BULLETIN Volume 10: No. 6 Cultural Resources Management • A National Park Service Technical Bulletin December 1987 Preserving Landscapes Rural Landscapes Definitions Hugh C. Miller Cultural Landscape. A geographic area, including both cultural and natural resources, including the Why is what happens today at During a recent travel exchange wildlife or domestic animals therein, Antietam Battlefield important to sponsored by the Sir Herbert Man- that has been influenced by or reflects the English at Battle Abbey zoni Scholarship Trust of Birm­ human activity or was the background (Hastings 1066)? Why is what hap­ ingham, England, I found that we for an event or person significant in pened at the village of Longnor in can learn from each other and find human history. There are five general the Peak District National Park im­ answers together about rural land­ kinds of cultural landscapes, not portant to the village of Everett at scape preservation. I came to mutually exclusive: the Cuyahoga Valley National Rec­ realize that there are many lessons Historic scene. A micro-environment reation Area? These areas are we can learn from the English where a significant historic event oc­ worlds apart in terms of time and system of managing parks. From curred, frequently with associated space and yet the management and us, they could learn how we have structures or other tangible remains. protection of the countryside in na­ developed methods for identifica­ In historic areas, such remains often tional parks and historic sites in tion of historic landscape values are the most significant physical England have a lot in common with that have become the basis for resource of the park. The cultural cultural landscape resources that management strategies in natural scene provides the context for under­ are under similar threats in the standing and interpreting the events, ideas, or persons associated with the United States. (Continued on page 2) park. The historic scene is always present in historic parks, although its integrity may be severely diminished because of intrusions such as nearby developments, inappropriate plant­ The Tao House Courtyard: ings, or lack of maintenance. Historic site. A site where an event or Exposing a activity has imbued a particular piece of ground with significance warrant­ ing preservation of the historic Playwright's Garden appearance of the landscape, i.e., battlefields, landing sites, and historic Cathy Gilbert routes. Historic designed landscape. A land­ scape where form, layout and/or The National Park Service has tion and management of these designer, rather than significant undertaken a variety of landscape landscapes present many challeng­ events or persons, are the primary preservation projects over the last ing issues to the designer and reasons for its preservation, although several years, exploring both preservationist. Some of these both may be relevant. With historic cultural and designed historic land­ scapes. The identification, evalua­ (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 2) Rural Landscapes walls. Planning is comprehensive The U.S. and English park (Continued from page 1) enough to indicate management op­ managers should jointly learn how tions. Implementation is based on a to define countryside or rural land­ partnership with incentives or scape as a national asset and grants, often from non-park agen­ describe the values in tangible and cultural areas. There are also cies, like the Ministry of Agricul­ terms. For the English the "well mutual concerns to find methods to ture or Ministry of Labor, to carry kept" countryside is a visual qual­ define and communicate resource out the park plan or to protect the ity that is ingrained in the psyche. issues and values. We could study park resources. The success of There is little discussion of their together to find answers to these these parks is based on this part­ landscape features as historic or questions and to raise national, or nership where the park managers cultural resources. This image of even international, awareness of and the private owners have a "manicured" rural countryside is these landscape assets at risk. mutual understanding of and desire accepted as "standard"; it may be The agrarian landscapes of to protect the same values. undistinguished farm land or green America near urban centers are fast This partnership is also built on belt; it may be national parks or disappearing. We in the United accommodation of an economic other zoned reserves with States need to identify, as have the viability for the private owner and agricultural uses or it may be estate English, the significant rural land­ protection of the land or villages land owned by the National Trust, scapes worth saving. Even in the with the appropriate level of public English Heritage or the Crown. U.S. National Park System protec­ access and public use of the park. These places are important to the tion and maintenance of agrarian This understanding of values is way that the English think about lands as cultural landscapes are built with a continuous process of themselves, but these rural land­ generally not considered. In many planning and implementation with scapes are not considered recreation areas they are inten­ an active park technical assistance "historic." While there is scholarly tionally obliterated as the result of program and funding from a study of historic landscapes in misguided planning goals. As we multitude of sources—other national England, there is little articulation now begin to consider the protec­ agencies, local government, founda­ of this information to assess values tion of cultural landscapes in the tions and private investment. At or develop an ethos for protection United States, we should also look best, as I observed in the Peak and management of the historic for alternative management District National Park, there is a countryside. (This is not true of strategies. highly sophisticated partnership historic estate parks.) The English system of national between private owners, local Sense of Value parks, where most of the land base government, the park board and is in private ownership, is not the park management. In other We share a common need to perfect; yet it is worth examining as parks where the values are not as evaluate rural landscapes for signifi­ a method for managing recreation broadly accepted there is a tension cant natural and cultural features areas and natural and historic between "the farmers" and the and to identify the threats to these resources in the U.S. National Park visitors over access issues, and with special places. We in the U.S. have System and protecting national park management over protection so much rural countryside that we natural or historic landmarks with issues. Even here the land base is take its scenic and historical value large multi-owned land areas. The protected from gross land use for granted. We don't miss it until success of the English national park changes. We should learn to do so it is gone. Only by identifying is in its definition of values—often well as to have land areas with historic significances and integrity scenic, to the detail of small basic park values protected with of these landscapes as resources wetlands habitats or medieval field less-than-fee interest. and as special places can their characteristics and limitations be recognized to eliminate or mitigate adverse change or remove existing Definitions peoples, including subsistence hunting adverse impacts. The value of rural (Continued from page 1) and gathering, religious or sacred landscapes must be described as ceremonies, and traditional meetings. national assets with economic value designed landscapes, as with historic A difficult resource to manage because beyond the tangible property. structures, attention to detail is impor­ its significance derives from human tant, i.e., formal gardens and parks interaction with or consumptive use of In England, the solution to the such as at Vanderbilt National Historic the natural environment. To effec­ encroachment of modern society on Site or Olmsted National Historic Site. tively manage the area, the park historic resources is needed at places like Hadrian's Wall or Battle Historic vernacular landscape. A land­ manager must assure perpetuation of scape possessing a significant concen­ the resources, should afford contem­ Abbey where the Battle of Hastings tration, linkage, or continuity of porary groups or individuals the op­ occurred in 1066. Here views and natural and man-made components portunity to continue their traditional vistas of a rural scene should be a which are united by human use and uses, and must provide for the contextually abstract setting and past events or aesthetically by plan or general park visitor. should not be interrupted by power physical development. transmission towers or houses in a From Cultural Resources Management Ethnographic landscape. A landscape Guidelines, NPS-28, National Park characterized by use by contemporary Service. (Continued on page 3) 2 sub-division. The same intensity of realization that the rural setting of in a partnership with government identification of landscape features Antietam and the newly nominated for planning and controls that in­ is needed to develop a landscape South Mountain National Historic clude incentives and grants. protection plan for Richmond Bat­ Landmark District are more than We in the United States have the tlefield or Antietam. There is also a protecting lands associated with the potential for a similiar partnership need to develop preservation stand­ battlefield actions and troop move­ using the presence of national park ards and management methods to ment of the Civil War. Planning areas or the designation of national identify and protect the dynamic and development here are more natural or historic landmarks to biotic cultural resources of the land­ than local land use issues. There is define the broader values of these scape as well as preserve the land­ a recognition that Antietam is an places as "landscapes with special scape's more static features.