ATLANTA (May 2, 2011)- Ten Georgia communities will be receiving a federally funded grant to conduct historic preservation projects, which will begin in May 2011 and will be completed by September 2012.  A total of $77,280 in grants from the FFY2011 Historic Preservation Fund has been awarded this year.  This year's projects include historic resource surveys, a statewide cemetery conference, a cemetery ground penetrating radar survey, groundwater analysis for a pre-Civil War house museum, condition assessment reports for Civil War monuments, and several information/education initiatives.  The grant recipients are as follows:

City of Atlanta--$13,685 for Civil War monuments conditions assessment reports and documentation.
City of Augusta--$12,000 to update a historic resources survey of the Summerville National Register Historic District, Phase 1.
City of Bainbridge--$2,400 to produce a historic sites walking/driving tour brochure.
City of Dalton--$3,720 for an analytic study of groundwater at the historic Hamilton House.
City of Decatur- $10,660 for a statewide cemetery conference
City of Douglasville--$12,000 for an update and additions to the historic resources survey of the downtown historic district and the Lois Cotton Mill Village area.
City of Hawkinsville-- $7,302 for a historic sites walking/driving tour brochure, audiovisual materials, and signage.
City of Kennesaw-- $3,500 for a historic district information brochure.
City of Thomasville-- $5,413 for a ground penetrating radar survey of the Old Cemetery.
City of Tifton-- $6,600 for residential historic district way-finding and informational signage.

These grants are provided through the Historic Preservation Fund from the U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service and are administered by the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.  Each year, Georgia's 78 Certified Local Governments (CLGs) are eligible to apply for these matching 60% federal/40% local grants. To be eligible to become a federal Certified Local Government, a city or county must have passed a preservation ordinance and have established a historic preservation commission.

According to HPD Director David Crass, "These grants help HPD support the special partnership we have with Certified Local Government communities.  Projects like these help communities conserve historic buildings, keeping them out of construction and demolition landfills and leveraging the embodied energy that went into their construction.  The greenest building is one that is already built."

Funding may be used for a variety of preservation activities, including archaeological and historic resource surveys, National Register nominations, educational/promotional activities and publications, heritage tourism studies, and preservation plans.  For information on HPD's historic preservation grant programs, contact Carole Moore at 404-463-8434 or via email at carole.moore@dnr.state.ga.us.

The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia's state historic preservation office. Their mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia.  HPD's programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance.
The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia's natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.  

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 Historic Preservation Division media contact is Helen Talley-McRae, public affairs coordinator - 404-651-5268 and helen.talley-mcrae@dnr.state.ga.us   

 Photos available upon request from Charlie Miller, media & communications coordinator - 404-651-5287 and charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation presented 23 awards recognizing the best of preservation in Georgia during its 34th annual Preservation Awards ceremony in Macon on April 1.

The Hardman Farm in Sautee, Ga. received the Marguerite Williams Award, presented annually to the project that has had the greatest impact on preservation in the state. The Italianate style house also received an award in the Excellence in Restoration category.

The Trust also presented five awards for Excellence in Restoration, nine awards for Excellence in Rehabilitation, three awards for Stewardship, and two for Preservation Service. 

Three sites in Middle Georgia were recipents of Excellence in Rehabiliation awards:

1. Campus Theatre and Bookstore, Milledgeville
2. Plaza Arts Center, Eatonton
3. Pulaski County Board of Education, Hawkinsville

The Stumbo Residence in Fort Valley was recognized for Stewardship in the field of historic preservation for an addition to a neoclassical style home which left the historic integrity of the existing house intact.

Congratulations to all the awardees in Middle Georgia!!

For additional background material and more information on each award-winning project including downloadable high-resolution images, please go to www.georgiatrust.org./preservation/preservation_awards_2011.php.

To view photos from the 2011 Preservation Awards ceremony, click HERE.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

 Press Release

 Effingham and Pulaski& Wilcox counties…

TWO NEW GEORGIA SCENIC BYWAYS DESIGNATED

ATLANTA – Two new scenic drives – the Historic Effingham-Ebenezer route in Effingham County and the Enduring Farmlands byway in Pulaski and Wilcox counties – have been added by the State Transportation Board to the roster of Georgia Scenic Byways. 

There now are 14 officially designated Scenic Byways spread across Georgia – each a special drive and destination unto itself; each commemorating an important time or place; honoring our remembered or forgotten history; or simply reminding us of the beauty and bounty of our state.

The Historic Effingham-Ebenezer route, a 60-mile trip through the towns of Ebenezer, Guyton, Springfield and Rincon, was sponsored by the Effingham Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the beauty of one of Georgia’s original eight counties and the history of Ebenezer – founded by German Lutherans seeking religious freedom.  “It’s a beautiful drive and an area of fascinating history,” State Transportation Board Member Bobby Parham of the 12^th Congressional District noted.

Sixty-five miles of highways and roads linking the communities of Hawkinsville, Pineview, Abbeville and Rochelle comprise the Enduring Farmlands Scenic Byway, sponsored by Hawkinsville Better Hometown.  The route celebrates the intrinsic and timeless values of Middle Georgia – friendly communities of hard-working families in pastoral surroundings.  “There’s a richness to these communities and the people who live in them,” Eighth Congressional District Transportation Board Member Jim Cole observed.  “Like the name of this byway, they endure.  And that is a wonderful thing.”

The Georgia DOT’s Scenic Byways Program is a community driven effort which seeks to preserve the legacy of our state’s treasured places in ways that enhance both their protection and their economic development.

Each day, hundreds of Georgia Department of Transportation employees and contractors are working on dozens of bridge, highway and intersection improvements across the state.  This work often brings them and multiple pieces of heavy equipment in close proximity to travel lanes.  Their safety – and yours – is Georgia DOT’s paramount concern.  Please be especially attentive in work zones and always drive responsibly. 

The Georgia Department of Transportation is committed to providing a safe, seamless and sustainable transportation system that supports Georgia’s economy and is sensitive to both its citizens and its environment. Georgia is the 6^th fastest growing state in the nation, yet 49^th in per capita spending on transportation. Additional transportation revenues are imperative to grow and sustain Georgia's economic vitality and quality of life through the 21st Century.   For information on Scenic Byways or other Georgia DOT programs, please visit our Web site (www.dot.ga.gov).

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On February 1, 2011, the National Park Service awarded the Foundation a Save America's Treasures matching grant in the amount of $120,000 to completely restore the Hill house! Read the official press release.

The E. J. Grassmann Trust recently donated $7,500 to the Foundation to help rescue and restore the Hill house! The Grassmann Trust has given three previous donations to the Foundation to help develop the Dr. Bernard Cline Outdoor Learning Center.

The Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources awarded a 2010 Georgia Heritage Grant for $20,000 to the Foundation for the rescue and stabilization of the Hill house! The Foundation received a Georgia Heritage Grant several years ago for the restoration of the water tower at Andalusia.

Click here for more about the Hill House project and Andalusia, home of Flannery O'Connor.

Congratulations to Jones County which was recently designated a Preserve America Community!

Jones County was one of 15 communities designated by First Lady Michelle Obama as a new Preserve America Community, read more here.

The Preserve America Community program recognizes a select group of communities that use their heritage resources to share the myriad benefits of historic preservation with residents and visitors. The program began in 2003 and Preserve America Communities, great places to visit and explore, are now located in all 50 states and many overseas U.S. territories.  Preserve America is administered by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) with assistance from the U.S. Department of hte Interior.  For more information see www.preserveamerica.gov and www.achp.gov.

The Wilkinson County Historical Society has recently completed a book about the Cemeteries of Wilkinson County.  This wonderful genealogical resources is available for purchase for $55.00 (+$6.00 shipping) from the Wilkinson County Historical Society.   For more information or to purchase a copy, please contact Miriam Brown at (478) 628-2946 or Marty Dominy at (478) 933-5278 or pdominy@alltel.net.

Fort Valley Downtown and Railroad Historic District Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Releases can be found online at www.gashpo.org/content/displaynavigation.asp?TopCategory=165
DNR RSS news feeds: www.gadnr.org/news.aspx

 
ATLANTA (August 27, 2010) - The Fort Valley Downtown and Railroad Historic District,  located in downtown Fort Valley, Peach County, Georgia, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 2010. The district encompasses an area roughly surrounding where the downtown commercial area (i.e., Church Street, Main Street) intersects with the railroad line.

The Fort Valley Downtown Development Authority sponsored the nomination and the preservation planner for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission prepared the nomination materials. The downtown was listed at the local level of significance for its role as the center of commerce, government, and transportation for Peach County and the surrounding region.
 
Fort Valley had its beginnings in 1834 with the establishment of a post office under the efforts of James Everett (1788-1848).  Everett also worked to bring the Southwestern Railroad to town and the line to Macon was completed in 1851.  Officially chartered in 1856, Fort Valley became the county seat when Peach County was founded in 1924.  Fort Valley's growth was based on its role as a hub for the transport of agricultural products such as cotton and peaches.  The Fort Valley Downtown and Railroad Historic District is significant for the role the railroad played in its development, especially after the invention of the refrigerated railroad car made it possible to ship crates of local Elberta peaches long distances without bruising.  Of the 10,000 railroad cars of peaches shipped out of Georgia in 1922, 3,003 came from Fort Valley. 
 
The district is also important as an example of a town that had an established gridiron street pattern altered to accommodate the arrival of the railroad.  The greatest period of growth in Fort Valley was from the 1870s through the 1920s as reflected in the establishment of businesses and construction of buildings during that time.  Fort Valley is the governmental and commercial center of Peach County.  Typically, the county seat provided for the day-to-day needs of nearby rural residents with retail stores, offices, and professional services. Several types of commercial, governmental, and railroad buildings commonly found in small Georgia towns between the mid-19th and the mid-20th centuries are located in downtown Fort Valley.
 
The district is the core of an intact railroad community.  Some of the most significant resources include three historic railroad buildings: the freight depot (circa 1871), the former passenger depot (circa 1906), and the interlocking tower/signal building (circa 1906).  Also near the railroad are the Anthoine Machine Works (circa 1920), the H.V. Kell Building (circa 1910-1912), and a former peach cull building from the late 1800s.  Three mid- to-late-19th-century houses immediately to the east of the tracks are also included in the district.  Other community landmark buildings include: the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant (1930s); the Peach County Courthouse (1936); the former post office (1930s), which now serves as the police department; the former jail (circa 1925-1930); and Fort Valley City Hall (circa 1950).  The central business district consists of two or three main blocks of mostly adjacent, one-, two-, and three-story brick buildings constructed between 1867 and the early 20th century.     
 
The National Register of Historic Places is our country's official list of historic buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts worthy of preservation.  The National Register provides formal recognition of a property's architectural, historical or archaeological significance. It also identifies historic properties for planning purposes and insures that these properties will be considered in the planning of state or federally assisted projects.  National Register listing encourages preservation of historic properties through public awareness, federal and state tax incentives, and grants. Listing in the National Register does not place obligations or restrictions on the use, treatment, transfer, or disposition of private property. 

The Historic Preservation Division (HPD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources serves as Georgia's state historic preservation office. Their mission is to promote the preservation and use of historic places for a better Georgia.  HPD's programs include archaeology protection and education, environmental review, grants, historic resource surveys, tax incentives, the National Register of Historic Places, community planning and technical assistance. 

The mission of the Department of Natural Resources is to sustain, enhance, protect and conserve Georgia's natural, historic and cultural resources for present and future generations, while recognizing the importance of promoting the development of commerce and industry that utilize sound environmental practices.   
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Contact:  Helen Talley-McRae, 404-651-5268 and helen.talley-mcrae@dnr.state.ga.us
 
Photos available upon request.

Congratulations to the City of Hawkinsville which was recently designated a Preserve America community!

First Lady Michelle Obama sent a letter to 29 communities announcing their status as Preserve America Communities. The new communities, from Arkansas to Wyoming, bring the total number of designated communities to 843. Read more: http://www.preserveamerica.gov/docs/29CommunitiesAdded.pdf.

For more information about the Preserve America program and designated communities, please visit: www.preserveamerica.gov.

Saturdays, 9am-2pm - Crawford County Community Market

The Crawford County Community Market is located on the grounds of Knoxville Courthouse Square every Saturday through November.

Vendors are always welcome -- If you made it, if you grew it, you can sell it at the Market! For more information about the Market contact crawfordmarket@ymail.com or 478-957-1209.

The Civil War years and Putnam County, Georgia.

This fall, two books are being published on the Civil War years in Putnam County.  One is a collection of letters written from the battlefield which is being done by one of our members through the Duke University Press and the other is a series of books that will abstract all genealogical/civil war and legal & business notices which ran in The Countryman (the newspaper published between 1862 - 1866 on Turnwold Plantation here in Putnam County).

For more information please contact Jim Marshall, Pres. Eatonton-Putnam Co. Hist. Soc., Inc. at brerfox2@netcommander.com.