Rhonda Buell Schier

Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 

National Park Service

In partnership with community 

groups, Mount Rushmore National 

Memorial launched the “Sundays 

in the Park” series of cultural 

demonstrations to showcase the 

stories of the many faces of our 

nation. Just as the granite portraits 

of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, 

and Roosevelt invite visitors to 

rediscover our nation’s history, 

special programs in the park invite 

visitors to explore the art, music, 

language, history, and traditions 

of the many ethnic groups that 

comprise our country. 

As part of its interpretation 

mandate, Mount Rushmore’s 

“Sundays in the Park” series strives 

to achieve the goals of connecting 

people with parks through living 

culture and establishing programs 

to support partnerships among 

communities. Chief Ranger Mike 

Pflaum began the Sunday series 

in late February 2005 with a slide 

show on the beauty of the natural 

environment of the Black Hills. The 

presentation provided the backdrop 

to the story of the native cultures 

and their connection with nature 

as well as the story of the European 

immigrants who looked to the 

bounty of the land they adopted to 

provide for their families and 

communities. 

Early inhabitants of the 

region included nomadic tribes 

such as the Arikara, Cheyenne, 

Kiowa, Pawnee, and Crow. The 

Lakota (also known as the Sioux) 

migrated from Minnesota in the 

1700s, following the great herds 

of bison that provided the tribe’s 

food, clothing, and tools. With the 

Homestead Act of 1862 and the 

gold rush of 1874, immigrants of 

German, Scandinavian, and Russian 

descent moved westward seeking 

fertile land and suitable town sites, 

bringing their history and heritage 

to the Dakotas.

Over the course of the winter 

and spring of 2005, several cultural 

groups presented their chapters of 

N E W S O F T H E N A T I O N ’ S D I V E R S E C U L T U R A L H E R I T A G E

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Conferences 

upcoming, p. 17 

National Historic 

Landmark 

designations, p. 3

National Register 

nominations, p. 8

Publication 

of note, p. 18

HERITAGE MATTERS

HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

The Cultures of a Country

Wanaunsapi Tiyospaya, “the family group who hunts buffalo,” performed songs and dances for the Sundays in the Park 

series at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Courtesy of Judy Olson. 

What is it? 

This detail conceals an 

early American plaything, still in use. 

 See page 5.
the American story. The Sons of 

Norway displayed traditional skills 

including flat-plane woodcarving, 

intricate lace work called tatting, 

decorative wood painting, and 

hardanger, an embroidery work 

that decorates clothes and table 

runners, named for a region in 

Norway. The group performed a 

variety of dances and served lefsa, 

Norwegian tortillas made from 

potato flour. “It’s surprising how 

much fun people have when they 

learn a very simple walking dance,” 

said Gary Oistad, a coordinator for 

the event.

The Lakota people, represented 

by Nita Bald Eagle and the 

Wanaunsapi Tiyospaye, “the 

family group who hunts buffalo,” 

performed traditional music and 

dance and discussed their history. 

The Lakota group demonstrated 

dances that symbolized victory 

after a hunt and the celebration 

of life and displayed objects and 

instruments. “Everything we do is 

old style Lakota,” Nita explained. 

In response to the audience’s 

enthusiasm, she said, “When 

people hear that your culture is 

deep and rich, they realize that 

their life is just like that. It changes 

people’s ideas and their thinking 

about the Lakota people.” 

The Descendents of Germans 

from Russia shared their history, 

music, and art. Piano, accordion, 

and harmonica music was featured. 

German songs were interpreted 

and the audience joined in a singalong. Hilda Sieler, member of 

the Black Hills chapter, recalled 

one visitor who made a special 

trip to attend the presentation. 

Sieler said, “It reminded her of her 

upbringing.” The German group 

shared their custard treat, kuchen,

and encouraged young people to 

get involved in their native cultures. 

As stories of our living cultures 

continue to unfold at Mount 

Rushmore, people will gather 

to pass on the heritage of their 

ancestors to new generations so 

that they may understand and 

appreciate the faces of their nation. 

“No matter where we are from,” 

said a park visitor recently, “when 

we come to this park, it feels like 

we are one people.” 

For more information about the Mount Rushmore 

“Sundays in the Park,” contact Rhonda Schier 

at rhonda_schier@nps.gov or visit the national 

memorial’s website at http://www.nps.gov/moru.

HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 2

This member of the Sons of Norway shows examples of flat-plane woodcarving 

to a visitor at Mount Rushmore. Courtesy of Judy Olson. 
page 3

Recently Designated 

NHLs Related to 

Diverse Heritage

National Historic Landmarks 

(NHLs) are recognized by the 

Secretary of the Interior as 

nationally significant properties of 

exceptional value in representing 

or illustrating an important theme, 

event, or person in the history of 

the nation. The Historic Sites Act 

of 1935 authorized the Secretary of 

the Interior to recognize historic 

places judged possess “national 

significance for the inspiration 

and the benefit to the people of 

the United States. All National 

Historic Landmarks are included 

in the National Register of Historic 

Places, the official list of the 

cultural resources and historic 

properties worthy of preservation.

On April 5, 2005, the Secretary 

of the Interior designated 24 

historic sites as NHLs, several 

of which addressed diverse 

communities and their heritage. 

The new NHL designations related 

to diverse communities follow.

Meadowcroft Rockshelter

This site, outside of Jefferson 

Township, Pennsylvania, contains 

evidence of some of the earliest 

human occupations in Eastern 

North America. The site was 

periodically utilized and reoccupied 

from the earliest Paleo-Indian times 

through the Archaic and Woodland 

periods by Native American peoples 

and during the Historic period by 

European Americans. Meadowcroft 

has revolutionized how archeologists view the peopling of the New 

World.

Bethel Baptist Church, Parsonage, 

and Guard House

Bethel Baptist Church in 

Birmingham, Alabama, is associated 

with the first organized action of 

the modern Civil Rights Movement 

that addressed multiple aspects 

of segregation. The church, its 

parsonage, and a private residence 

known as the guardhouse, 

played a crucial role in the 1961 

Freedom Ride that traveled from 

Washington, DC, to Mississippi and 

resulted in federal enforcement of 

United States Supreme Court and 

Interstate Commerce Commission 

rulings to desegregate public 

transportation.

Howard High School

Howard High School, in 

Wilmington, Delaware, is 

associated with the 1954 U.S. 

Supreme Court decision in Brown 

v. Board of Education that found 

racial segregation in public schools 

unconstitutional. Howard High 

School was the black high school 

cited in Belton v. Gebhart (1953), 

one of five cases combined under 

the Brown case. The Delaware case 

illustrates the fact that segregation 

went beyond the South. 

Foster Auditorium 

The University of Alabama at 

Tuscaloosa’s Foster Auditorium 

is nationally significant for its 

association with the movement 

to desegregate public higher 

education and the Federal 

Government’s efforts to eliminate 

racial segregation in the United 

States. As the site of the 1963 “stand 

in the school house door” by 

Governor George Wallace, Foster 

Auditorium marks a significant 

victory in the desegregation 

struggle, where federal authority 

was used to remove state resistance 

to desegregation.

Amalik Bay Archeological District

Amalik Bay in King Salmon, Alaska, 

was a gateway for the widespread 

exchange of ideas and technological 

innovations, including ground-slate 

tools and Norton-style pottery, 

hallmarks in the development of 

coastal Eskimo economies across 

the far northern reaches of the 

continent. The Mink Island site, 

one of 28 contributing properties 

to the Amalik Bay district, plays 

a pivotal role in understanding 

the breadth of early (ca. 6000 

BC) coastal technologies from the 

Aleutians eastward along the entire 

southern coast of Alaska.

Mount Pleasant Historic District

The historic village of Mount 

Pleasant, Ohio, was established in 

1803 by Robert Carothers and Jesse 

Thomas and is important for its 

role in the antislavery movement 

and the Underground Railroad. 

A “station” on the Underground 

Railroad, the town was a refuge for 

fugitive slaves and a welcome home 

for free blacks. Local residents 

built and administered a school 

for free black children, and in 1848 

established a Free Labor Store 

which sold no products that were 

produced by slave labor.

For more information, visit the NHL website at 

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/ 

Navajo Nation Council 

Chamber

Caridad de la Vega

National Conference of State Historic 

Preservation Officers

The Navajo Nation Council 

Chamber, which was designated 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

ACTIVITIES
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

a National Historic Landmark by 

the Secretary of the Interior on 

August 18, 2004, for its significance 

in the areas of Native American 

ethnic heritage and politics and 

government, is located in Window 

Rock, Arizona. The council 

chamber is the only legislative 

headquarters owned by a Native 

American tribe in the United States, 

with continual use by the Navajo 

since its construction in 1936. It 

uses indigenous materials and the 

Navajo architectural tradition. The 

Navajo Nation took possession of 

the site in 1960 when the Secretary 

of the Interior transferred 

ownership to the Navajo. 

Under the leadership of 

Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 

John Collier, the Navajo Nation 

Council Chamber is one of 50 

structures built at Window Rock 

as part of the Indian New Deal 

program, whose goal was the 

preservation and revitalization 

of Native American culture in the 

United States. It demonstrated 

a shift in federal policy toward 

Native Americans from one of 

assimilation to self-determination. 

The council chamber was built in 

a Navajo Vernacular Revival style 

by the architectural firm of Mayers, 

Murray and Phillip, with the 

building consisting of a flat-roofed 

octagonal structure built on two 

tiers with exposed Ponderosa pine 

vigas, while the exterior façade is 

red native Dakota sandstone. The 

interior walls are decorated by 

mural paintings, “The History and 

Progress of the Navajo Nation,” 

by Navajo artist Gerald Nailor. 

The Other Third of Our 

Lives: Preserve and 

Play Conference

Shannon Davis

National Conference for State Historic 

Preservation Officers

Brian Joyner

National Park Service

Do Americans live to work or 

work to play? The answer to that 

may depend on what you view as 

leisure time activity. The desire for 

recreation and entertainment has 

had a surprising impact on our 

built environment. Preserving the 

legacy of these places of leisure 

was the impetus for the Preserve 

and Play: Preserving Historic 

Recreation and Entertainment 

Sites conference, held in Chicago, 

Illinois, on May 5-7, 2005. 

Sponsored by the National Park 

Service (NPS), more than 60 

presentations were given on local, 

state, national, and international 

sites related to how we spend our 

free time. 

The types of properties 

presented at Preserve and Play

run the gamut of entertainment—

stadiums, beaches, theaters, rooftop 

playgrounds, automotive and horse 

race tracks, gardens, ski villas, and 

amusement parks. As Shannon Bell 

pointed out in her presentation, 

“America At Play: Documenting 

Recreation and Leisure with the 

National Register of Historic 

Places,” there are more than 9,000 

listings of entertainment-related 

historic places in the National 

Register. These places help shape 

our cultural landscape. Tim 

Samuelson of Chicago Department 

of Cultural Affairs, one of the 

keynote speakers, helped clarify the 

significance of this conference by 

reminding attendees that late 19thcentury labor advocates fought 

hard for “Eight hours for work. 

Eight hours for rest. Eight hours 

for what we will.” The conference 

focused on places where Americans 

often chose to spend their “at will” 

hours, or a third of their lives.

A highlight of the three-day 

conference was Alan Hess’s lunchtime lecture “Magnificent Play: 

Recreation Shaping the American 

House.” An architecture critic for 

the San Jose Mercury, Hess discussed the ways in which recreation 

has affected the design of 20thcentury houses. Some of the other 

presenters at the conference included Rebecca Shiffer of NPS, who 

addressed recreational resources 

that have been successfully rehabilitated through the NPS’s Federal 

tax incentive program; Jim Gabbert 

of the Oklahoma State Historic 

Preservation Office, who examined the impact of the Federal 

Government on recreation with 

a case study of the New Deal-era 

Pawnee Municipal Swimming Pool 

and Bathhouse in Oklahoma; Delft 

University of Technology professor 

Ivan Nevzogodin, who focused on 

the preservation and future of zoological parks in the Netherlands; 

and Robert Armbruster of the 

Armbruster Company, who looked 

at the technical aspects of preserving Meridian Hill Park’s concrete 

sculpture and decorative elements.

Part of Preserve and Play’s focus 

was to address the social history 

of segregated recreation sites 

and the challenges they present. 

A session on “Race, Recreation, 

and Reconciliation” consisted of 

three presentations: Carroll Van 

West’s “The Mid-South Coliseum: 

How Race and Music Shaped 

an Entertainment Institution in 

Memphis”; Carol Ahlgren’s “Racial 

Divides in Recreation and Leisure: 

Automobile Tourism”; and Carrie 

Scupholm’s “Preserving Florida’s 

Segregated Beaches, Hotels, 

and Attractions: The Legacy of 

‘Recreation Without Humiliation’.” 

Conversely, places such as sports 

stadiums provided a place of social 

intersection for these communities 

as discussed in David M. Brewer’s 

page 4
page 5

“Take Me Out to the Ballpark: The 

Restoration and Revitalization of 

Rickwood Field.” 

As the amount of leisure time 

and disposable income for most 

Americans has grown throughout 

the 20th and 21st centuries, 

entertainment has become an 

important sector of our economy. 

Preserve and Play offered an 

opportunity to wrestle with the 

question of historic significance 

and preservation opportunities 

for the variety of places Americans 

have created for amusement, 

diversion, and relaxation.

An early wooden rollercoaster, LeapThe-Dips in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is 

still a central attraction at Lakemont 

Park. Photo illustration based on photo by 

Tom Halterman, courtesy of the National 

Register collection.
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 6

Engaging the Public 

through Archeology 

and Interpretation

Lena Mortensen

Center for Heritage Resource Studies, University 

of Maryland

How is the past meaningful? How 

can people make connections 

with the archeological past? How 

does archeology help us engage in 

civic dialogue about our nation’s 

past and future? Speakers and 

conference participants tackled 

these important questions in 

the recent seminar on the Public 

Meaning of Archeological Heritage,

held by the Center for Heritage 

Resource Studies, University of 

Maryland, in conjunction with 

the National Park Service (NPS), 

and the University of Maryland’s 

Office of Continuing Education. 

This seminar took place at the 

University of Maryland Inn and 

Conference Center on October 27-

28, 2004, as part of an NPS training 

module on Effective Interpretation 

of Archeological Resources (IDP 

Module 440).

Millions of people visit county, 

state, and national parks every 

year. Archeology in public places 

has the potential to broaden 

our national dialogue about the 

past and develop more inclusive 

histories. The seminar and training 

were designed to reach those 

interested in and responsible for 

programs in archeological research, 

interpretation, and education at our 

nation’s public parks and historical 

sites. Speakers focused on the 

connection between compelling 

stories about the archeological 

past and the public’s continued 

stewardship of cultural resources 

that make up our collective heritage.

Edward Montgomery, Dean of 

Behavioral and Social Sciences, 

University of Maryland, and 

Francis P. McManamon, Chief 

Archeologist, NPS, opened the 

conference with remarks about 

the important work of making 

archeological heritage available 

to the public through effective 

interpretive programs. Paul Shackel, 

Professor of Anthropology and 

Director of the Center for Heritage 

Resource Studies, University of 

Maryland, delivered the opening 

lecture outlining important issues 

for archeologists and interpreters 

engaged in making the distant past 

relevant to the public. 

Shackel was followed by 

Gustavo Araoz, Executive 

Director the U.S. National 

Committee of the International 

Council on Monuments and 

Sites (US/ICOMOS), speaking on 

“International Perspectives on the 

Interpretation of Archeological 

Sites” and Angel Nieves, Assistant 

Professor in the University of 

Maryland Historic Preservation 

program, who spoke on the topic of 

heritage tourism. William Fitzhugh, 

Director of the Smithsonian 

Institution’s Arctic Studies Center 

and Chair of its Department of 

Anthropology discussed the role of 

museums and interpretation. A NPS 

panel comprised of Otis Halfmoon, 

American Indian Liaison for 

Intermountain Region; David Ruth, 

Assistant Superintendent of the 

Richmond National Battlefield 

Park; and Francis P. McManamon, 

was moderated by Barbara Little 

of the NPS Archeology program. 

This panel rounded out the day’s 

activities by discussing NPS 

perspectives on archeological 

heritage. Suheil Bushrui, Director 

of the Kahlil Gibran Research and 

Studies Project at the University 

of Maryland delivered the 

keynote lecture entitled “Poetry 

and Archeology as the Common 

Language of the Past, the Present, 

and the Future.” 

The second day of the 

training featured a discussion of 

interpretation and case studies 

from practitioners representing 

a wide range of expertise. David 

Larsen of the NPS Mather Training 

Center began the day speaking 

about “Interpreting Archeology 

and the National Park Service 

Mission,” followed by Vincent 

Santucci, the George Washington 

Memorial Parkway, who discussed 

“The Challenge of Resource 

Protection.” Jeffrey Hantman of 

the University of Virginia focused 

on his work with the Monacan 

tribe in Virginia. Cheryl LaRoche of 

the University of Maryland spoke 

about her work with archeology 

and African American history. The 

day ended with two case studies, 

one presented by Jed Levin of the 

Independence National Historical 

Park in Philadelphia, Penn., and 

another presented by Kirsti Uunila 

of the Calvert County (Maryland) 

Office of Planning. 

Several of the presentations 

are now available on the Center 

for Heritage Resource Study’s 

website, http://heritage.umd.edu/

CHRSWeb/nps/training/papers.htm. 

Further training on the effective 

interpretation of archeological 

resources is available via the NPS 

Archeology program online. Visit 

http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/TOOLS/

distlearn.htm to find links to both 

“Interpretation for Archeologists” 

and “Archeology for Interpreters.” 

PARTNERS ACTIVITIES
page 7

A Defining Moment: 

2005 AAM Annual 

Meeting

Jill Connors-Joyner

American Association of Museums

The American Association 

of Museums (AAM) chose A 

Defining Moment: Museums 

at the Crossroads as the theme 

for its annual meeting held in 

Indianapolis, Indiana, May 1-

5, 2005. As AAM gears up to 

celebrate its centennial in 2006, the 

organization wants to look at the 

changes of museums over the past 

hundred years and how museums 

have adapted to the demands of the 

21st century and remained relevant 

to today’s audiences. The theme 

elicited presentations on topics 

ranging from museum advocacy 

and topics specific to small 

museums, to collaborations with 

communities and incorporating 

inclusive practices in museums. The 

theme also encouraged museums 

to reflect on the past as a way 

to honor the upcoming AAM 

centennial. 

Nearly 150 AAM sessions 

focused on strategic areas including 

administration, collections 

stewardship, communications, 

diversity, ethics, globalization, 

governance, interpretation, 

leadership, mission, planning, 

and technology. Diversityrelated sessions presented at the 

conference included “A National 

Initiative: Collaborating to Achieve 

Inclusive Practices in Museums” 

chaired by Carol Enseki, Brooklyn 

Children’s Museum. This session 

revisited the forum held in 

November 2004 to assist national 

associations in supporting inclusive 

practices with their staff and 

board members in museums and 

examined ways to further advance 

best practices. 

The American Association of 

Museums, Association of Children’s 

Museums, and Association of 

Science-Technology Centers set the 

tone by announcing the approval of 

a National Statement on Diversity 

and encouraged other associations, 

organizations, and museums 

to do the same. The session 

challenged attendees to encourage 

their institutions to adopt more 

inclusive practices and to share 

their experiences, both successful 

and challenging, with other 

organizations. Session presenter 

Elaine Heumann Gurian said “It’s 

about subtle, not big, things” in 

addressing how museums can 

talk to the community to discover 

ways to make their museums more 

welcoming. Most often, museums 

found that subtle changes made all 

the difference. 

Interpretation-themed 

sessions included “Guerilla 

Exhibitions: Small Feats with the 

Community,” chaired by Serena 

Furman of A Space Design, 

which shared experiences of 

how museums have created 

community-based exhibitions 

and how these partnerships have 

positively affected the relationship 

between the museums and 

their communities. A popular 

session that had standing room 

only was “What’s Going On 

VII: Discussing Hot Topics in 

Exhibition.” Paul Martin, Science 

Museum of Minnesota, lead 

this town-meeting style session 

and engaged the audience in a 

discussion of topics in exhibition 

development ranging from new 

ways to engage the community to 

financial feasibility of exhibitions, 

design ideas for small museums, 

and incorporating more diversity 

into museums. For example, for 

religion-themed museums, diversity 

means interpreting material to 

be understood by other religions 

or targeting programs to broader 

audiences. 

At the “Town Hall Meeting,” 

AAM introduced a new strategic 

framework to its members: a new 

vision, mission, organizational 

goals, and objectives. AAM’s revised 

mission is to “enhance the value 

of museums to their communities 

through leadership, advocacy, and 

service.” 

The second focus of the town 

hall meeting was the upcoming 

centennial celebration. The AAM 

Board introduced a Year of 

the Museum resolution, which 

acknowledges the importance of 

museums in American society. AAM 

is encouraging museums and other 

organizations to celebrate the Year 

of the Museum by planning special 

programs and activities. During the 

meeting members thought of more 

than a hundred ways to celebrate 

the centennial, signed the Year of 

the Museum resolution, previewed 

clips from an upcoming television 

special by Great Museums©, and 

held sessions and events revolving 

around the centennial theme to get 

people excited for the centennial 

celebration in Boston in 2006. 

For more information about the National 

Statement on Diversity, the Year of the Museum 

resolution, or the annual meeting in Boston, visit 

the AAM website at http://www.aam-us.org. 
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

National Register 

Nominations

Rustin Quaide

Caridad de la Vega

National Conference of 

State Historic Preservation Officers

Pascua Cultural Center

Located in Tucson, Arizona, the 

Pascua Cultural Plaza consists of 

a 1.70 acre lot, with a chapel, the 

Capilla San Ignacio de Loyola

(Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola), 

a community kitchen, and fiesta 

ramada, an altar with a space 

for performances. The site serves 

as a sacred ceremonial site for 

the Yoeme (Yaqui) people and is 

recognized as the oldest formally 

established Yoeme community in 

Tucson.

The site is used for dances, 

processions, and other ceremonial 

activities that promote and educate 

the younger members of the Yoeme 

tribe about the traditional cultural 

practices of their people. The 

plaza contains a handful of nonpermanent ceremonial objects; two 

small dirt mounds, one located 

near a fiesta cross, and the other 

one in proximity to the north end 

of the capilla, while the rest of the 

plaza basically consists of a cleared 

lot. The low mounds serve as 

“camps” during Easter ceremonies, 

where participants can rest and 

store their cultural regalia, which 

consist of objects such as masks, 

swords, and daggers. The Yoeme 

have continuously used the Pascua 

Cultural Plaza for their ceremonies 

since 1921

Town Doctor’s House and Site

The Town Doctor’s House and 

Site is a two-and-one-half story, 

timbered-framed, northernColonial-style house built in the 

town of Southold, New York, 

on Ackerly Pond Lake and a 

swampy area commonly known 

as Bilberry Swamp. It is believed 

that the earliest structure on the 

property can be dated to 1664. 

The Town Doctor’s House is as an 

architectural rarity in eastern Long 

Island—a building constructed in 

the southern New England housing 

style. It is also located in one of the 

earliest English settlements in Long 

Island.

The Town Doctor’s Site is also 

significant in Native American 

ethnic heritage. Archeological 

evidence reveals Archaic-period 

artifacts and it is believed that prior 

to the 17th century, the area was 

used by Native American groups 

for the harvest of bilberries, which 

are known for treating vision and 

digestive disorders. In this light, 

the location of the town doctor’s 

residence next to a plentiful source 

of medicinal plants takes on 

additional significance. 

The Louis J. Bailey Branch LibraryGary International Institute

With the purchase of 9,000 

acres and 7 miles of shoreline in 

northern Indiana, the United States 

Steel Corporation founded Gary, 

Indiana, in 1906. The company 

took advantage of the existing rail 

system, cheap and available land, 

access to deep Lake Michigan 

waters, and room for expansion. 

Gary’s founding and the resulting 

employment opportunities 

coincided with a shift in the 

country’s immigration policies, 

which opened the nation’s borders 

to immigrants from Southern and 

Eastern Europe. Many of those 

arriving in Gary were Czechs, 

Slovaks, Hungarians, Serbs, Croats, 

Greeks, Poles, and Romanians. 

Southern African Americans, 

STATE ACTIVITIES
page 9

who came north during the Great 

Migrations of the 1920s, and 

Mexican migrant labor also joined 

this force. 

Begun in 1919 in the basement 

of one of Lake County’s Carnegie 

libraries, the Louis J. Bailey Branch 

Library-Gary International Institute 

was formed to assist immigrants 

with assimilation while preserving 

their cultures and traditions. 

The Gary Institute originally 

had four “nationality workers” 

representing Poles, Czechs, 

Bulgarians, and Italians; and in 

the 1920s, added Mexicans, Serbs, 

Russians, and Greeks. It provided 

family counseling, group activities, 

cultural programs, education, and 

recreation.

The Gary Institute moved 

to East 5th Avenue in 1960 and 

then again in 1963 to its current 

location at the former Eastside 

branch library on 15th Avenue 

and Madison Avenue. The Gary 

Institute is a single-story brick 

building on a raised basement, 

designed by A. Frank Wickes and 

constructed in the Colonial Revival 

style. Listed for its significance 

to ethnic heritage and social 

history, the library’s architecture 

is also impressive; the main floor 

interior is an open-arched ceiling, 

rectangular space nearly two stories 

in height. The library’s basement 

is divided into three primary 

spaces: a central utilitarian area, an 

auditorium, and two classrooms. 

Our Savior’s Scandinavian 

Lutheran Church

In 1869, Norwegian pioneers first 

crossed to the North Dakota side 

of the Red River and established 

permanent settlements. By 1900, 

23 percent of the state’s population 

was of Norwegian descent and its 

largest ethnic group. A number 

Above: The Town Doctor’s House and Site is associated with Native American occupation during the Archaic Period and 

is one of the earliest English settlements in Long Island, New York. Photo illustration based on photo courtesy of Virginia L. Bartos. 

Opposite page: Designated for being a scared ceremonial site for the Yoeme in Tucson, Arizona, the Pascua Cultural 

Center was listed in the National Register on September 22, 2004.
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 10

Our Savior’s Scandinavian Lutheran Church is a surviving representation of the impact of Scandinavians on North Dakota. 

Photo illustration based on photo courtesy of Sandra M. Burke, State Historical Society of North Dakota.
page 11

of Scandinavian pioneer families 

of the Kenaston, North Dakota 

area recognized the need for a 

local church. In 1904, they met 

in the home of Joseph Hope to 

organize and adapt a constitution 

for the congregation they named 

Our Savior’s Scandinavian 

Lutheran Church. In 1906, land 

was purchased for the church and 

cemetery site. The congregation met 

in private homes until the building 

was complete in 1907. It remained 

a significant religious center of the 

surrounding community until its 

closing service on October 7, 1962. 

Our Savior’s Scandinavian 

Lutheran Church is a single-story, 

wood framed building of strict 

symmetrical design except for a 

cloakroom addition to the south 

side of the vestibule. Soon after 

the congregation disbanded, the 

elaborate altarpiece, handcrafted 

by Harald Aktaai Grenvik, Sr., was 

removed from the church and 

donated to the Historical Society at 

Powers Lake, North Dakota, where 

it remains on display. The church 

was listed in the National Register 

of Historic Places for its association 

with Scandinavian heritage and 

other historical themes.

B’nai Jacob Synagogue

The Jewish community in Ottumwa, 

Iowa, dates to the middle of 

the 19th century. A subsequent 

wave of Russian, Polish, Latvian, 

Lithuanian, and Orthodox Jews 

arrived between 1890 and 1910. 

The B’nai Jacob Congregation 

was organized in 1900 by those 

immigrants. The location selected 

for the synagogue was the 500 

block of East Main Street, near 

the business sector of the Jewish 

community. The synagogue was 

dedicated in August 1915 and 

membership peaked at around 250 

people during this time.

One of the most interesting 

aspects of the B’nai Jacob 

Synagogue is that although it was 

originally formed as an Orthodox 

synagogue, it became part of the 

Conservative movement in the 

1950s. The Conservative movement 

was doctrinally more lenient. 

Services, formerly held in Hebrew, 

were conducted in English for the 

benefit of women and children who 

at the time rarely learned Hebrew. 

Men and women, segregated by 

Orthodox practice, were allowed to 

sit wherever they chose. 

The B’nai Jacob Synagogue is a 

square single-story brick building 

with a poured concrete basement. 

The main floor of the synagogue 

is composed of four rooms plus 

a balcony. B’nai Jacob is one of 

the few remaining synagogues in 

southeast Iowa. 

Serving the Jewish community for nearly a century, B’nai Jacob has been a part the changes in Ottumwa’s Jewish 

community from Orthodox to Conservative Judaism. Photo by Molly Myers Naumann, courtesy of the State Historical Society of Iowa.
page 12

HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

Whitepath and Fly Smith Gravesite

The Whitepath and Fly Smith 

Gravesite is significant in Native 

American ethnic heritage and for 

its association with the Cherokee 

leaders, Whitepath and Fly Smith. 

Located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, 

the site consists of the 1838 graves 

of the two Cherokee leaders, as 

well as the cemetery where the 

fieldstones are found. Whitepath is 

known for leading the Whitepath 

Rebellion in 1820, which favored 

traditional cultural practices over 

Christianity and acculturation, 

and protested encroachment 

on Cherokee lands. Eventually, 

Whitepath became a member of the 

Cherokee Council and a delegate to 

Washington, DC. Fly Smith was a 

respected village leader as well as a 

member of the Cherokee Council. 

The Cherokee Nation was 

forcibly removed from their 

lands to Indian reservations in 

Oklahoma as a result of the Treaty 

of New Echota. Known as the 

Trail of Tears, a majority of those 

on the forced migration traveled 

along the Northern Route, which 

passed by Nashville, Tennessee, 

and Hopkinsville, Kentucky. 

Whitepath and Smith were part of 

the second detachment to depart 

for Oklahoma, and while camped 

at the South Fork of the Little 

Rivers in Hopkinsville, both leaders 

passed away from illness in October 

of 1838. Although many Native 

Americans died along the Trail of 

Tears, their gravesites were rarely 

marked and thus rarely known. 

Whitepath and Fly Smith were 

interred in a small family cemetery 

on the property of John C. Latham. 

The location of the gravesites 

became a commemorative park to 

the Trails of Tears in 1987. 

Winnemucca Hotel

Built in 1863, the Winnemucca 

Hotel in Humboldt County, Nevada, 

The Whitepath and Fly Smith Gravesites in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, are one of the few marked graves along the Cherokee 

Trail of Tears. Courtesy of Thomason and Associates.
page 13

is one of the oldest buildings in 

Winnemucca and is recognized for 

its association for Basque sheep 

herders, who migrated from the 

Pyrenees Mountain Range between 

Spain and France. Basques first 

came to the American West in the 

mid-19th century, drawn by the 

promise of gold in California. A 

young Basque adventurer named 

Pedro Altube sailed to California 

in 1850 and eventually acquired a 

herd of cattle. Settling in Nevada 

in 1873, he became known as 

“Father of the Basques in the 

Far West,” creating a cattle and 

sheep empire spreading east from 

California to Colorado and south 

from Washington to Arizona. By the 

late 19th century, Basques began to 

come to Nevada to take advantage 

of Nevada’s thriving sheep industry. 

Winnemucca became an important 

Basque center. The building 

contains the dining room, saloon, 

and hotel office. A two-story, redbrick addition holds additional 

hotel rooms. A final addition to the 

hotel was added in the 1920s. 

Because most Basques arrived 

in this country without knowing 

the English language or being 

familiar with American culture, the 

hotel or boardinghouse, which the 

Basques call ostatuak, served as 

the center of social, political, and 

economic life. The hotels served 

as employment agencies, provided 

rooms and meals, social activities, 

permanent mailing addresses, and 

stoppages for personal belongings 

while Basques were on the range. 

The Winnemucca Hotel was 

purchased from the Altube family 

by a French-Canadian named David 

Giroux during the 1880s. Under 

Giroux and his son Edward, the 

hotel became a center of a FrenchBasque community. Just before 

the elder Giroux died in 1919 he 

leased the hotel to John Esparza, a 

Basque from Spain, who eventually 

purchased it from Giroux’s widow 

in 1924. Esparza expanded the 

building and built a handball court 

to the rear of the hotel. Basque 

handball (pelota) was an important 

cultural activity for the Basques. 

During the subsequent 86 years, 

several owners have operated the 

Winnemucca Hotel in the Basque 

tradition. 

Government Boarding School at Lac 

du Flambeau

Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, is 

home to one of the few Indian 

boarding schools east of the 

Mississippi River. Established by 

the United States Government 

in the late 19th century, the 

Government Boarding School 

Lac du Flambeau fulfilled federal 

policies to assimilate Native 

American children into American 

culture. The boarding school was 

established 1895 and closed as a 

government boarding school in 

1932. 

Native American children of 

numerous Midwestern tribes were 

removed from their families and 

relocated to government boarding 

schools for their instruction in the 

English language, reading, writing, 

geography, European music, art, 

dress, and culture, among other 

The Winnemucca Hotel is a welcoming sight for Basques in Humbolt 

County, Nevada, known for the 

Basque cuisine and for its potent 

Basque drink, picon punch. The sign 

on the hotel reads “Winnemucca 

Hotel Basque Food.” Photo by James 

Anderson, courtesy of the Nevada State 

Historic Preservation Office.
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 14

subjects. Originally consisting of 

8 educational and farm buildings 

and 300 arable acres, the school 

eventually expanded to 25 buildings 

and 780 acres. Currently, 12 

buildings are extant with the boys’ 

dormitory being the sole building 

continuously used for its initial 

intended purpose.

The Ivey Delph Apartments

The Ivey Delph Apartments at 19 

Hamilton Terrace in New York City 

was the first large-scale project by 

and for African Americans in New 

York backed by a Federal Housing 

Administration (FHA) mortgage 

commitment. Well-known tenants 

included dancer Marilyn Keets, 

Count Basie orchestra composer 

and trumpeter Buck Clayton, and 

bass player Ted Sturgis, who played 

with Louis Armstrong. Dr. Walter 

Ivey Delph, a prominent Harlem 

doctor and real estate investor, 

was concerned that poor housing 

produced bad health. Along with 

his wife he developed the Ivey 

Delph Apartments as a healthy 

living environment for African 

Americans. 

The building was designed 

in 1948 by Vertner Tandy, who 

trained at Tuskegee Institute, was 

a graduate of the Cornell School 

of Architecture, and was the first 

African American to be licensed 

as an architect in New York. The 

modestly stylish apartment building 

embodies the characteristics of the 

mid-20th century Moderne style. 

A six-story, three-bay beige brick 

building embellished with central 

curving projecting balconies, 

the Ivey Delph Apartments was 

completed in 1951. The building 

retains a high degree of historic 

integrity. In addition to the Ivey 

Delph Apartments, Tandy designed 

the landmark St. Philips Church in 

Harlem in 1910-11 with George W. 

Foster. The apartments were one 

of Tandy’s last designs. The Ivey 

Delph Apartments was listed in the 

National Register for architectural 

merits, association with African 

American heritage, and social 

history.

Edificio Patio Español

Edificio Patio Español, located in 

Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, was 

listed in the National Register of 

Historic Places for its significance 

in the areas of architecture, social 

history, and community planning 

and development. The building 

derives its name from its interior 

Spanish-style courtyard, which 

serves as the building’s main 

space. The building is a four-story, 

mixed-use building; the ground 

level consists of two commercial 

spaces while the rest of the floors 

are dedicated to residential use. 

Its architectural style is eclectic, 

with its display of Spanish-style 

ironworks, glazed tile mosaic work, 

and clay roof tiles. The courtyard 

space is significant as a gathering 

place for the working classes of 

San Juan.
page 15

Below: Significant for being the first large-scale housing project for African Americans, the Ivey Delph Apartment 

Building in New York City was listed in the National Register on January 20, 2005. Photo courtesy of National Register files.

Opposite: The Government Boarding School in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, is one of the few Indian assimilation schools 

east of the Mississippi River and is a reminder of one painful chapter in American Indian history. Photo illustration based on 

photo courtesy of Cynthia Stiles. 
HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 16

The Original 

Mason-Dixon Line 

Henry Robert Burke

The Mason-Dixon Line holds 

a prominent place in the 

mythology of our nation. Much 

of what is understood about it 

and its relationship to slavery 

is misleading, if not quite false. 

But the line has always been 

contentious. Contrary to popular 

myths, the original Mason-Dixon 

Line was surveyed for the sole 

purpose of establishing an exact 

boundary between the lands of 

William Penn, Lord Proprietor 

of the Province of Pennsylvania, 

and those of Cecil Calvert, Lord 

Proprietor of the Province of 

Maryland. By mere coincidence, 

it evolved into the line of 

demarcation in the United States 

that divided the slave states of the 

South from non-slave states of the 

North. 

Arrangements for the survey 

began in 1763, when Charles Mason 

and Jeremiah Dixon were given 

the monumental task of resolving 

an 80-year property dispute. 

The proprietors of the colonial 

territories in Maryland and 

Pennsylvania paid for the survey 

under the auspices of the English 

Crown. Mason was an astronomer 

employed by the Royal Society in 

Greenwich, England, and created 

lunar tables that could be used to 

determine longitude. Dixon was a 

surveyor from Cockfield, England, 

who trained with John Bird, a 

renowned maker of high precision 

astronomical instruments.

Mason and Dixon arrived at 

Philadelphia from England on 

November 15, 1763. They worked 

for a total of 58 months plotting 

the boundary between the two 

colonies, extending the survey 

westward to include the boundary 

POINT OF VIEW

Located on Dunkard Creek near Blacksville, West Virginia, the marker indicates the western boundary of original MasonDixon Survey. Courtesy of Henry Robert Burke. 

To MASON-DIXON, page 19
page 17

Conferences

Multicultural Days: An International 

Perspective Conference

Brock University, St. Catherines, 

Ontario, Canada, will host a 

conference from June 23-25, 

2005, on multicultural issues 

across several disciplines. 

Bringing together interested 

scholars from across the world 

and from diverse disciplines, this 

conference’s purpose is to create an 

international and multidisciplinary 

forum on multicultural research 

and related issues. Topics areas 

are “Multiculturalism and Youth,” 

“Education,” “Immigration and 

Acculturation,” and “Health.”

For more information contact Dawn Zinga, 

Conference Chair, at 905/688-5550, ext 3152, 

email: dzinga@brocku.ca, or visit the conference 

website, http://www.multiculturaldays.ca.

5th International Conference 

on Diversity in Organizations, 

Communities, and Nations

The Institute of Ethnic 

Administrators, among others, are 

sponsoring the 5th International 

Conference on Diversity in 

Organizations, Communities, 

and Nations in Beijing, China, 

June 30 through July 3, 2005. 

This year’s theme is Towards 

Cultural Sustainability, as viewed 

through the lenses of “Difference,” 

“Globalization,” “Commerce,” and 

“Governance.” This includes topics 

such as “Managing the Culture 

of Diversity and Community in a 

Globalizing World.”

For more information about the conference, visit 

its website at http://diversity-conference.com.

2005 Pecos Conference

A conference sponsored by 

Bandelier National Monument, Los 

Alamos National Laboratory, Santa 

Fe National Forest, and Valles 

Caldera will take place in White 

Rock, New Mexico, on August 11-

14, 2005. The Pecos Conference 

affords Southwestern archeologists 

an opportunity to discuss preEuropean-contact history with 

one another, both by presenting 

field reports and by means of 

discussions. It allows for research 

collaboration and sharing among 

archeologists, tribal representatives, 

and local, state, and federal 

agencies.

For more information, visit the conference website 

at http://www.swanet.org/2005_pecos_conference/index.html.

GAAAH 7th Annual Graduate History 

Conference

The Graduate Association for 

African-American History 

(GAAAH) at the University of 

Memphis will hold its 7th annual 

Graduate History Conference 

September 29-30, 2005, in 

Memphis, Tennessee. The theme 

of this year’s conference is 

Southern Black Rural and Urban 

Communities. 

Conference organizers welcome 

students at all levels to submit 

proposals for individual papers, 

complete sessions, workshops, 

and roundtables on all topics 

relating to the scholarship and 

teaching of the history of AfricanAmericans across a range of time 

periods and contexts. Individual 

paper proposals should include a 

300-word abstract; author contact 

information, including a paper title; 

postal address and email address; 

and a one-page curriculum vitae 

(CV). The organizers of complete 

sessions should send, in a single 

submission, abstracts and CVs 

for each of the paper presenters; 

CVs for the session chair and 

commentator; and a 200-word 

description of the session. All 

submissions should include contact 

information for all participants and 

audio-visual requirements, if any.

The submission deadline is 

August 29, 2005. Please submit 

all proposals by mail to Reginald 

Ellis, University of Memphis, 

Department of History, 147 Mitchell 

Hall, Memphis, TN 38152 or by 

email at rellis1@memphis.edu. For 

additional questions, call 901/678-

1744 or 901/678-2515.

SACRPH Biennial Conference 

The Society for American City 

and Regional Planning History 

(SACRPH) will hold its biennial 

conference in Coral Gables, 

Florida, on October 20-23, 2005. 

SACRPH is an interdisciplinary 

organization which addresses the 

past, present, and future purposeful 

efforts to shape urban life. 

For more information, contact Greg Hise at 

hise@usc.edu.

American Studies Association Annual 

Conference

On November 3-6 2005, the 

American Studies Association 

will host its annual conference 

in Washington, DC, at the 

Renaissance Hotel. This year’s 

theme, Groundwork: Space and 

Place in American Cultures,

addresses how one grasps the roles 

of space and place in the outcomes 

of the grand acts and ordinary 

events of American life. It will look 

at monumental architecture and 

its role in defining nation-states, 

as well as vernacular architecture, 

cosmology and cartography, sacred 

rituals, folklore and nature writing, 

CONFERENCES AND NOTICES
and sites of memory and fantasy 

landscapes.

For more information on specific sessions, registration or other matters, visit the ASA conference 

website at http://www.georgetown.edu/crossroads/AmericanStudiesAssn/annualmeeting/

ASA2005/2005.htm.

Call for Papers: Mid Atlantic Popular/

American Culture Association Annual 

Conference

The Mid-Atlantic Popular/American 

Culture Association (MAPACA) 

Annual Conference is seeking paper 

proposals for two specialty areas. 

These are: “This Builds That: The 

Architecture of Literature” and 

“Technology and the Home.” Paper 

proposals should be sent to Loretta 

Lorance, PO Box 461, Inwood 

Station, New York, NY 10034-0461; 

email: llorance@earthlink.net. The 

deadline is June 15, 2005.

The 2005 conference will be 

held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel 

in New Brunswick, New Jersey, 

from November 4-6, 2005. The 

conference will feature 40 areas 

of interest, in addition to the two 

specialty areas. 

For more information on the call for papers and 

the conference, visit the conference website at 

http://www.wcenter.ncc.edu/gazette. 

Call For Papers: Association for 

Museum History Annual Conference

The Association for Museum 

History, in partnership with the 

Fellowships in Museum Practice 

program, Center for Education 

and Museum Studies, Smithsonian 

Institution, will hold its annual 

conference on October 28, 2006, 

at the Smithsonian Institution in 

Washington, DC.

For more information on the conference and the 

organization, contact Jeffrey Abt at j_abt@wayne.

edu.

Notices

Asian Reflections on the American 

Landscape Available

The Cultural Resources Diversity 

Program at the National Park 

Service recently published Asian 

Reflections on the American 

Landscape: Identifying and 

Interpreting Asian Heritage, which 

provides a summary history and 

examples of historic places that 

have been documented and interpreted by the NPS cultural resources programs for their association 

with Asian heritage. This publication was prepared for preservationists, researchers, educators, and 

members of the general public who 

are involved in the identification 

and preservation of historic places 

in their communities. 

Asian Reflections on the American Landscape is 

available to the public without charge. An online 

version of this publication is available at www.

cr.nps.gov/crdi, under “publications.” For hard 

copies, contact the Cultural Resources Diversity 

Program at WASO_CRDP_INFO@nps.gov; phone: 

202/354-2276.

Untold Stories and Unsung Heroes 

in the Making of the National Parks: 

Assistance Needed

In its mission statement, the 

National Park Service states that 

it “cares for America’s special 

places so that all may experience 

our heritage.” Nearly 400 places 

have been set aside as national 

parks to tell the stories of our 

nation, its founding, its growth 

and development, and its struggles 

and triumphs. People of all 

backgrounds have helped to foster 

the idea of a National Park System 

and to secure these places as 

lasting symbols of our collective 

culture. Some of these people are 

very familiar to the public: John 

Muir and Theodore Roosevelt, for 

example. Others remain unknown 

or have only more recently come 

to our attention. Often, the latter 

are ethnic minorities who have 

also played a significant role in the 

development of the National Park 

System. 

In recent years, stories of these 

unsung heroes have come to light. 

Captain Charles Young served as 

“acting superintendent” to General 

Grant and Sequoia National Park 

when the national parks were 

still under the supervision of the 

Army. His “rangers” were none 

other than his troop of fellow 

African American soldiers. George 

Melendez Wright, of American 

and El Salvadoran parentage, 

was instrumental in pushing the 

National Park Service to value the 

botanical and biological resources 

found within the parks, in addition 

to their scenic value. The role of 

another George, George Masa, was 

also of significance in the national 

parks story. A Japanese-American 

HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

page 18

Asian Reflections on the American 

Landscape highlights Asian heritage 

in American culture. Courtesy of the 

National Park Service. 
page 19

photographer, Masa’s spectacular 

photos of the area surrounding 

Asheville, North Carolina, inspired 

others to care about and for the 

place that would become Great 

Smoky Mountains National Park.

Imagine the National Park System 

without the contributions of these 

people and countless others like 

them whose service remains hidden 

in the shadows. The National Park 

Service is committed to recognizing 

these important contributions and 

those who made them.

Florentine Films, in cooperation 

with the National Park Foundation 

and WETA Public Television 

Station, has embarked on a major 

documentary, tentatively entitled 

America’s Best Idea: The National 

Parks. The series, which will air 

on PBS in 2009 in five two-hour 

episodes, will tell the remarkable 

story of the national parks from 

Acadia to Haleakala, from Mesa 

Verde to the Everglades. This 

documentary history seeks to 

incorporate stories of historically 

underserved and underrepresented 

populations: African Americans, 

Asian Americans, Hispanic 

Americans, Native Americans and 

other minority groups who have 

played an important part in the 

creation of a national park, the 

evolution of the “park idea,” or 

the protection of a national park, 

and for whom primary documents 

and visual images are available. 

Assistance is needed to recognize 

these unsung heroes.

To share your suggestions or to learn more about 

the project, please contact associate producer 

Susan Shumaker, phone: 304/292-2497; email: 

susan@stonecircleinc.com. This project is made 

possible through the generous support of the 

Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. 

between Pennsylvania and Virginia 

in what is today West Virginia. The 

pair determined the latitude and 

longitude of the city of Philadelphia 

and established that the boundary 

in dispute began exactly 15 miles 

south of the southern most tip 

of Philadelphia. Later, Congress’ 

official designation of the MasonDixon Line as the boundary 

between slave and non-slave states 

extended the Mason-Dixon Line 

eastward. 

The surveying party proceeded 

to the Susquehanna River in 

June of 1765, where they received 

instructions from the Crown 

to carry the line “as far as the 

provinces of Maryland and 

Pennsylvania are settled and 

inhabited.” By June 4, 1766 Mason 

and Dixon had surveyed as far 

as the summit of Little Allegheny 

Mountain in Savage, Maryland, 

when Indian raids on the frontier 

halted their progress. A treaty was 

negotiated by Sir William Johnson 

for England with the Six Nations 

in May 1767. Shortly after resuming 

the survey on June 8, 1767, an escort 

of Indians, including an interpreter, 

was sent by the chiefs of the Six 

Nations to accompany Mason 

and Dixon on the rest of their 

journey. Some became restless and 

suspicious of the gazing into the 

heavens and marking on the ground 

and left the party, along with other 

workers. 

The surveyors came upon an 

Indian warpath at Dunkard’s 

Creek on the Pennsylvania line 

at present day Blacksville, West 

Virginia. At this point, their Indian 

escort informed Mason and Dixon 

that the Six Nations wanted them 

to stop, so the party returned 

to Philadelphia, reported to the 

commissioners, and were honorably 

discharged on December 26, 1767. 

Eventually the line was surveyed 

west between Pennsylvania and 

Virginia to the Ohio River. When 

Pennsylvania abolished slavery in 

1780 and the Ordinance of 1787 

prohibited slavery in the Northwest 

Territory, this survey created a 

boundary that separated the slave 

states of Virginia and Kentucky 

from the Northwest Territory.

In 1820, the United States 

Congress formally defined 

the Mason-Dixon Line in the 

Missouri Compromise. The Upper 

Mississippi River, separating the 

slave state of Missouri from the 

non-slave state of Illinois became 

part of the Mason-Dixon Line. 

When Iowa was admitted as a nonslave state in 1846 the Mason-Dixon 

Line extended further westward 

between Missouri and Iowa. For all 

practical purposes, this completed 

the history of the Mason-Dixon 

Line. 

The exact geographical 

location of the Mason-Dixon 

Line and much of its significance 

regarding the history of slavery 

and the Underground Railroad 

is not understood by the general 

public. Crossing the Mason-Dixon 

Line was a significant milestone 

for fugitive slaves on their 

journey to freedom in non-slave 

states or northward to Canada. 

Communities on or near both sides 

of the Mason-Dixon Line had a 

significant role in the success of 

the Underground Railroad. While 

the line was not established as a 

geographic boundary for slavery in 

the United States, it has become a 

metaphor for the nation’s struggle 

with the institution of slavery.

Henry Robert Burke is an independent writer/historian. He can be reached at burkeh@charter.net.

From MASON-DIXON, page 16
FIRST CLASS MAIL

Postage & Fees Paid

U.S. Department 

of the Interior

National Park Service

1849 C Street, NW (2280)

Washington, DC 20240

Fran P. Mainella

Director

Janet Snyder Matthews

Associate Director

Cultural Resources 

Antoinette J. Lee

Acting Assistant 

Associate Director, 

Historical Documentation 

Programs

Brian D. Joyner

Heritage Matters Editor

Mission of the 

National Park Service

The National Park Service is dedicated 

to conserving unimpaired the natural 

and cultural resources and the values of 

the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this 

and future generations. The Service also 

cooperates with partners to 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 twicea-year and is free of charge. Readers are 

invited to submit short articles and notices 

for inclusion. (Limit submissions to fewer 

than 600 words and include author’s name 

and affiliation. Photographs or slides 

are welcome.) Please submit newsletter items in writing or electronically to: 

Brian D. Joyner, Editor, Heritage Matters,

DOI/National Park Service, 1849 C Street, 

NW (2280), Washington, DC 20240. Phone: 

202/354-2276, email: brian_joyner@nps.gov.

Visit the website for the NPS Cultural 

Resources Diversity Program: www.

cr.nps.gov/crdi

HERITAGE 

MATTERS

JULY 2005

 CONTENTS

H E R I TA G E M AT T E R S

NPS ACTIVITIES, pages 1–5

Cultures of a Country, p. 1

National Historic Landmarks designated, p. 3

Preserve and Play Conference, p. 4

PARTNERS’ ACTIVITIES, pages 6–7

Seminar, Public Meaning of Archeological 

Heritage, p. 6

AAM Annual Meeting 2005 report, p. 7

STATE ACTIVITIES, pages 8-15

National Register Nominations, p. 8

• Pascua Cultural Center, Tucson, Arizona

• Town Doctor’s House and Site, Southold, New 

York

• Louis J. Bailey Branch Library—Gary 

International Institute, Gary, Indiana

• Our Savior’s Scandinavian Lutheran Church, 

Kenaston, North Dakota

• B’nai Jacob Synagogue, Ottumna, Iowa

• Whitepath and Fly Smith Gravesite, 

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

• Winnemucca Hotel, Humboldt County, Nevada

• Government Boarding School at Lac de 

Flambeau, Wisconsin

• Ivey Delph Apartments, New York City

• Edificio Patio Español, San Juan, Puerto Rico

POINT OF VIEW, page 16

The Original Mason-Dixon Line, p. 16

CONFERENCES AND NOTICES, pages 17–19

Conferences, p. 17

• Multicultural Days: An International 

Perspective Conference, St. Catherines, Ontario, 

Canada

• 5th International Conference on Diversity 

in Organizations, Communities and Nations, 

Bejing, China

• 2005 Pecos Conference, White Rock, New 

Mexico

• Graduate Association for African-American 

History at the University of Memphis, Memphis, 

Tennessee

• SACRPH Biennial Conference, Coral Gables, 

Florida

• American Studies Association Annual 

Conference, Washington, DC

• Call for Papers: Mid-Atlantic Popular/American 

Culture Association Annual Conference, New 

Brunswick, New Jersey

• Call for Papers: Association for Museum History 

Annual Conference, Washington, DC

Notices, p. 18

Asian Reflections on the American Landscape 

Available

Assistance Needed for Untold Stories and Unsung 

Heroes in the Making of the National Parks

page 20

This material is based upon work conducted under a cooperative agreement between the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the National Conference of State Historic 

Preservation Officers. Views and conclusions in this material are those of the authors and should not be 

interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or 

commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Asian Reflections on the American 

Landscape, a new book from NPS, 

highlights Asian heritage in American 

culture.