November - December 2006 Vol. 28, No. 6 Kansas Preservation Newsletter of the Cultural Resources Division Kansas State Historical Society This commemorative issue celebrates milestones in preservation efforts throughout Kansas. Special Commemorative Issue 2-6 National Register Information This issue of Kansas Preservation 7 celebrates two significant HistoryCONTENTS Beyond the Ordinary 11 milestones : Protecting Our Earliest Resources 14 Heritage Trust Fund– 1,000 More than Money Kansas listings 17-22 Highlights of 1,000 Kansas Listings in the 23 Federal Tax Credit Celebrates National Register of Historic Places 30th Anniversary and 25 the fortieth anniversary of the Heritage Preservation Fund– Planning for Preservation National Historic Preservation Act. 26 Starting the Next 1,000 Listings Neither accomplishment would 34 be possible without concerned Plains Anthropological Conference Comes to Topeka and dedicated Kansans throughout the state. Their hard work is applauded. KANSAS PRESERVATION Published bimonthly by the Cultural Resources Division, Kansas State Historical Society, 6425 S.W. We look forward to helping Sixth Avenue, Topeka, KS 66615-1099. Kansas achieve its next Please send change of address information to the above address or e-mail thousand listings! [email protected]. Third-class postage paid at Topeka, Kansas. Jennie Chinn, State Historic Preservation Officer Virginia Wulfkuhle and Patrick Zollner, Editors Tracy Campbell, Editorial/Design Services Partial funding for this publication is provided by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior. The contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior. This program receives federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U.S. Department of the Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal assistance should write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240. Franklin County Courthouse, Ottawa, Listed 1972 1 National Register of Historic Places Historic Preservation Milestones Celebrated in Kansas This issue of Kansas Preservation Historic Preservation, encouraged the commemorates both 1,000 Kansas list- formation of the state historic preserva- ings in the National Register of Histor- tion offices, and gave these offices match- ic Places and the fortieth anniversary of ing grants to perform surveys and other the National Historic Preservation Act of preservation activities. Section 106 of 1966. Like most significant milestones, the act required federal agencies to take these two required years of hard work into account the effect of their undertak- and dedication. ings on properties listed in the Nation- The modern historic preserva- al Register. Later amendments further tion movement began with the Nation- defined what constitutes a Section 106 al Historic Preservation Act of 1966, review and extended protection to proper- the culmination of a report entitled With ties that were not yet listed in the Nation- Heritage So Rich by a special commit- al Register but were determined eligible tee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. for listing. The committee addressed the increased destruction rate of historic properties due Early Preservation to unchecked development and govern- Efforts in Kansas ment programs that wreaked havoc on Railroad Water Tank, historic inner city neighborhoods–most Like most states, Kansas dabbled in Beaumont, Listed 1993 notably the Department of Housing and the field of historic preservation in the Urban Development’s Urban Renewal years before the passage of the act. The program and the construction of the inter- Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS), Additional historic sites were acquired state highway system. founded in 1875, gained its first historic over time. Congress utilized this report as the sites in 1901 with the acquisition of the The forerunner of the highway mark- basis for the National Historic Preserva- Pawnee Indian Village in Republic Coun- er program began in 1935, when the tion Act, which created both the Nation- ty, the First Territorial Capitol in Riley KSHS surveyed more than 300 histor- al Register and the Advisory Council on County, and Fort Hays in Ellis County. ic sites. In conjunction with the state chamber of commerce and the high- way commission, fifty of the sites were marked with wooden signs; those mark- The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the ers were replaced with cast aluminum nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National after World War II. Currently, 117 histor- Historic Preservation Act of 1966, it is part of a national program to coordinate and ical markers identify interesting places, support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect our historic and events, and people in Kansas history. archeological resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park In 1957, the Society published A Service (NPS) under the Secretary of the Interior. Survey of Historic Sites and Structures in Properties listed in the National Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures, Kansas in accordance with a 1955 stat- and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engi- ute requiring the KSHS to survey and neering, and culture. The National Register includes: recommend historic sites for “acquisi- • all historic areas in the National Park System; tion, maintenance and preservation.” The report identified 178 sites and contained • National Historic Landmarks that have been designated by the Secretary of a brief historical statement regarding the the Interior for their significance to all Americans; and property, location, current status, and a • properties significant to the nation, state, or community which have been recommendation “for its preservation or nominated by State Historic Preservation Offices, federal agencies, or tribal marking if such recognition is believed preservation offices, and have been approved by the NPS. desirable and practicable.” Remarkably, Listing in the National Register has the following results that assist in preserving many buildings surveyed are still extant, historic properties: and many are listed in the state and/or • recognition of significance to the nation, state, or community; National Register. The survey also points out a number of unfortunate preservation • consideration in the planning for federal or federally assisted projects; losses, such as the state’s only surviving • eligibility for technical assistance; and covered bridge in Leavenworth County. • eligibility for funding assistance, including grants and tax credits. The passage of the National Histor- ic Preservation Act in 1966 led to the creation of the State Historic Preservation 2 Office within the Society. The KSHS a local historic preservation program.” percent state tax credit programs on the executive director serves as State Histor- Currently, six cities conduct their own cost of restoration. Before 2001, Kansas ic Preservation Officer (SHPO). In 1970, state law reviews. had thirty-two National Register-list- Richard D. Pankratz joined the staff The Kansas Preservation Act has ed districts. Since that time, forty-four as program director and served in that been controversial at times, but it is still districts have been added with even more capacity for more than thirty-four years considered among the most progressive in the nomination process. until his retirement in 2004. state preservation laws in the nation and Kansas received the first federal has succeeded in preserving many histor- What does the future hold? matching grant for survey in 1969. The ic Kansas properties. The CRD recently initiated a two- survey was divided into three phases: year multiple property nomination proj- architectural, historical, and archeologi- Resources ect, Agricultural Resources of Kansas, cal. The architectural survey, basically Other articles in this issue exam- that involves surveying more than 300 a windshield survey of city and rural ine the impact of the federal and state barns statewide and documenting the areas on a county-by-county basis, was tax credits and the Heritage Trust Fund history of Kansas agriculture from the conducted during the summer months of grant program on historic preservation territorial period through 1958. While 1969, 1970, and 1971 by college students in Kansas. In 1990, the state legislature the survey will focus on barns, the multi- under the supervision of a qualified histor- created the Heritage Trust Fund, while ple property nomination format allows ical architect. The historical component for other agricultural-related properties, also was organized on a county basis but such as farmhouses, associated outbuild- relied heavily upon the resources in the ings, silos, and grain elevators, to be KSHS library and archives. The archeo- nominated to the National Register as logical aspect of the survey was coordi- part of the multiple property submission. nated with the Archeology Department. Beyond agriculture-related properties, The results