HERITAGE MATTERS 

A New National Historic 

Landmark Theme Study: 

Racial Desegregation in 

Education 

Turkiya L. Lowe 

National Historic Landmark 

Summer Intern, 1999 

In October of I 998, Congress authorized the National Park Service to begin 

a new National Historic Landmark 

(NHL) Theme Study on the history of 

racial desegregation in the public school 

systems of the United States. As the proverbial SO-year mark approaches on 

many of the events that shaped the Civil 

Rights Movement, such as the Brown v. 

Board of Education case of 1954, the 

study seek_s to identify nationally significant sites that represent the history of 

educational segregation and desegregation in the United States. (See "Recent 

and Ongoing National Register of Historic Places Research," next article.) 

As a history major now in my senior 

year at Howard University in Washington, DC, I have enjoyed the experience 

of working on the desegregation theme 

study. I completed the JO-week internship facilitated by the not-for-profit 

Student Conservation Association, the 

National Park Service Cultural Resources 

Diversity Initiative, and the Diversity 

Intern Program of the Department of 

the Interior and am continuing my work 

for the project on a part-time basis 

during the school year. My primary 

responsibility is to conduct background 

research to provide a listing of potential 

sites associated with desegregation. I also 

conducted searches for source material 

and for interested organizations that 

could provide valuable information on 

the history of desegregation and the 

identification of unregistered properties. 

The study is under the di~ection of 

Carol D. Shull, Chief of the National 

Historic Landmarks Survey, and the 

Project Manager is Dr. John Sprinkle, Jr., 

Supervisory Historian with the NHL 

Survey. The Principal Investigator is 

Susan Salvatore. In completing the 

racial desegregation theme study, the 

National Historic Landmark staff 

welcomes and thanks its partners: the 

National Conference of State Preservation Officers and the Organization of 

American Historians. The desegregation 

theme study will culminate in October 

2000 with its presentation by the Secretary of the Interior to Congress. 

For more information, contact 

Susan Salvatore at 202/343-4246, 

e-mail: susan_salvatore@nps.gov 

Recent and Ongoing 

National Register of 

Historic Places Research 

Research for a new National Historic 

Landmark (NHL) Survey theme study, 

Racial Desegregation in Public Education, 

began this summer when Turkiya Lowe, 

an intern from Howard University, gathered information about places listed in 

the National Register of Historic Places 

associated with the history of desegregation and created a list of potential candidates for National Historic Landmark 

designation. Twenty-five places listed in 

the National Register were determined 

to be possible candidates for NHL 

designation. An announcement about 

the theme study, calling for further information and participation, was also 

mailed to organizations and individuals 

on the National Park Service diversity 

mailing list, as well as to State Historic 

Preservation Officers, Tribal Preservation Officers, and Federal Preservation 

Officers. The study is expected to be 

completed in October, 2000. 

For information, contact John Sprikle at 

202/343-8166, e-mail: john_sprinkle@nps.gov 

In fiscal year 1999, five places promoting 

cultural diversity were documented and 

designated National Historic Landmarks: 

the John Coltrane House, Philadelphia, 

Pennsylvania; Mission Santa Ines, 

Solvang, California; the Chief Plenty 

Coups (Alek-Chea-ahoosh) Home, Big 

Horn County, Montana; Woodmont, 

Gladwyne, Pennsylvania; and TrevionUrbino Ranco, San Ygnacio, Texas. 

For information on these and other NHL 

designations, contact John Sprinkle at 

202/343-8166, e-mail: john_sprinkle@nps.gov 

continued on page 2 

Douglass High School 

The Douglass High School was the last 

segregated school built in Memphis, 

Tennessee. Constructed in 1950 and 

added to in several stages through 1971 , 

the school remained segregated many 

years after the Memphis school system 

was forced to integrate. Declining enrollment ultimately caused the school's 

closure in 1981 . Recognized for its 

extraordinary significance to the AfricanAmerican community of Memphis, the 

school was listed in the National Register 

on March 12, 1998. 

Photo by Judith Johnson page 1 
The Walnut Cove Colored School 

Built in 1921 , the Walnut Cove Colored School in Walnut Cove, North Carolina, was 

made possible through a $1 ,200 matching grant from the Rosenwald Fund, a philanthropic organization that funded African-American school construction throughout 

the South. While the Rosenwald Fund helped construct 787 schools in North Carolina, 

the Walnut Cove Colored School was the only one funded in rural Stokes County. 

Students from Walnut Cove and the surrounding community, some having to walk 

more than five miles, attended the school, which served as the educational center 

for African-American students in the county for over 30 years. The Walnut Cove 

Colored School was listed in the National Register on February 24, 1995. 

Photo by Laura A. W. Phillips 

National Park 

Service Activities 

continued from page I 

Luisa Bonillas, a Ph.D. history student 

from Arizona State University, worked 

as a summer intern in the National 

Register of Historic Places' Teaching 

with Historic Places (TwHP) program, 

completing research and editing two 

upcoming lesson plan publications: The 

Forts of Old San Juan: Guardian of the 

Caribbean and Gran Quivira: A Blending 

of Culture in a Pueblo Indian Village. 

TwHP uses National Register properties 

to enliven the teaching of history, social 

studies, geography, civics, and other 

subjects. It offers various products and 

activities, including professional development materials and classroom-ready 

lesson plans. Many of the lesson plans 

are available for free on the National 

Register Web site www.cr.nps.gov/nr 

(see "New Publications"). 

For information, contact Beth Boland at 

202/343-9545, e-mail: beth_boland@nps.gov 

The Nation Park Foundation and Oxford 

University Press are co-producing a series 

of reference books for young readers on 

page 2 

topics or periods in American history 

that will use National Register of Historic Places sites. National Register staff 

members are assisting Oxford Press 

researchers on an upcoming volume on 

"Landmarks of Liberty;' covering issues 

such as the abolition of slavery, the civil 

rights movement, the women's rights 

movement, and immigration, and will 

be assisting on future volumes on African 

American, Women's, Native American, 

and Asian American history. 

For information, contact 

Beth Boland at 202/343-9545, 

e-mail: beth_boland@nps.gov 

Cultural Resources 

Diversity Initiative 

Advisory Group Meets 

On September 23- 24, 1999, the Advisory Group for the Cultural Resources 

Diversity Initiative met at the National 

Parks Conservation Association headquarters in Washington, DC. Composed 

of nearly two dozen educators and preservation practitioners, the Advisory 

Group represents substantial commitment to the preservation of the nation's 

cultural resources and involvement in 

the education of future professionals in 

this field. The Advisory Group discussed 

and made recommendations on the 

development and implementation of 

the various programs of the National 

Park Service's Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative, including the Diversity 

Internship Program, the Initiative's 

training programs, and diversity communications tools. 

The purpose of the Cultural Resources 

Diversity Initiative is to encourage 

greater minority participation in the professional fields in historic preservation/ 

cultural resources stewardship work, 

such as history, historical architecture, 

archeology, museum studies, and others. 

It is a cooperative effort of the National 

Park Service and the National Parks 

Conservation Association. 

For copies of the summary report of 

the Advisory Group meeting, contact: 

Moriba McDonald at 202/343-2331, 

e-mail: moriba_mcdonald@nps.gov 

Cultural Resources 

Diversity Initiative 

Internship Program 

Internships are an important means of 

introducing young people to the world 

of work. Along with many other federal 

agencies and bureaus, the National Park 

Service sponsors interns and other 

summer employees in its administrative 

offices and national park units. In the 

summer of 1999, the National Park 

Service sponsored its first diversity interns in its cultural resources programs. 

The Cultural Resources Diversity 

Internship Program is part of the larger 

NPS Cultural Resources Diversity 

Initiative, which was established in 

October 1998. The goal of the Initiative 

is to diversify the professions that work 

in cultural resources stewardship and 

historic preservation. A key component 

of the Initiative, internships for diverse 

students in history, archeology, historical architecture, and museum studies 

provide young people with work experience, introduce them to this area of 

work, and assist them with building 

their resumes. The internships also give 

the National Park Service offices an 

opportunity to meet promising young 

people who might choose to work in 

this field. 

In the summer of 2000, the Cultural 

Resources Diversity Internship Program 

will sponsor at least 12 interns. The interns will be placed in National Park 

Service administrative offices, partnership organizations in the public and private sectors, and units of the National 

Park System. Students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 

Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal 

Colleges, other minority-based schools 

and academic departments, and other 

colleges and universities are encouraged 

to apply to this program. 

The program is admjnistered by the 

Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative 

of the National Park Service and the 

Student Conservation Association. The 

cost of each intern is shared between the 

National Park Service, the National Park 

Foundation, and the intern host sponsor. 

For further information on the 

internship program, contact 

Moriba N. McDonald at 202/343-2331 , 

e-mail: moriba_mcdonald@nps.gov 

Student applications for 

internships should be directed to: 

The Student Conservation Association, 

1800 N. Kent Street, Suite 1260, 

Arlington, VA 22209, 703/524-2441, 

or visit SCA over the Internet at: 

www.sca~inc.org 

New NPS Social 

Science Program 

Recommends Partnerships With 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities and Predominantly 

Hispanic Serving Universities 

Recognizing that National Park visitation is rising, the National Park Service 

has undertaken an effort to study the 

public's visitation patterns to better 

serve park visitors while protecting park 

resources. The effort will study a wide 

variety of factors and include research 

from a number of partners. One element of the study is to engage Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 

predominantly Hispanjc Serving Universities, and other partners in an urbanfocused unjversity link to conduct 

research on urban recreation issues. 

For more information, or to request a copy 

of the NPS social science plan Usable 

Knowledge, contact: Dr. Gary E. Machlis, 

Visiting Chief Social Scientist, National Park 

Service, Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, 

NW (3127), Washington, DC 20240-0001 , 

phone: 202/208-5391 ; FAX: 202/208-4620; 

or e-mail: gmachlis@uidaho.edu 
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MATTERS 

Texas Historical 

Commission Celebrates 

Black History Month in 

Newsletter 

The Texas Historic Commission devoted its January/February 1999 issue 

of The Medallion, the Commission's 

newsletter, to "African Americans in 

Texas: An Enduring Legacy" in celebration of Black History Month. Included are articles on the first AfricanAmericans in Texas, the Civil War, 

Buffalo Soldiers, African-American 

communities and social institutions, 

Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities, and Black History Month 

events. The Medallion also announced 

the publication of African Americans in 

Texas: Historical and Cultural Legacies, 

available free from the Texas Historical 

Commission, P.O. Box 12276, Austin, 

Texas 12276 or e-mail: thc@thc.state.tx.us. 

Advisory Committee 

in Connecticut Helps 

Increase Minority and 

Women's Participation 

and Awareness 

The Advisory Committee on Minority 

and Women's History is charged with 

increasing minority participation in 

state historic preservation activities, 

publicizing Connecticut's cultural 

diversity, and identifying sites associated 

with cultural diversity. Since the Connecticut Historic Commission established the Advisory Committee in 1990, 

the state has generated survey topics 

and National Register of Historic Places 

nominations, and identified important 

places such as Faith Congregational 

Church in Hartford (Hartford's oldest 

African American congregation) and 

the James Pharmacy in Old Saybrook 

(Anna Louise James [1886-1977] was 

among the first women, and the first 

African-American woman, in Connecticut to become a pharmacist; the site is 

also birthplace of Harlem Renaissance 

writer Ann Petry, James' niece). 

James Pharmacy 

The James Pharmacy (see related 

article above) in Old Saybrook, 

Connecticut was owned and operated 

between 1918 and 1967 (as seen in 

this Interior image, dated c. 1925) by 

Anna James, the state's first licensed 

African-American woman pharmacist. 

The James Pharmacy was listed in the 

National Register on August 5, 1994. 

Photo courtesy Connecticut Historical Commission 

page 3 
MATTERS 

NPCA's Community 

Partners Programs 

Alan Spears 

National Parks Conservation 

Association 

The Community Partnership Program 

is a new development of the National 

Parks Conservation Association. Born 

from ideas generated at the "America's 

Parks-America's People: A Mosaic in 

Motion" conference, the partnerships 

bring together community members 

and Park Service personnel in a series 

of monthly meetings to raise the level 

of awareness in both communities 

about the strength of shared resources 

and the commonality of concerns. 

Program objectives include assisting the 

Park Service diversify its contracting 

and hiring, introduce a more diverse 

population of park visitors, and increase 

stewardship values and environmental/ 

historical awareness within communities of color with regard to the nation's 

parks. The following provides an overview of each of the six active program 

partnerships. 

The San Francisco partnership has 

formed committees to address issues 

of hiring, relevancy, and outreach. The 

group also facilitated a relationship 

between local businesses and the Park 

Service, introducing community-based 

entrepreneurs to contacts with the 

federal government. 

For information, contact Alan Spears 

at 1 /800/628-7275, ext. 236, e-mail: 

aspears@npca.org 

In Boston, the Community Partners 

have also had great success in attracting a wide range of Park Service personnel and community activists to meetings at New Bedford Whaling NHP, 

the Charlestown Navy Yard of Boston 

NHP, and the Eagle Eye Institute, a 

Somerville based youth outdoor education program. 

For information, contact Mr. ShaKing 

Alston at 978/454-7156, e-mail: 

shaking@mediaone.net 

The Miami partners face the challenge 

of involving minorities in park sites that 

are simultaneously close at hand, yet 

worlds away from most of South 

Florida's communities of color. Relevance is an especially important issue, 

primarily because so many of South 

Florida's natural resources also have an 

unknown/unexplored relevance to 

African, Latino, and Native American 

history and culture. Helping the Park 

Service capture and tell the "full story" 

of Miami's natural resources is of 

paramount importance. 

For information, contact Alan Spears 

at 1 /800/628-7275, ext. 236, e-mail : 

aspears@npca.org 

The Washington, D.C. partners will host 

a "Park Awareness Day" tentatively 

scheduled for the spring of 2000. Four 

committees ofNPS personnel and 

community members are planning the 

event. The objective of"awareness day" 

is to utilize several park sites to engage 

residents and inform them of opportunities for employment, volunteer services, and social/cultural activities the 

parks offer. 

For information, contact Shaka 

Thorne at 202/687-8980, e-mail: 

Thornes@gunet.georgetown.edu 

The partnerships in Los Angeles and 

Hawaii are in their nascence. The 

Diversity Program will institute a 

routine of monthly meetings for both 

programs within the coming months. 

In the meantime, both the Hawaiian 

The Kalepolepo Fishpond 

Located in the Hawaiian traditional district 

of Kula, Island of Maui, the Kalepolepo 

Fishpond is one of the best-preserved 

fishponds (or loko kuapa) on the island. 

In active use between 1500 and 1880, the 

pond served as an Important economic, 

political, and cultural resource for the 

people of the Kula District of Maul. The 

Kalepolepo Fishpond was listed in the 

National Register on December 30, 1996, 

recognized as being significant as an 

excellent example of a unique form of 

traditional construction. 

Photo by Tryck, Nyman & Hayes, Inc 

Islands and Los Angeles partnerships 

have developed a strong core of Park 

Service personnel and community 

members who will help sustain and 

expand their groups. 

For information, contact Alan Spears 

at NPCA, 202/223-6722, ext. 236, 

e-mail: aspears@npca.org 

Museum Association 

Supports Coalition 

to Improve Diversity 

in Museum Field 

The American Association of Museums 

(AAM) Ethnic Professional Interest 

Committee (PIC) Coalition expanded 

this year from the four founding 

groups - the AAM Asian Pacific 

American PIC, the AAM Latino Network PIC, the AAM Native American 

PIC, and the Association of African 

American Museums - to now include 

the AAM AIDS Network, the AAM 

Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Concerns, 

the AAM Americans with Disabilities 

Taskforce, and the Council of American 

Jewish Museums. The group will take 

a more pluralistic approach to diversity 

issues in the museum field. 

The AAM Diversity Coalition meets 

once a month to work on session 

proposals for the AAM annual meeting 

and to strategize different ways to 

address concerns for diversity in the 

museum field. These concerns include 
developing opportunities to support 

diversity in museum staff, programs, 

governance, and audiences. In light of 

this, the AAM Diversity Coalition is 

collaborating with the Association of 

Research Libraries and the Society of 

American Archivists to devise a program of leadership and career development. This program, now in the research 

and planning stages, will fill a void in 

professional development for mid-career 

museum and library professionals from 

typically underrepresented groups. 

During the multicultural evening event 

"Red, Hot & Live" at the 1999 AAM 

Annual Meeting in Cleveland, the 

Coalition held a silent auction that 

raised close to $ 1000 for scholarships 

for young professionals to attend 

future annual meetings. The group 

would like to supplement this seed 

money through donations to provide 

more opportunities for scholarships 

to diverse groups for annual meeting 

2000 or through in-kind donations 

for next year's silent auction. 

For information about the Ethnic PIG Coalition, its representatives, or the scholarship 

fund, contact John T. Suau, Meetings and 

Diversity Coordinator at 202/218-7676; or 

e-mail: Diversity@aam-us.org 

Grant Funds Available 

Through the Conservation 

Assessment Program 

Small- and medium-sized museums can 

take advantage of the Conservation 

Assessment Program (CAP) to improve 

collections care. CAP is funded annually 

by the Institute of Museum and Library 

Services (IMLS) and administered by 

Heritage Preservation. CAP provides 

grants to fund a general conservation 

survey of a museum's collections, 

environmental conditions, and sites. 

CAP applications are available in 

October of each year and must be 

completed by December of the same 

year. Grants are awarded on a firstcome, first-served basis. A sample 

application may be downloaded from 

the Heritage Preservation Web site at: 

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/ 

programs/capover.htm 

Contact Heritage Preservation for 

application materials at: 

Conservation Assessment Program, 

Heritage Preservation, 1730 K Street, NW, 

Suite 566, Washington, DC 20006-3835; 

phone: 202/634-1422; FAX: 202/634-1435; 

or e-mail: Kristen Overbeck at 

koverbeck@heritagepreservation.org 

AIA Recognizes Three 

Diversity Programs With 

Endowment Fund Grants 

The American Institute of Architects 

(AIA) College of Fellows Endowment 

Fund awarded 14 grants in 1999 to 

recognize projects and programs promoting public awareness of architecture 

and encouraging young architects. 

Grants range from $3,000-$ 10,000. 

KTCA-TV /Twin Cities Public Television 

in St. Paul, Minnesota received a grant 

for its documentary on Clarence "Cap" 

Wigington, Minnesota's first licensed 

African-American architect. Wigington 

served as St. Paul's municipal architect 

from 1915 to 1949. AIA recognized 

architect Jack Travis for his exhibit 

Black Architects: A Historical Overview 

and Exhibition, which chronicles the 

role of African-Americans in architecture and related fields. The Johns 

Hopkins University Press received a 

grant for Architecture and Town Planning in Colonial North America, a threevolume set edited by James D. Kornwolf, 

which investigates Spanish, French, and 

British colonialism in North America, as 

well as the influence of other immigrant 

groups as they adapted their native 

traditions on the American landscape. 

For more information on the AIA College 

of Fellows Endowment Fund grants, contact: 

Carol Baer Mott, Director, College of 

Fellows, AIA, 1735 New York Avenue, NW, 

Washington, DC 20006-5292; phone: 

202/626-7 468; FAX: 202/626-7 426; or 

e-mail: mottc@aiamail.aia.org 

Preservation Alliance 

for Greater Philadelphia 

Studies Germantown 

Avenue's Diverse History 

The Preservation Alliance for Greater 

Philadelphia is using federal Intermodal 

Surface Transportation Efficiency Act 

funds to develop a cultural and historic 

resource study of part of Germantown 

Avenue. The findings will be the basis 

fo r an economic development strategy 

for a two-mile section of the avenue. 

A steering committee of neighborhood 

religious, business, community, and 

economic groups joined with representatives of city government, the Preservation Alliance, and consultants to 

recommend a strategy to enhance visual 

appearances and historical integrity 

of the Avenue; link the heritage corridor 

to transportation routes; and capitalize 

on the Avenue's historic character. The 

San Ellzario Historic District 

The San Elizario Historic District, located 

on the Camino Real In El Paso County, 

Texas, is recognized for its association 

with Spanish and Mexican town planning 

practices and with Hispanic ethnic heritage and was enrolled in the National 

Register on February 27, 1997. Descended 

from the presldio and chapel of San 

Etceario established in 1790, the historic 

district is comprised of Spanish Colonial 

Revival-influenced buildings dating to 

1830, including the 1855 Gregory 

Nacenseno Garcia House (pictured), and 

archeological sites dating to this and 

earlier settlements. 

Photo by David Kammer 

result is a heritage tourism strategy 

designed to spur local economic growth 

while preserving historic resources. 

For more information, see the Preservation 

Alliance for Greater Philadelphia's Web 

site at: http://www.libertynet.org/historic/ 

gtown.html, or call 215/546-1146 x15 

Two National Trust 

Programs Assist Diverse 

Urban Neighborhoods 

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is helping revitalize culturally 

diverse urban neighborhoods through 

its Community Partners Program 

(CCP). CCP is an extension of the 

Trust's Inner-City Ventures Fund 

(ICVF) for preservation efforts benefiting the low-income population. CCP 

blends a neighborhood-level revitalization model, which includes historic 

preservation, with community development planning. The ICVF offers shortterm loans for real estate projects in 

low-, moderate-, and mixed-income 

historic neighborhoods. Loans are 

offered to nonprofit organizations. 

For more information contact: Community 

Partners Program, National Trust for 

Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts 

Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036; 

phone: 202/588-6054; FAX: 202/588-6038; 

e-mail: comm_partners@nthp.org; or 

Web site: http://www.nthp.org 

continued on page 6 

page 5 
Putting Arts and Culture 

to Work for Youth and 

Community Life 

Hannah Roberts 

Partners for Livable Communities 

Washington, DC 

In 1994, the Carnegie Corporation 

of New York released "A Matter of 

Time;' a study revealing that youth left 

on their own during after-school hours 

between three and eight are far more 

likely than other youth to become 

engaged in high-risk activities. In March 

1998, Shirley Brice Heath at Stanford 

University released a study that showed 

that arts and cultural programs provide 

the best environment for youth to 

develop personal and practical skills. 

Arts and culture form identity, demand 

that individuals take responsibility for 

consequences, expose youth to risk and 

criticism, and require discipline. Arts 

activities reach across academic boundaries so that students who perform 

poorly under traditional educational 

models have new opportunities to learn. 

The study showed that compared to 

students not enrolled in arts programs, 

youth in arts programs and involved in 

arts organizations: 

■ are 25% more likely to report feeling 

satisfied with themselves; 

■ are 30% more likely to say they plan to 

continue education after high school; 

■ are eight times more likely to receive a 

community service award; 

■ are two times more likely to win an 

academic achievement award. 

Communities that boast high levels of 

civic participation, dispel isolation 

through social networks, and see diversity as strength also help produce 

healthy young people. University of 

Pennsylvania researchers discovered that 

arts and cultural organizations can have 

a significant impact on community life 

through a study entitled "The Social 

Impact of the Arts." The study has 

found that: 

page 6 

Butler Chapel African Methodist 

Episcopal Zion Church 

The Butler Chapel African Methodist 

Episcopal Zion Church (shown in this 

1955 image) in Tuskegee, Macon 

County, Alabama was the site of a 

June 25, 1957 protest that initiated the 

seven year "Crusade for Citizenship" 

through which Macon County AfricanAmericans struggled for their civil 

rights,.;.,cludtg enfranchisement. 

Butler Chape1 is recognized for its 

"exceptional Importance" In the 

history of the Civil Rights movement 

and was listed in the National Register 

on August 28, 1995. 

Photo by P H. Polk 

■ participation in arts and cultural 

activities is strongly related to other 

forms of civic engagement; 

■ cultural participants tend to take a 

more positive view their neighborhoods; 

■ arts and culture are central to social 

change movements and play an increasing role in urban community organizing. AIDS activists, for example, use 

artistic productions to educate community members and organize for change; 

■ community arts organizations reduce 

the isolation of the city's poorer neighborhoods by drawing participants from 

the rest of the region; 

■ neighborhoods with a history of arts 

and cultural activity were more likely 

than the rest of the region to experience 

revitalization during the 1980s. 

When funders and politicians question 

the value of cultural resources, there is 

hard academic proof that arts and 

culture can help to form healthy young 

people and vital communities. 

For more information, see the Partners for 

Livable Places Web site: www.livable.com or 

contact Hannah Roberts at: Partners for 

Livable Communities, 1429 21st Street, NW, 

Washington, DC 20036; phone: 202/887-5990; 

FAX: 202/466-4845 

Center for Multicultural 

Studies in Historic 

Preservation Opens in 

Decatur, Illinois 

The Center for Multicultural Studies in 

Historic Preservation is a recently 

created and incorporated non-profit 

organization dedicated to preserving 

and promoting multicultural activities 

in the historic preservation field. The 

Center fosters multicultural undergraduate and graduate student participation in historical-related research, 

education, archiving, and public history. 

The Center is located at 404 West 

Macon Street, Decatur, IL 62522. 

Evanston, Illinois, 

Establishes Urban 

Conservation District 

Recognizing African-American 

Contributions 

The Evanston, Illinois Preservation 

Commission has established an ad hoc 

committee of citizens, known as the 

"Preserving Integrity Through Culture 

and History" (PITCH) Committee, to 

help establish an urban conservation 

district in a traditionally AfricanAmerican section of the city. The area, 

while lacking the mass of structures 

associated with traditional historic 

districts, is rich in African-American 

cultural history. The PITCH Committee 

seeks to establish a program to recognize the import economic, cultural, 

and historic contributions AfricanAmericans have made to Evanston. 

To share information on urban conservation districts with the committee, contact 

Carlson D. Ruiz, Planning Division, 

2100 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 , 

phone: 847/866-2928 or e-mail: 

evanstonpl@aol.com 
HERITAGE 

FEBRUARY 2000 

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MATTERS 

Minority Participation 

in Post-Graduate 

History Programs 

Report by the Organization of 

American Historians Minority Fellows 

Daphne L. Cunningham and Damon 

W. Freeman, the first two Organization 

of American Historians-Indiana University (OAH-IU) Minority Fellows, 

have written summaries of the state of 

minority participation in history graduate programs and OAH's efforts to 

increase minority Ph.Ds. in various 

history-related fields. 

Cunningham's report, "Feeding the 

Pipeline: The Organization of American 

Historians-Indiana University Minority 

Fellowship Program;' provides a history 

of the OAH Minority Fellowship program at JU, contrasting it with similar 

programs run by three non-historyrelated societies. Cunningham found 

these older minority student programs 

more successful than the OAH-IU program at promoting minority participation in their respective fields, attributing 

the success to better funding and the 

ability of students to choose a university 

best suiting their needs from among a 

number of partnering universities. 

Freeman agreed with Cunningham's 

assessment that non-history-related 

fields have done a better job of attracting minorities to advanced degree programs. In "Minority Recruitment in 

the Historical Professionals and Other 

Disciplines: An OAH Report;' Freeman 

notes that minority participation in the 

historical fields ranks low, minority representation in historical-related Ph.D. 

programs is growing slower than other 

fields, and the number of humanities 

organization-sponsored fellowships for 

minorities is far smaller than those for 

minority students offered by organizations in fields such as economics, health 

and medicine, literature, philosophy, 

and political science. Freeman recommends an OAH-supported effort he 

calls the "Minority Recruitment Initiative," which would remove barriers to 

minority participation in history-related 

fields and actively recruit minorities, 

identify geographic regions for minority 

recruitment, create regional summer 

institutes for minorities, and monitor 

success by maintaining contact with 

participating students. 

Cunningham and Freeman each 

stressed that their experience with the 

OAH-IU Fellowship was rewarding 

while calling on other institutions and 

organizations in history-related fields 

to do a better job at efforts to increase 

minority participation. 

(See related article about NPS-sponsored 

diversity internship programs, page 2.) Both 

reports may be found at http://www.oah.org 

National Register 

of Historic Places 

Publications 

The National Register of Historic Places, 

in partnership with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation 

Officers and a number of public and 

private partners and communities 

throughout the country, has developed 

a series of print and Web travel itineraries called "Discover Our Shared Heritage''. The itineraries help travelers plan 

trips that link a variety of registered 

historic places, from National Parks, to 

National Historic Landmarks, and to 

state and locally significant historic 

places. Five printed travel itineraries, 

funded by the American Express Company, highlight places associated with 

Hispanic heritage: "Along the GeorgiaFlorida Coast;'"South and West Texas," 

"The American Southwest";'.~ng 

the California Coast;' and ~'e ne*est 

itinerary, published in June, "Puerto 

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands." 

The National Register also produces 

travel itineraries exclusively for the Web 

that are available at www.cr.nps.gov/nr. 

Itineraries such as "We Shall Overcome: 

Historic Places of the Civil Rights 

Movement'; "Places Where Women 

Made History'; and "Aboard the Underground Railroad" are available on the 

National Register Web site. A new Web 

itinerary on Washington, DC was 

launched October l, highlighting over 

90 historic places in the Nation's capital, 

including places associated with AfricanAn1erican history. 

For more information on the "Discover Our 

Shared Heritage" travel itinerary series, 

contact Patrick Andrus at 202/343-9519, 

e-mail: patrick_andrus@nps.gov 

A number of Teaching with Historic 

Places lesson plans are now available for 

free on the National Register of Historic 

Web site www.cr.nps.gov/nr, including: 

Old Courthouse in St. Louis: Yesterday and 

Today (site of the Dred Scott trial) 

When Rice was King (about antebellum rice 

plantations) 

Iron Hill School (about an early 20th century 

one-room African-American schoolhouse) 

Clara Barton's House: Home of the America 

Red Cross 

Adeline Hornbek and the Homestead Act: 

A Colorado Success Story 

First Lady of the World: Eleanor Roosevelt 

at Val Kill 

Feast of the Dead 

For more than a century, archeologists 

have been intrigued by the Native 

American practice of ossuary burial in 

the Maryland tidewater region. During 

this time, investigations have run the 

gamut from antiquarian curiosity to 

modern scientific study, although details 

of mucli of this work are poorly reported 

or only found in obscure technical literature. For the first time, Feast of the 

Dead attempts to compile all of this 

information in one volume, and examine the data from Maryland's three 

dozen known ossuaries from an archeological perspective. 

In Feast of the Dead (a title derived from 

the 17th century Huron burial ceremony), archeologist Dennis C. Curry 

details the excavated data from each of 

Maryland's ossuaries, and takes a look at 

what these unique mortuary features 

may mean. Clearly reflective of Native 

American spiritual beliefs, ossuaries also 

appear to evince native social, political, 

and status concepts that evolved during 

the period from roughly A.D. 1400 to 

the time of European contact. 

A valuable research source for archeologists, Feast of the Dead is intended to 

shed light on Native American burial 

rituals for the general reader as well. 

It also serves to help reconstruct the 

lifeways and belief systems of late prehistoric Algonkian groups in Maryland. 

Feast of the Dead is available for $15 from 

the Maryland Historical Trust Press. 

For information, contact Nicole 

Diehlmann at 410/5 14-7625, 

e-mail: diehlmann@dhcd.state.md.us, 

or visit the MHT Press Web site at 

www.ari.net/mdshpo/catalog.html 

page 7 
HER I TAGE 

FEBRUARY 2000 

Robert Stanton 

Director 

Katherine H. Stevenson 

Associate Director. 

Cultural Resource 

Stewardship and 

Partnerships 

John Robbins 

Assistant Director 

Cultural Resources 

Stewardship and 

Partnership Programs 

Antoinette J. Lee 

Special Projects Manager 

Scott D Whipple 

Heritage Matters Editor 

Moriba N McDonald 

Histori.1n 

Cf) 

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MATTERS 

National Park Service 

1849 C Street NW, Suite 350NC 

Washington, DC 20240 

February 2000 

page 1 

National Park Service Activities 

A New National Historic Landmark Theme 

Study: Racial Desegregation in Education 

Recent and Ongoing National Register 

of Historic Places Research 

Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative 

Advisory Group Meets 

Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative 

Internship Program 

New NPS Social Science Program 

Recommends Partnerships 

page 3 

State and Local Government News 

Texas Historical Commission Celebrates 

Black History Month in Newsletter 

Advisory Committee in Connecticut Helps 

Increase Minority, Women's Participation 

page 4 

Community Initiatives 

NPCA's Community Partners Program 

Museum Association Supports Coalition 

to Improve Diversity in Museum Field 

Grant Funds Available Through the 

Conservation Assessment Program 

AIA Recognizes Three Diversity Programs 

With Endowment Fund Grants 

Philadelphia Preservation All iance Studies 

Germantown Avenue 's Diverse History 

Two National Trust Programs Assist 

Diverse Urban Neighborhoods 

Putting Arts and Culture to Work for 

Youth and Community Life 

Center for Multicultural Studies in Historic 

Preservation Opens in Decatur, Illinois 

Evanston, Illinois Establishes Urban 

Conservation District Recognizing 

African-American Contributions 

page 7 

Research, Reports, Publications 

Report on the State of Minority Participation 

in Post-Graduate History Programs 

National Register of Historic Places 

Publications 

Feast of the Dead 

Mission of the National Park Service 

The National Park Service is dedicated to 

conserving unimpaired the natural and cultural 

resources and values of the National Park 

System for the enjoyment, education and 

inspiration of this and future generations. 

The Service is also responsible for managing a 

great variety of national and international 

programs designed to help extend the benefits 

of natural and cultural resource conservation 

and outdoor recreation throughout this country 

and the world. 

Heritage Matters, sponsored by the Cultural 

Resources Programs of the National Park 

Service, is published twice-a-year and is free of 

charge. Readers are invited to submit short 

articles and notices for inclusion. (Limit submissions to fewer than 400 words and include 

author's name and affiliation. Black and white 

photographs or slides are welcome. Photocopied images will not be accepted.) Please submit 

newsletter items in writing or electronically to: 

Scott D. Whipple, Editor, Heritage Matters, 

DOI/National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, 

Suite 350NC, Washington, DC 20240. Phone: 

202/343-1000, e-mail: scott_whipple@nps.gov 

This newsletter was produced in cooperation 

with the National Park Foundation. 

For additional information on the National Park 

Service Cultural Resources Diversity Initiative, 

including background, links to Initiative-related 

programs and partners, reading lists, and more, 

please visit the Cultural Resources Diversity 

Initiative Web site at: http://www2.cr.nps.gov/ 

diversity/index.him