nasa.gov/nex/static/media/publication/NASA_Wallops_Cli- erties, DHR will gain a clearer image of the mate_Info_Web.pdf resources most at risk from sea level rise 9. McNeil, Ryan, Deborah J. Nelson, and Duff Wilson. (September 4, 2015). Water’s Edge: The Crisis of Rising Sea Levels. Reuters Investigates. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/waters-edge-the- and stand better prepared to assist owners crisis-of-rising-sea-levels/ of historic buildings. 10. Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission. (May 2015). Eastern Shore of Virginia Transportation Fortunately, the Department of His- Inundation Vulnerability Assessment. Retrieved from: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Portals/0/DEQ/Coastal- toric Resources is not the only such agency ZoneManagement/Virginia_CZM_Grant_Report_FY13_Task_53_no_appendices.pdf taking action to address sea level rise and 11. Water’s Edge: The Crisis of Rising Sea Levels. Reuters Investigates. 12. Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program. (n.d.) Virginia Coastal Geospatial and Educational Mapping Sys- other impacts of climate change. Across the tem. Retrieved from: http://www.coastalgems.org/ globe, historians, archaeologists, planners, 13. Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (February 2014). Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant and many others are developing innovative Program Guidelines and Application Instructions. Retrieved from: http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/SandyGrant/Hurri- strategies for documenting and mitigating the cane%20Sandy%20Grant%20Application%20Guidelines%20and%20Instructions-FINAL.pdf effects of climate change on a diverse array 14. Federal Emergency Management Agency. (November 26, 2012). President Declared Disaster for Commonwealth One among many distinctive historic resource fea- of Virginia. Retrieved from: http://www.fema.gov/news-release/2012/11/26/president-declared-disaster-com- tures recorded during the survey of Tangier Island of historic resources. In the spring of 2016, monwealth-virginia are its compact cemeteries filled with granite capped DHR sent representatives to several confer- burials. Many date back to Tangier’s heyday at the turn-of-the-20th century, when the island’s population ences on sea level rise and cultural heritage Blake McDonald received his Master’s in Architectural History from the University of Virginia and topped 1,000 people. in order to begin developing a toolkit for currently serves as a Hurricane Sandy survey assistant at DHR.

64 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 65 to issues associated with and “flocks of grazing Archaeological Survey on Virginia’s Coast coastal erosion and flood- sheep” could easily be seen Recording Cultural Resources on Shifting Shorelines ing, and sea level change, from the mainland. An natural processes indepen- 1846 U.S. Coastal Survey dent of the other. provides the first glimpse By Darrin Lowery Erosion, an ongoing into the historic struc- process, occurs where tures once located on this land and water intersect. It etween 1999 and 2001, I had the privilege of circumnavigating the coastlines landmass, which at the varies from place to place survey’s date had dwin- of both Accomack and Northampton counties on Virginia’s Eastern Shore to depending on the expo- dled, again, to about 438 locate, document, and record eroding archaeological sites. These two surveys sure, the fetch (the distance acres. (See maps, opposite B(see Lowery 2001 and 2003), funded by DHR’s Threatened Sites program, docu- that wind travels across page.) All the same, the mented 152 sites, increasing to 198 the known number of coastal archaeological water), and the geology island boasted tilled fields, sites in both Accomack and Northampton counties. During the years since, the at any given shoreline. a forest, orchard, hunting Erosion is not unique to blinds, three structures, a shorelines of Virginia have changed—especially after Hurricane Sandy struck the st the 21 century. There are sand beach, and a fringe eastern seaboard and the Delmarva Peninsula on October 29 and 30 in 2012. The countless islands in the of tidal marsh located unfortunate circumstances associated with Hurricane Sandy provided an opportu- Chesapeake Bay that are along its southern and nity—supported by an NPS Hurricane Sandy grant awarded to DHR— to revisit the no longer with us. Many eastern margins. coastal sites of Accomack and Northampton counties to assess their condition after of which once contained a By 1900, another a 15-year hiatus. In a broad sense, Hurricane Sandy alerted officials and the public significant archaeological U.S. Coastal Survey record. The history of one indicates that Sharp’s such now-vanished island, Top: The only known aerial photograph of Sharp’s Island shows a five-acre tidal Island encompassed only originally documented by marsh remnant as it appeared in 1946; the 91 acres, representing a Capt. John Smith, provides pilings of a steamboat wharf are visible in loss of over four-and-a- a superb example. in the lower left corner. Above: By 1961, the island had completely disappeared. A half acres per year since In 1612, the island was navigation chart of the area delineates the Claiborne’s claim. In 1910, situated at the mouth of the submerged pilings and defines the former J. Fred Hunter of the U.S. Choptank River in Mary- island location as the “Sharps Island Obstruction.” (Author images) Geologic Survey mapped land, a southern extension Sharp’s and noted that of the “Winston’s Isles,” as it had some 53 acres of depicted on John Smith’s Map of Virginia. abandoned upland and tidal marsh. Hunter The island consisted of at least 1,500 acres surveyed Sharp’s Island to better under- of land in 1631, when William Claiborne stand the rapid erosion and coastal land claimed and named it after himself. By loss seen at the mouth of the Choptank 1634, the island lost its original Virginia River. He wanted to investigate public pedigree when Lord Baltimore established concerns that the “Chesapeake Bay bottom the Maryland colony, which encompassed was sinking” and the waters were rising, a the upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay. familiar concern today. Hunter observed In 1664, Peter Sharp, a Quaker surgeon, an historic well, which had been trans- acquired the island. Upon his death in gressed by waves, in the midst of the bay 1672, Sharp deeded “Claborn’s Island”, waters. He also noted the island’s trees had which encompassed roughly 1,400 acres disappeared save for a meager half dozen of land to his eldest son, William. Sharp’s and the houses had washed away, and all Island, as it was thereafter known, by 1809 that remained was a large abandoned hotel, A U.S. Coastal Survey map (left) shows Sharp’s Island in 1846. The island then contained six tilled fields, a forest, totaled only 700 acres. At that time, the alone in the center of the island. Finally, he orchard, hunting blinds, sand beach, three structures, and a fringe of tidal marsh along its southern and eastern mar- gins. The shoreline dimension map (right) shows the marked erosion of Sharp’s Island from 1846 to 1946. By 1956, Valliant family possessed the island and commented that the northern part of the Sharp’s Island had eroded away. it was reported that “great fields of wheat” island consisted of silt-loam and rose out of

66 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 67 the water as much as seven feet. Chesapeake Bay. Nowhere As a geologist, Hunter is this more evident than at understood coastal pro- Watt’s Island in Accomack cesses. He wrote. County. On John Smith’s 1612 map, Watt’s is part of the marshland is with- the amalgamation of islands standing the force of the he named “The Russell Iles” waves much more effec- situated at the confluence tively than the rest of the of both the Tangier and island and will doubtless Pocomoke sounds. Like be the last to disappear. the setting of Sharp’s, Watt’s By September 1946, the Island now stands as a lone U.S. Navy was using Sharp’s sentinel amidst a vast body Island as a bombing site (top of open Chesapeake Bay photo, p. 65). At this time, water. Though topographi- Projectile points spanning the Paleoindian period through WWII were collected all that remained was the along the shoreline of Sharp’s Island between 1938 and 1946. (Author photo) cally lower, the geology and southeastern portion of the natural processes impact- once-majestic island, includ- ing Watt’s Island mimic ing a meager 5-acre lump of tidal marsh. and prehistoric archeological sites that those reported by Hunter at Importantly, without evoking any concept of once dotted this island landscape are not Sharp’s Island in 1914. sea level rise, Hunter in 1914 had predicted submerged; these sites have been destroyed I initially examined that Sharp’s Island would disappear as a result by erosion. Watt’s Island in 1999 as of erosion sometime between 1950 and 1955. The situation noted at Sharp’s Island is part of the archaeological By 1956, the vestiges of Sharp’s Island (map, p. repeating itself at many locations around the survey funded by DHR’s 65), once part of John Smith’s Winston’s Isles Threatened Sites program. and William Claiborne’s upper bay Virginia Six archaeological sites were fur trading adventure, ultimately succumbed recorded based on fea- to the impacts of wave energy and tide-re- tures and artifacts exposed lated erosion. along the shoreline (right, Aside from the historical structures and middle image). These sites features that occupied the upland portion revealed numerous diag- of Sharp’s Island, the area also had a prehis- nostic circa 13,000- to toric presence when global sea levels were 500-year old Paleoindian much lower. A local newspaper reported on through Woodland period December 26, 1947 that “numerous arrow- prehistoric artifacts (right, Middle (A): In 1999, Watt’s Island included six documented archaeological sites and was 7,763 feet in length. At present (B), only three of the original sites remain heads found on Sharp’s Island” indicate top). Colonial artifacts and and the island has been reduced to 5,323 feet. Top: A large portion of the archae- th the presence of a large Choptank Indian features spanning the 17 ological record that spans the Paleoindian (C-D), Archaic (E), and Woodland (F) village. Tangible clues about the prehistoric through 19th centuries were periods has been lost to shoreline erosion. (Author photos) use of the island exist in a few surviving also observed. The island arrowhead collections amassed between then measured 2,367 meters (7,763 feet) in linear upland forested ridge, it’s length 1938 and 1946 (above). However, no pre- length and encompassed two linear upland diminished to 1,623 meters (5,323 feet); historic or historic archaeological features forested ridges surrounded by a tidal marsh a net loss of 744 meters (2440 feet) over associated with Sharp’s Island survived and open water. Over the years, I have peri- a 14-year period. As Hunter would have the perils of wave energy. Notably, Sharp’s odically inspected and photographed these understood, the marshland of Watt’s Island Island did not sink. The late Pleistocene An 1847 U.S. Coastal Survey chart (A) indicates archaeological sites as wave energy disman- has withstood the force of wave energy through late Holocene geology and archae- Watt’s Island once encompassed three tilled fields, two tled them. By 2013, only three of the original much more effectively than the upland ology of Sharp’s Island were bulldozed away orchards, three farm-related structures, a lighthouse, six sites remained (above). Wave and tidal ridges. However, only a thin veneer of three forested hummocks, a vast tidal marsh area, and by the hourly onslaught of waves and the a tidal creek. Today (B), only a small central core of erosion completely destroyed the others. tidal marsh partially encompasses the last diurnal movement of tides. The historic this once grand landscape remains. Watt’s Island now consists of only one upland ridge on Watt’s. The remaining

68 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 69 With respect to shoreline archaeological represents the only extant tangible clue as sites, as the saying goes, “time and tide wait to the human use of this now-vanished for no man.” As a young child growing up island landscape. Nonetheless, I remain ever on Tilghman Island, my father used that hopeful that cultural resource managers and phrase on numerous occasions. The small concerned government agencies will begin collection of artifacts he amassed from to address the magnitude of archaeological Sharp’s Island as a child (top, p. 66) now site loss along the region’s coastlines.

The rapid loss of archaeological sites on Watt’s Island can be seen in these two photos. In 2009 (left), the remnants of site 44AC512 encompassed a narrow strip of tidal marsh. By 2015 (right), most of the site has eroded away. Only a small piece of the site’s landscape remains containing in situ archaeological features and deposits. three archaeological sites (above) repre- and 2001 are now actively eroding. Conse- sent a crumbling remnant documenting quently, 45 previously unknown archaeo- the human activities once associated with logical sites were exposed and documented this imposing island. When the protec- during the 2015 survey. Subtracting the 35 tive veneer of tidal marsh disappears, the losses from the previous total, there is a net These images show the location of archaeological site 44NH3 relative to the shoreline in 1851, 1967, and 2012. exposed upland will rapidly melt into the gain of ten newly identified archaeological When first recorded in 1966 by Howard MacCord, he noted a dense mixture of prehistoric and historic artifacts along bay. Given the rates of observed erosion, sites for these two counties. the shoreline. The assemblage included projectile points, prehistoric pottery, glass beads, and other colonial rel- I predict that Watt’s Island will disappear By using geo-referenced satellite images ics. The site was again revisited by Nicholas Luccketti in 1978. Like his predecessor, Luccketti reported an amaz- ing quantity of both prehistoric and historic artifacts from this location. Revisited again in 1985 by Dr. Jay Custer of within the next decade or by 2025. for the period spanning 1999 and 2015, I the University of Delaware, Custer found only a few fragments of late prehistoric ceramics and some colonial pipe The NPS funding allocated as a byprod- was able to calculate the annual amount stems. When the author visited 44NH3 in 1999 he found only a few stone tools and in 2015, only four fragments of uct of Hurricane Sandy has provided a of erosion or land loss for each of the fire-cracked rock along the shoreline. MacCord and Luccketti may have seen this amazing site during its glory days. Erosion eventually destroyed it and any associated archaeological features. As the shoreline retreated eastward as welcome opportunity (despite various field 243 sites. Ten percent of the sites (24) are a result of erosion, the quantity of associated dislodged artifacts decreased markedly. At present, the boundary of hazards such as biting insects, sharks, and associated with stable and largely non-ero- 44NH3 defined by Howard MacCord in 1966 is situated about 393 feet offshore. Significantly, 44NH3 did not sink. sting rays!) to reexamine the Atlantic and sive shorelines. Even with these stable sites The site and all of its archaeology were dismantled, scoured, and degraded by wave energy. Coastal areas pose an interesting archaeological conundrum. Once a shoreline archaeological survey has been completed and all of the Chesapeake coastlines of Accomack and included in the measured sample, the aver- sites documented, they are unprotected and the stories that each site can tell perish. 44NH3 and the adjacent shore- Northampton counties. The primary goal age annual erosion for all the coastal sites line were surveyed six times over the past 40-plus years, but wave-related erosion continued. Aside from being a dot of the recently completed survey was to in Accomack and Northampton counties is on an archaeological database map, nothing remains of 44NH3 and the stories that it could tell are now gone. assess the condition of all archaeological 1.92 meters or 6.3 feet per year. sites adjacent to the shorelines in the two The rapidity of archaeological site loss References Cited: counties. After examining over 1,100 linear within these coastal settings is, indeed, stag- Hunter, J. F. , 1914. Erosion and Sedimentation in the Chesapeake Bay around the mouth of the miles of shoreline, my research fieldwork gering. On October 31, 2014, for example, Choptank River. United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 90-B. Washington. D.C. has been completed and I am now prepar- the remnants of a prehistoric burial feature ing a final report. But my field research were observed along the eroding shoreline Lowery, D., 2001. Archaeological Survey of the Chesapeake Bay Shorelines Associated with Acco- is a somber reminder about the inherent at one Accomack site. (Like Watt’s Island, mack County and Northampton County, Virginia. Survey and Planning Report Series No. 6. vulnerability of archaeological sites located the site is within a large tract of public- Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Richmond, Virginia. along active coastlines. Of the known 243 ly-owned and managed land.) But only 42 archaeological sites previously identified days later, when DHR’s state archaeologist Lowery, D., 2003. Archaeological Survey of the Atlantic Coast Shorelines Associated with Accomack and documented during the 2015 survey, Dr. Mike Barber visited the site, the burial County and Northampton County, Virginia. Survey and Planning Report Series No. 7. Virginia 35 have been completely lost to erosion feature had completely washed away. Sig- Department of Historic Resources, Richmond, Virginia. over the past 15 years, including the three nificantly, coastal erosion, not sea level rise, associated with Watt’s Island. Unfortu- was the culprit that dismantled this prehis- Darrin Lowery, Ph.D., specializes in coastal geoarchaeology. A research associate in the Department nately, erosion continues long after a shore- toric burial—showing the greatest threat to of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution, he also directs the Chesapeake Watershed Archaeological line survey is completed. Some protected archaeological resources along the margins Research Foundation. He has recorded 1,854 archaeological sites in the Middle Atlantic region, archae- landforms (e.g. forested hummocks) once of the Chesapeake Bay is the Chesapeake ologically surveyed over 91,000 acres of tilled fields, and systematically surveyed over 2,800 linear situated inland of the coastline in 1999 Bay. miles of coastline over the past 25 years. He resides in Easton, MD.

70 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 71 DHR at a Glance: 50 Years by the Numbers DHR Staff, September 2016

Sites Listed on Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) and the National Register of Historic Director’s Office Division of Preservation Incentives Places (NRHP): Julie V. Langan, DHR Director Elizabeth Tune, Director & State Historic Preservation Officer VLR individually listed: 3,077 Stephanie Williams, Deputy Director Rehabilitation Tax Credit Jen Pullen, Executive Assistant Bill Crosby, Senior Historical Architect NRHP individually listed: 3,020 Antoinette Carter, Office Manager Chris Novelli, Tax Credit Specialist & National Historic Landmarks (NHL),* individually listed: 126 & Receptionist Cell Tower Reviewer 567 historic and archaeological districts listed in the VLR Linda Kirk, Receptionist Jessica Ugarte, Tax Credit Reviewer Wendy Baker, Human Resources Manager Andrea Burke, Tax Credit Reviewer 565 historic and archaeological districts listed in the NRHP Karen Hostettler, IT Manager 19 historic districts are NHLs Randall Jones, Public Information Officer Easements Gillian Bearns, Program Stewardship Historic rehabilitation tax credit projects since 1977**: 3,203 Fiscal Division Counsel Jamie Lewis, Interim Director of Fiscal Joanna Wilson Green, Archaeologist Certified Local Governments in Virginia: 35 Division Brad McDonald, Easement Stewardship Jeninnifer Mayton, Interim Finance / Coordinator Easements since 1966: Grants Manager Megan Melinat, Program Architect More than 600 easements are held or co-held by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources Tyler Turpin, Procurement Officer Wendy Musumeci, Program Coordinator and administered by DHR staff, covering roughly 40,000 acres and 210 town/city “lots.”*** These easements include more than 12,000 acres of battlefield lands since the program Community Services Division Division of State Archaeology began. David Edwards, Director Michael Barber, Director, State Archaeologist & Resources inventoried (as of June, 2016): Certified Local Government Threatened Sites Program Manager A total of 206,841 historic resources, of which 162,601 are architectural resources and Aubrey Von Lindern, Cooridinator 44,240 archaeological prehistoric and historic sites. Collections Regional Offices Dee DeRoche, Chief Curator Unpublished cultural resource management reports: David Edwards, Manager Katherine Ridgway, Conservator

9,609, of which 350 resulted from projects funded by the Threatened Sites, Cost Share or Eastern Region Preservation Office Division of Survey and Register Certified Local Government programs. (Richmond) Jim Hare, Director, Architectural Historian Marc Wagner, Architectural Historian Projects Reviewed under Section 106 since 1966: More than 100,000. Michael Clem, Archaeologist Archives Elizabeth Lipford, Preservation Specialist Quatro Hubbard, Archivist

*Highest honorary designation the federal govenment gives to a site. Dominic Bascone, GIS Specialist Northern Region Preservation Office Jolene L. U. Smith, Archaeological Data (Stephens City) **Year the federal RTC program began; state RTC began in 1997. Manager David Edwards, Architectural Historian Lauren Leake, Archives Assistant ***The total number of easements and acreage is approximate because throughout the 50-year history of the pro- Aubery Von Lindern, Architectural gram, the number of easements recorded has been tallied differently. Also, prior to 2008, the program tracked Historian Historical Highway Marker Program easements on city lots by using the term “lots” rather than applying an actual acreage to the property. These lots are Bob Jolley, Archaeologist Jim Hare, Manager usually small—less than 1 acre. Since 2008, DHR has tracked newly recorded easements by the actual acreage (e.g. 0.25 acres or 0.69 acre) rather than using the term “lots.” Jennifer R. Loux, Program Historian Western Region Preservation Office (Roanoke College, Salem) & Coordinator Tom Klatka, Archaeologist Michael Pulice, Architectural Historian (Continued)

72 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue 73 Register Program Division of Review and Compliance Lena Sweeten McDonald, Program Roger Kirchen, Director & Archaeologist Historian Ethel Eaton, Senior Policy Analyst Melina Bezirdjian, Program Coordinator & Archaeologist & Data Enhancement Specialist Marc Holma, Architectural Historian Greg LaBudde, Archaeologist Survey and Planning Adrienne Birge-Wilson, Architectural Carey Jones, Architectural Survey Historian Reviewer Coordinator & Cost Share Survey and Planning Grant Program Manager Blake McDonald, Hurricane Sandy Survey Assistant

74 Notes on Virginia 2016—50th Anniversary Issue