this issue...

Sarah Prud’ homme / Cane River Heritage Area Commission

As you drive down Highway 119 in rural Natchitoches, Louisiana, the landscape is

dominated by open fields, family farms, and the homes of long-time residents.

 They feel at ease in this picturesque country setting nestled along Cane River

Lake in the Cane River National Heritage Area. Then, as if out of nowhere, appears an

old, dilapidated high school building. The casual observer would drive by, chalking up the

site as the remains of a bygone era. But for those who call the Cane River region home,

the site stands as a stark reminder of the 20th-century struggle to provide educational

opportunities for the children of the Cane River region and surrounding communities.

Disparagingly regarded as a “plantation” school by some in the early years, St. Matthew

School flourished under the leadership of African American teachers and administrators,

and its reputation for challenging curriculum and cultural events resulted in it being

affectionately known as the “University” until its closure in 1989. The story behind the

school’s formation and growth highlights the sacrifices and struggles of the African

American community to ensure their children had access to educational opportunities.

Renovation efforts of the old school site are currently underway in an effort to ensure that

this story is not forgotten.

The school got its humble start in 1916 within the walls of the St. Matthew Third Baptist

Church under the direction of Mr. Percy Brunson. Many of the students were descendants

of enslaved laborers, tenant farmers, and sharecroppers from the nearby plantations. After

a four-year hiatus, from 1919 to 1923, due to a lack of funding, Mr. Brunson, along with

Miss Elgirtha Peacock, reopened St. Matthew. In 1936, Mrs. Myra Friedman took over as

principal and sole teacher for three years and under her leadership, enrollment swelled to

over 100 children.

The school outgrew its space in the Third Baptist Church and a two-room school

building was built in 1940 to house nine grades on land deeded to the Parish School Board

by the church. With this, the school was recognized by the school board as a junior high

National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Heritage Matters

FALL 2009 News of the Nation’s Diverse Cultural Heritage

CONTINUED » PAGE 2

The Resurrection of

St.Matthew School

List of Federally Recognized

Tribal Historic Preservation

Officers

NAGRPRA Celebrates

15 Years of Grants with

Retrospective Publication

National Register

Nominations

Seeing Things for What

Could Be: Preservation

and Revitalization in

Gary, Indiana

The Resurrection of St. Matthew School
The Resurrection of St. Matthew School Mission

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

 of the

National Park Service

The National Park Service preserves

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 Park 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

twice a 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

digital images 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,

e-mail: brian_joyner@nps.gov.

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.

Jonathan B. Jarvis

Director

Janet Snyder Matthews

Associate Director, Cultural Resources

Antoinette J. Lee

Assistant Associate Director, Historic

Documentation Programs

J. Paul Loether

Chief, National Register of Historic

Places & National Historic Landmarks

Programs

Brian D. Joyner

Heritage Matters Editor

school. Enrollment increased, necessitating the addition of a two-room building

for agricultural and home economics classes, as well as three additional teachers.

By 1947, St. Matthew was designated as a senior high school by the school board,

with eleven grades and an enrollment of several hundred students.

At this time, St. Matthew was reaching its apex; adding a twelfth grade in 1950;

graduating its first class in May 1953; and with an enrollment of 718 students and

23 teachers by 1955. Its recognition as a senior high school was a “coming of age”

in public secondary education for blacks living in the Cane River area, since it was

the first public high school building constructed for African Americans in lower

Natchitoches Parish. Central High School was the only other public high school for

African Americans in all of Natchitoches Parish and it was 25 miles away. Between

1957 and 1967, four more buildings were added to complete the school campus.

Despite the success of the new high school, dwindling employment

opportunities due to the mechanization of farming, substandard housing, and

school desegregation began to take their toll. The school’s closure became imminent

as enrollment plummeted to 365 students. After a downgrade to a junior high in

1982, the school closed its doors on August 8, 1989.

In an effort to preserve the school’s legacy and honor the accomplishments

of its graduates, Mr. Marvin Toussaint and several other school alumni formed

the St. Matthew School Community Association, Inc. (SMSCA) in 2002. With the

help of the Cane River National Heritage Area (CRNHA) Commission, the school

earned listing in the National Register of Historic Places in January 2005 for the

role it played in the education of African Americans prior to desegregation. Efforts

are underway to transform the school site into a community cultural center for the

area’s youth. The SMSCA recently completed phase one of its vision, which involved

a clean-up of the school site through funding from an Environmental Protection

Agency’s Brownsfields grant. With the assistance of the CRNHA Commission, the

SMSCA is currently developing a plan for the sustainable reuse of the property. Y

i For more information contact the Cane River National Heritage Area

Commission at info@caneriverheritage.org, phone: 318.356.5555.

2 FALL 2009

Two students stand in front of St. Matthew School, circa 1955. The school served the African American community in lower Natchitoches Parish for more than 50 years. Courtesy of Marvin Toussaint.
TRIBAL INITIATIVES

List of Federally Recognized

Tribal Historic Preservation Offices

DID YOU KNOW? November is Native American History Month

(Please see events on page 11.)

The following list of 83 federally-recognized tribal historic preservation offices (THPOs) represents those American

Indian tribes approved by NPS to assume preservation responsibilities on tribal lands, pursuant to Section 101(d)

of the National Historic Preservation Act. Among the responsibilities assumed by these tribes are conducting historic

property surveys, maintaining permanent inventories of historic properties, nominating properties to the National

Register of Historic Places, and reviewing Federal agency undertakings pursuant to Section 106 of the Act.

Alabama

Poarch Band of Creek Indians

Arizona

Gila River Indian Community

Hualapai Tribe

Navajo Nation

San Carlos Apache Tribe

White Mountain Apache Tribe

California

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

Bear River Band of the Rohnerville

 Rancheria

Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the

 Owens Valley

Bishop Paiute Tribe

Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe of Indians

Elk Valley Rancheria

Hopland Band of Pomo Indians

Pinoleville Pomo Nation

Smith River Rancheria

Stewart’s Point Rancheria Kashia

Band of Pomo

Table Bluff Reservation – Wiyot Tribe

Timbisha Shoshone Tribe

Yurok Tribe

Connecticut

Mashantucket Pequot Tribe

District of Columbia

National Association of Tribal

Historic Preservation Officers

Florida

Seminole Tribe of Florida

Idaho

Coeur d’Alene Tribe

Nez Perce Tribe of Indians

Louisiana

Tunica-Biloxi Indians of Louisiana

Maine

Passamaquoddy Tribe

Penobscot Nation

Massachusetts

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head

(Aquinnah)

Michigan

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake

Superior Chippewa Indians

Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians

Minnesota

White Earth Band of Minnesota

Chippewa

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians

Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Indians

Lower Sioux Indian Community

Leech Lake Band of Chippewa Indians

Montana

Blackfeet Nation

Chippewa Cree Tribe of the

Rocky Boy’s Reservation

Confederated Salish and Kootenai

Tribes of the Flathead Indian Nation

Crow Tribe of Indians

Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Nevada

Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California

New Mexico

Jicarilla Apache Nation

Pueblo of Zuni

Mescalero Apache Tribe

Pueblo of Pojoaque

Pueblo of Tesuque

New York

Seneca Nation of Indians

St. Regis Mohawk

North Carolina

Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

North Dakota

Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa

Oklahoma

Absentee Shawnee Tribe

Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma

Citizen Potawatomi

Oregon

Confederated Tribes of the

Umatilla Indian Reservation

Confederated Tribes of the Warm

Springs Reservation in Oregon

Rhode Island

Narragansett Indian Tribe

CONTINUED » PAGE 4

 HERITAGE MATTERS 3

HeritageMatters_wbg.indd 3 11/23/09 
NAGPRA Celebrates 15 Years of

Grants with Retrospective Publication

Sangita Chari / National Park Service

I

n November 1990, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation

Act (NAGPRA) was passed, which created an organized relationship between

the Federal government, museums, and the Native American community to

address issues of control of Native American human remains and cultural items.

NAGPRA gave Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations a process for

seeking the return of human remains and cultural items located in Federal agency

repositories and museum collections around the country. In recognition of the

historic effort required to undergo the repatriation process outlined in NAGPRA,

Section 10 of the Act authorized the Secretary of the Interior to make grants to

museums, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations for the purposes

of assisting in consultation, documentation, and the repatriation of museum

collections.

The first NAGPRA grants were awarded 1994. Over the past 15 years, more

than $31 million have been awarded, supporting 293 Indian tribes, Native

Hawaiian organizations, and museums in NAGPRA activities. Approximately

$1.8 million are awarded annually to museums, tribes, and Native Hawaiian

organizations for consultation and documentation projects as well as to fund the

interment of the repatriated remains.

To commemorate the anniversary of the grant program, NAGPRA has

produced a retrospective, Journeys To Repatriation: 15 Years of NAGPRA Grants,

1994-2008. The publication provides an opportunity to reflect upon the successes

of the consultation/documentation grants and repatriation grants, as well as the

relationships developed between Indian tribes and museums.

i For copies of the Journeys To Repatriation, contact the National NAGPRA

Program at nagpra_info@nps.gov, phone: 202.354.2201

South Carolina

Catawba Indian Nation

South Dakota

Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe

Rosebud Sioux Tribe of Indians

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate

Washington

Confederated Tribes and Bands

of the Yakama Nation

Confederated Tribes of the

 Colville Reservation

Lummi Nation

Makah Tribe

Skokomish Indian Tribe

Spokane Tribe of Indians

Squaxin Island Tribe

Suquamish Tribe

Wisconsin

Bad River Band of Lake Superior

Chippewa Indians

Ho-Chunk Nation

Lac Courte Oreilles Band of

Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

 of Wisconsin

Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake

Superior Chippewa Indians

Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

Oneida Nation of Wisconsin

Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior

 Chippewas

Stockbridge-Munsee Community

Wyoming

Northern Arapaho Tribe

i For more information contact

James Bird, Chief, Tribal Preservation

Program, at james_bird@nps.gov,

phone: 202.354.1837

Tribal Historic Preservation Offcers

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

4 FALL 2009
STATE INITIATIVES

Park Circle Historic District

From the early 20th century to the 1960s, Park Circle

Historic District was part of Baltimore, Maryland’s

largest predominately Jewish neighborhood. The

residential buildings, primarily composed of brick

porch-front duplexes and row housing, maintain a

homogenous character, with nearly all the houses built

within a 30-year time period (1900-1930). Historically,

Baltimore’s Jewish community dates from the late

18th century, and by the Civil War, an estimated 8,000

predominantly German Jews lived in the city, primarily

in downtown and eastern Baltimore. The migration of

eastern European Jews in the late 19th century raised

the city’s Jewish population to an estimated 25,000 by

1901. By the 1920s, the more prosperous, established

German-Jewish community (many were textile factory

owners) moved northwest to Park Circle and the

greater Park Heights community, followed by the

second-generation Eastern European population.

Park Circle Historic District reflects the growth of the

city’s Jewish population, with 5 major synagogues

relocating to the neighborhood, along with several

civic institutions, including the Mary Louisa Alcott

School No. 59 (built in 1926) and the Talmudical

Academy (moved from East Baltimore in 1937). While

the district’s demographic changed in the 1960s,

with the Jewish population moving to suburban

neighborhoods and an influx of African Americans into

Park Circle, it retains its historic character. Park Circle

Historic district was listed in the National Register of

Historic places on December 4, 2008.

The No. 59 School in Park Circle resides within the Park Circle Historic District, a Jewish enclave in Baltimore, Maryland, for nearly

60 years. Courtesy by F. Shoken, Maryland Historical Trust.

National Register Nominations

Rustin Quaide / National Park Service / Caridad de la Vega / National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers

1

2 27th Street Historic District

The 27th Street Historic District is located south of downtown

Los Angeles, at the intersection of East 27th Street and Paloma

Avenue. The houses in the district are similar in style, scale, and

materials, being wood-framed structures, one or two stories in

height, with the majority representing Victorian architectural

styles. Once an all-white neighborhood, the district became the

center of the African American community in Los Angeles.

The sub-division was developed in 1895. Russian Jews began

moving into the neighborhood in 1920, and the African

American presence began in 1923 when a congregation moved

into a neighborhood church on 27th Street. By the 1950s the

neighborhood was predominately black. One of the factors

that attracted African Americans to Los Angeles was the

possibility of homeownership. By 1910, 40 percent of African

Americans in Los Angeles County owned their own homes.

Housing covenants prevented African Americans from buying

in all-white communities so mixed-race neighborhoods like

27th Street Historic District, located just off of Central Avenue,

provide opportunities.

Between the 1890s and 1958, Central Avenue was the hub

of the African American community in Los Angeles. The

27th Street Historic District includes the 28th YMCA and two

contributing churches, all along Paloma Avenue. Thomas A.

Greene led the formation of the Colored YMCA in Los Angeles

in 1906 and served as the Executive Secretary until 1932.

The YMCA grew rapidly during the first two decades of its

existence and outgrew its first two sites at 731 S. San Pedro

Street (1906-1916) and 1400 E. 9th Street (1916-26). Both of

the earlier buildings are gone. The construction of the existing

building in 1926 was viewed as a milestone for the black

community. It included a gymnasium and swimming pool on

the ground floor and 52 dormitory rooms on the upper floors.

Unfettered access to a swimming pool was a momentous

achievement, as African Americans were all but excluded from

public pools in Los Angeles until 1932. The Supreme Court

struck down housing covenants in 1948, but the impact of the

ruling was not felt for another decade. The 27th Street Historic

District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on

June 11, 2009.

27th Street Historic District, viewed from the northwest down E. 27th

Street from Paloma Avenue, was at the hub of the African-American community in Los Angeles. Courtesy of Jay Fantone, California State Historic

Preservation Office.

CONTINUED » PAGE 6

HeritageMatters_wbg.indd 5 11/23/09 
Barrio El Membrillo Historic District

The Barrio El Membrillo Historic District, comprising West Mesa

Street and South Sentinel Avenue and within walking distance

of downtown Tucson, Arizona, is a closely knit, traditionally

Hispanic neighborhood. The dwellings in the neighborhood

are examples of the Sonoran vernacular building tradition.

Until the late 19th century, this area was cultivated land on

the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River. The land was eventually

bought for residential development, and the area including

Barrio El Membrillo Historic District was platted in 1920. The

one-story dwellings of this district, modest in size and scale,

were built of adobe brick.

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, relief efforts were

organized in Tucson’s Hispanic community, among them the

Comité Pro-Infantilformed by the Alianza Hispano-Americana

and other groups, to assist residents in maintaining their

homes and preserving their neighborhood. By the 1940s, the

majority of the residents in El Membrillo owned their homes.

However, following a similar pattern in other urban areas,

returning Hispanic war veterans moved into new subdivisions,

leaving the older neighborhood behind. The barrio was

further threatened by an urban renewal program beginning

in 1965, which demolished the old Hispanic urban core. A

proposal in the 1970s to build an east-west expressway that

would have effectively wiped out El Membrillo was stopped by

the community. Despite these efforts, El Membrillo was slated

for commercial development, but the community managed to

save 13 dwellings. Barrio El Membrillo retained its distinctive

built environment and has maintained its connections with

the traditions that created it. The Barrio El Membrillo Historic

District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on

August 5, 2009.

Barrio El Membrillo retains structures exemplary of the Sonoran

vernacular architectural tradition. Courtesy of Morgan Rieder,

Arizona State Historic Preservation Office.

3

Chuck Berry House

The Chuck Berry House, located in St. Louis, Missouri’s Greater

Ville neighborhood, is significant for its association with

the recording and performing career of Chuck Berry (a.k.a.

Charles Edward Anderson). The one-story, three-room brick

cottage with a two-room rear addition dates to 1910. From

1950 to 1958, Berry lived in this house, practiced with his

band, developed his musical style, and penned many of his

trademark songs. The house was listed in the National Register

of Historic Places on December 12, 2008.

Chuck Berry is argueably considered the most important artist

in the genre of rock and roll and is responsible for influencing

subsequent generations of musical greats such as John Lennon,

Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and

Mick Jagger. A number of the rock and roll songs that Berry is

best-identified with were penned at this house: “Maybellene,”

“Johnny B. Goode,” “Rock and Roll Music,” “Sweet Little

Sixteen,” “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man,” and “Thirty Days.”

Considered the preeminent rock and roll artist of his generation,

Chuck Berry resided at 3137 Whittier Place from 1950 to 1958.

Courtesy of Lindsey Derring and Andrew Weil.

4

National Register Nominations

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

6 FALL 2009

HeritageMatters_wbg.indd 6 11/23/09 
Billy Simpson’s House of

Seafood and Steaks

Billy Simpson’s House of Seafood and Steaks,

located in northwest Washington, DC, was

listed in the National Register of Historic Places

on March 17, 2009. The two-story building is

part of a row of four attached commercial/

residential buildings located on the west side

of Georgia Avenue. Renowned for its spicy

New Orleans gumbo, Billy Simpson’s House

of Seafood and Steaks was one of a few

upper-end restaurants to cater to elite black

Washingtonians and also served as a center for

African-American political discourse and debate.

The property is also significant for its association

with restaurateur Billy Simpson who from 1956

to 1975 was at the center of an elite circle of

African American politicians and government

officials, who championed local and national

civil rights and community causes. Entertainers

such as Redd Foxx, Ella Fitzgerald, Dick Gregory,

and political and government officials such as

Carl Rowan and Andrew Hatcher were patrons

of Billy Simpson’s.

Billy Simpson’s House of Seafood and Steak was the

premiere gathering place for Washington’s black elite

from 1956 until 1975. Courtesy of Kim Williams.

STATE INITIATIVES

Chadbourn Spanish Gospel Mission

The Chadbourn Spanish Gospel Mission was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 14, 2009. Located in

a former Hispanic enclave, the mission is now the only tangible

reminder of a once vibrant Hispanic neighborhood, the Conejos

District, located in the southwest side of downtown Colorado

Springs, Colorado. In 1954, the surrounding neighborhood was

demolished for industrial development. Hispanic families, mainly

from the San Luis Valley, were attracted to Colorado Springs

in search of jobs at the nearby railroads, mines, and mills. The

building dates to 1910 but was converted into a mission in 1930

by missionary Ruth Chadbourn and offered non-denominational

services in both Spanish and English.

The mission also served as a community center offering adult

education classes in English, sewing, and music, and provided

recreational activities for neighborhood children through basketball and baseball teams, and meeting space for Boy Scouts and

Girl Scout. The building underwent a major renovation project in

1939 to convert its appearance into the Mission Revival Style.

5

6

The Chadbourn Spanish Gospel Mission has served the Hispanic community of

Colorado Springs since the 1930s. Courtesy of Jennifer Wendler Lovell.

CONTINUED » PAGE 8

 HERITAGE MATTERS 7
National Register Nominations

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

7 Good Samaritan–Waverly Hospital

The Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital, located in Columbia,

South Carolina, was the first hospital built to serve the AfricanAmerican community and the surrounding seven counties. It

also served as the only nursing school for blacks in Columbia.

Located at 2204 Hampton Street, the hospital is modernstyle, two-story brick structure and was listed in the National

Register of Historic Places on July 28, 2008.

The Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital resulted from several

mergers of local African-American hospitals, the last occurring

in 1938 to concentrate resources toward the construction

of a newly-built hospital. Although the community raised

considerable funds for the new facility, the new hospital

was made possible by Hospital Survey and Construction

Act of 1946 (a.k.a., the Hill-Burton Act) funds, intended to

modernize hospitals and provide uncompensated service to

the community for 20 years. A state-of-the art medical facility

when completed, it closed in 1973, unable to compete with

the new and integrated Richland County Memorial Hospital.

The Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital was the first hospital expressly

built for African Americans in Columbia, South Carolina and the

surrounding area, in 1952. Courtesy of Rebekah Dobrasko.

Hill-Ross Farm

The Hill-Ross Farm is associated with the abolitionist reform movement

in Northampton, Massachusetts, and in particular the Underground

Railroad activities of two of its owners, Samuel Lapham Hill and Austin

Ross. The farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on

January 8, 2008, as part of the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts

Multiple Property Submission. It is located in the Connecticut River

Valley, which has been documented as a common route among fugitive

slaves. Samuel L. Hill resided in the farmhouse from 1841-1845, when

the property was part of a utopian community, the Northampton

Association for Education and Industry (NAEI). There are several

documented accounts of Hill’s assistance to fugitives.

Austin Ross purchased the property in 1857 to run the association’s

farm after he and his wife were excommunicated from their church in

Connecticut for their ardent abolitionist beliefs. Until 1865, their house

was also used as a station in the Underground Railroad and the couple

assisted numerous fugitive slaves in reaching Canada.

The Hill-Ross Farm served as an Underground Railroad station under two separate

owners, Samuel Hill and Austin Ross. Courtesy of Neil Larson.

i For more information about the

National Register visit http://www.nps.gov/nr

8

8 FALL 2009
LOCAL INITIATIVES

When Senator Evan Bayh, D-IN, stated recently that

Gary, Indiana, will become a national model for

urban revitalization, the first response might have

been “Why Gary?” Similar to other industrial cities in the

Midwest, Gary has seen its share of disinvestment, suburban

flight, and economic decline with the downsizing of the steel

industry in the area. The city is competing with others for the

$2 billion in neighborhood-stabilization funds set aside by

the Federal government. But it believes it has a leg up on the

competition, because at the core of its revitalization effort is

historic preservation.

In its heyday, Gary was a medium-sized industrial city of

100,000 people. Known as Steel City, as it was founded by

US Steel, it was ethnically diverse, attracting black migrants

from the South as well as Eastern Europeans and Mexicans.

However, since the 1960s, the population has dwindled to

around 80,000 with all of the woes of urban disinvestment.

Most notably affected is Broadway, the city’s main artery.

Along Broadway is the Midtown district, the historic

African American community of Gary. Within the Midtown

district reside local landmarks such as Veejay Records, home

to artists such as the Spaniels (“Goodnight, Sweetheart,

Goodnight”) and Jimmy Reed (“Bright Lights, Big City”).

The Beatles’ first American release was distributed through

Veejay. Other places of significance include North Gleason

Park, a segregated recreational park for the African American

community, and the Froebel School, the city’s only integrated

high school until 1945. The school hosted a concert by Frank

Sinatra, who volunteered to help end a white-student strike

protesting integration in November 1, 1945. While the city has

several properties listed in the National Register, few of the

resources in Midtown are included.

The idea of a preservation plan for Midtown began

as a service learning component to a class on community

development by Dr. Earl Jones, a professor in the

Department of Minority Studies at the Indiana University

Northwest. He worked with activists in the African American

community in Gary to develop a tour guide for Historic

Midtown. The intent of Midtown—The Central District

Project was to promote historic preservation and economic

development. Dr. Jones and project coordinators John

Gunn, William Hill, and Jihad Muhammad conducted a

survey of buildings in the district, recorded oral histories,

and undertook extensive research into the lives of

community members past and present. The survey identified

significant buildings and sites to be considered for historic

designation. The project was completed in 2005, with the

In its heyday, Gary was a mediumsized industrial city of 100,000

people. Known as Steel City, as it

was founded by US Steel, it was

ethnically diverse, attracting black

migrants from the South as well as

Eastern Europeans and Mexicans.

CONTINUED » PAGE 10

Seeing Things for What

Could Be: Preservation

and Revitalization in

Gary, Indiana

Brian D. Joyner / National Park Service

Carlton Eley / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

 HERITAGE MATTERS 9
Revitalization in Gary, Indiana

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

“Some men see things

as they are and say,

why. I dream things

that never were and

say, why not.”

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

assistance of the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Inc., and the

Indiana Humanities Council.

In 2007, the city of Gary, Gary/East Chicago/Hammond Empowerment

Zone, and Indiana University Northwest requested technical assistance from

the Planning and the Black Community Division (PBCD) of the American

Planners Association with forming a vision for arterial enhancements along

Broadway including historic Midtown. In response, PBCD assembled a team

of practitioners with expertise in meeting community needs for equitable

development, smart growth, context sensitive design, place making, urban

design/architecture, and vacant property reclamation. Through a series

of collaborative planning exercises and workshops, PBCD worked with

the public to identify solutions. Preservation was a critical element for the

technical assistance effort. In fact, the city of Gary cited districts such as

the 18th and Vine Jazz District in Kansas City, Missouri as an example of a

successful preservation-based revitalization effort within a diverse community.

The PBCD team leveraged over $100,000 of in-kind services from an

initial $5,000 grant to produce the technical assistance report, “Vision for

Broadway.” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has

taken a particular interest in Gary, examining how it can partner with other

federal agencies to encourage the city’s development in what Bayh and

Assistant Secretary Ron Sims are calling “The Gary Project.” Along with the

technical report and the Midtown tour guide, the hope is that Gary can serve

as a potential blueprint to revitalization though preservation for other Rust

Belt towns.

Perhaps, George Bernard Shaw was right. “Some men see things as they

are and say, why. I dream things that never were and say, why not.” Well...why

not Gary? Y

10 FALL 2009
Conferences, Events, and Announcements

Events

Native American Month / November

African American History Month / February

Women’s History Month / March

Announcements

New CRDP Publication, Hispanic Reflections on

the American Landscape

The history of North America is tied to the Spanish settlement

of the Western Hemisphere. The melding of Spanish, European,

indigenous American, and African cultures are at the root of

Hispanic heritage throughout the region. This heritage influences

aspects of American culture from our architectural lexicon, to food

to music and dance.

The National Park Service has published Hispanic Reflections on

the American Landscape: Identifying and Interpreting Hispanic

Heritage, the third in the series of guides to the diverse heritage

of the nation. This guide uses properties documented by NPS

cultural resource programs to provide examples of how to identify

and interpret Hispanic heritage

within American culture for

preservationists, interpreters,

and the general public.

Hispanic Reflections, published as a

single volume in English and Spanish, is available to the public through

NPS. For copies, please contact

WASO_CRDP_INFO@nps.gov.

Hispanic Reflections on the American

Landscape provides preservationists

and interpreters with a guide to

understanding Hispanic heritage within

American culture. Courtesy of National

Park Service.

Correction: On page 8 of the January/February 2008 issue, the

photo caption credits the image to the Arlington County Public

Library. It should read “Courtesy of Lloyd Wolf.”

Conferences

March 2010

National Council on Public History, Portland, OR

“Currents of Change,” the National Council on Public History’s

2010 annual meeting celebrates the organization’s 30th

anniversary. The meeting will be held simultaneously with the

American Society for Environmental History’s annual meeting,

on March 10-14, 2010, in Portland, Oregon.

For more information about the meeting and proposals, visit

NCPH’s meeting webpage, http://www.ncph.org/Conferences/2010/

tabid/553/Default.aspx.

April 2010

Organization of American Historians,

Washington, DC

The 103rd Meeting of the Organization of American Historians

(OAH) will take place April 7-10, 2010 in Washington, DC.

“American Culture, American Democracy” is the theme of the

annual meeting, seeking to cover the full chronological sweep of

the American past, from pre-Columbian years to the 21st century,

and the rich thematic diversity that has come to characterize

contemporary American history writing and teaching.

The meeting will be held at the Hilton Washington. For more

information, visit OAH’s meeting webpage, http://www.oah.org/

meetings/2010/.

Society for American Archaeology, St. Louis, MO

The Society for American Archaeology (SAA) will host its 75th

annual meeting on April 14-18, 2010 in St. Louis. For more

information, visit the SAA Annual Meeting website, http://www.

saa.org/AbouttheSociety/AnnualMeeting/tabid/138/Default.aspx.

May 2010

American Association of Museums,

Los Angeles, CA

The American Association of Museums will host its annual conference on May 23-27 in Los Angeles. “Museums Without Borders”

will be the theme.

AAM is accepting proposals for sessions. The entire submission

process will now be online only.

For more information, visit AAM Conference webpage,

http://www.museumexpo.org/aam2010/public/MainHall.

aspx?ID=159&sortMenu=102000.
Seeing Things for What

Could Be: Preservation

and Revitalization in

Gray, Indiana

About

Heritage Matters

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 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

e-mail: brian_joyner@nps.gov.

www.nps.gov

National Park Service

1849 C Street, NW

Washington, DC 20240

Heritage Matters

News of the Nation’s Diverse Cultural Heritage

FALL 2009

NAGRPRA Celebrates

15 Years of Grants with

Retrospective Publications

National Register

Nominations

The Resurrection of

St. Matthew School

List of Federally

Recognized Tribal

Historic Preservation

Offices

Internships Provide Career

Opportunities for

Diverse Students

Presort

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