|
by: Dr. David Crass, david.crass@dnr.ga.gov
Division Director & Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
A hero is a man who does what he can.
-Romain Rolland
|
|
 |
A Memorial Day Remembrance
I was reminded of French writer and mystic Romain Rolland’s quote when I visited Thomasville in April to attend the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual meeting and Spring Ramble. The weather for the weekend was beautiful, clear, and cool, until Sunday morning when thunderstorms started to move in. That morning, I got out early to beat the storms and visit one of my favorite places in Georgia: I wanted to go pay my respects to Henry Ossian Flipper.
Born an enslaved person in Thomasville in 1856, Flipper was the first African American graduate of West Point. Assigned to one of the Buffalo Soldier regiments, the 10th Cavalry, he was the first nonwhite officer to command troopers of the 10th. He served with distinction during the Apache Wars (1849-1886). Then in 1881, he was accused of "embezzling funds and of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman." Even though the embezzlement charges were dismissed, he was discharged from the service in 1882 for misconduct.
In civilian life, Flipper became a surveyor, engineer, author, translator, agent with the Justice Department, assistant to the Secretary of the Interior, and a U.S. Senate committee aide. He wrote and published several books, including his autobiography and memoirs. He died in Atlanta in 1940.
Flipper maintained his innocence throughout his life, travelling to Washington nearly every year to plead his case. He was never able to get his misconduct conviction reversed, even after an Army review concluded that his court martial was racially-motivated. In 1898, a bill to reinstate him into the Army and restore his rank was introduced in Congress on his behalf. Flipper sent the Chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs a letter, which read in part: “…I’m sure that…you will understand and appreciate the struggle I made to rise above the station to which I was born…I ask only that justice which every American citizen has a right to ask…”.
In 1976 Flipper’s descendants successfully worked with a pro bono attorney to reverse the conviction based on the argument that if the embezzlement charges were dismissed, there could have been no misconduct. He was reinterred with full military honors in what is now known as Flipper Cemetery in Thomasville. On February 19, 1999, he was formally pardoned by President Bill Clinton.
Henry Ossian Flipper lived Romain Rolland’s definition of a hero—even volunteering his services during the Spanish American War to no avail--as did his descendants who fought to restore his good name. At the ceremony pardoning him in 1999, President Clinton said “Lt. Flipper's family teaches us that we must never give up the fight to make our country live up to its highest ideals. Outside of this room Henry Flipper is not known to most Americans. All the more reason to remember him today.”
Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper’s grave site, located in Thomasville, GA.
By: Sarah Rogers, Certified Local Government Coordinator
sarah.rogers@dnr.ga.gov
One of the federally-mandated programs the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) administers is the Certified Local Government Program. This is a preservation partnership between local, state and our national government that focuses on promoting historic preservation at the grassroots level. The National Park Service and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division jointly administer the program.
Trenton-Dade County, located in the northwestern corner of Georgia, is one of Georgia’s most recent additions to the Certified Local Government program! On Wednesday, May 2nd, CLG Coordinator Sarah Rogers had the pleasure of presenting the Trenton-Dade County Historic Preservation Commission, the Dade County Commission, and the Mayor of Trenton, a certificate recognizing the group as one of Georgia’s Certified Local Governments.
Becoming a Certified Local Government is an accomplishment. Local governments in the program make an intentional effort to commit to the goals of maintaining a strong historic preservation commission and promote preservation education in their communities. Trenton- Dade County accomplished CLG Certification less than a year after establishing their Historic Preservation Commission, which is certainly something to celebrate.
The CLG program extends federal and state preservation programs to the local level, expanding the scope of local responsibilities and opportunities for preservation. With 99 Certified Local Governments, Georgia has the highest number of CLG-designated communities in the United States. Participation requires the community to create a preservation ordinance that establishes a historic preservation commission, as well as other state and federal requirements. Trenton-Dade County and all of Georgia’s CLGs are eligible for federal Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grants, which are administered by HPD. These HPF grants may be used for a variety of preservation activities including historic resource surveys, National Register of Historic Places nominations, educational activities, marketing purposes, publications, heritage tourism studies, and predevelopment plans. To learn more about the CLG program, visit HPD’s website at www.georgiashpo.org/community/clg.
 From left to right: Dade County Executive Ted Rumley, County Clerk Don Townsend, Rex Blevins (HPC), Sarah Rogers (Historic Preservation Division), Sarah D. Moore, (HPC), Donna M. Street (HPC), and Trenton Mayor Alex Case. Not pictured Audrey Clark and Cindy Ritchie (HPC).
By: Whitney Rooks, Envrionmental Review Historian
whitney.rooks@dnr.ga.gov
In January 2019 the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in coordination with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), launched a collaborative pilot program that brings multiple agencies together at the GDOT office. The purpose of this program is to provide efficient collaboration between FHWA, GDOT, and the agencies that review their federally-funded transportation projects.
Historic Preservation Division (HPD) staff, Debbie Wallsmith (Compliance Archaeologist) and Whitney Rooks (Environmental Review Historian), along with other agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, became a part of the GDOT Inter-Agency Office of Environmental Quality (IOEQ). This new take on an established partnership brings federal and state agencies together in one space and allows HPD and GDOT to efficiently coordinate projects. HPD was previously reviewing transportation projects for GDOT on behalf of the Federal Highway Administration in-compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act is the process that requires federal agencies to consider historic resources when funding and/or licensing projects. The Inter-Agency Office of Environmental Quality streamlines this review process and facilitates effective communication between HPD, GDOT, and other federal and state agencies.
The IOEQ has been beneficial. HPD staff is chartering a new review process, as well as learning the various functions of GDOT. Georgia HPD is in the vanguard of SHPOs collaborating with the FHWA and state DOTs to streamline the environmental review process and ensure that Georgia’s historic resources are considered in a federally-funded transportation project in the state.
May is Historic Preservation Month and Archaeology Month in Georgia!
On April 29th, Governor Brian Kemp signed proclamations declaring that May is Historic Preservation Month and Archaeology Month in Georgia! See copies of the proclamations here.
Seeking Eden, A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens received the National Garden Clubs Award of Excellence at their Annual Convention. The Garden Club of Georgia also won the National Award as #1 Garden Club in the Country. Congratulations!
Call for Georgia Historical Record Advisory Council Award Nominations
GHRAC has twelve different award categories for individuals and organizations. Award recipients will be honored at the Georgia Archives by the GHRAC Board at a ceremony during Archives Month in October. Nominations may be submitted February 1 through June 1. Nominations must be postmarked on or before June 1, 2019.
Georgia Trust's Place in Peril: Call for Nominations
Do you know of a special irreplaceable historic building or site that is highly threatened by demolition, neglect, inappropriate development or other threats? If so, this is your opportunity to help save it. The Georgia Trust's Places in Peril program identifies historic sites threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or other threats. Nominate an endangered historic place by June 7, 2019.
Kodachrome Commerce: American Commercial Architecture 1945-1980 Call for Proposals
The College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia will host a one-day digital symposium dedicated to the identification and evaluation of mid-century commercial architecture. As millions of these resources reach and surpass the National Parks Service’s 50-year threshold to be considered ‘historic,’ a national discourse is needed to identify themes in typologies, integrity issues, construction methodology, and materials. This live streaming symposium includes all geographic regions and commercial architecture sub-types. Kodachrome Commerce offers a unique approach to a live streaming format; presenters will submit a prerecorded presentation and remote attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in real time. This format is designed to introduce attendees to multiple mid-century commercial topics and real-world challenges facing this resource type. Proposals will be accepted through June 28, 2019. For additional information, please visit our website. To submit your proposal, please click Here. Please contact Laura Kviklys, lkviklys@uga.edu, with any questions.
Georgia Heritage Grants
The Georgia Historic Preservation Division is accepting applications for Georgia Heritage grants! These grants provide matching funds on a statewide competitive basis to local governments and nonprofit organizations (except for churches and other religious organizations) for the preservation of Georgia Register and National Register-eligible historic properties. The program provides matching grants for development and pre-development projects. Development projects may include bricks and mortar activities, such as roof, window and foundation repair, or brick repointing. Pre-development projects may include construction documents, feasibility studies, historic structure reports, or preservation plans. Applications and more information are available on the website. Applications are due July 1, 2019.
Tribal Heritage Grants
The State, Tribal, Local, Plans & Grants Division of the National Park Service is pleased to announce that the FY2019 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Tribal Heritage Grants has been posted on grants.gov! Application Deadline: July 1, 2019.
The Garden Club of Georgia: Historic Landscape Preservation Grants
The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. partners with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Historic Preservation Division, the Southeast Regional Office of the National Park Service, the Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center, and the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDecD) to provide Historic Landscape Preservation Grants. Funding is provided in the form of 50/50 matching grants at a maximum of $3,000. Grants are funded for a one-year period. Applications are due August 1, 2019.
- June 8, 2019 – Georgia Trust Forsyth Expedition
Discover one of Georgia's best kept secrets. Centrally located in the heart of Georgia, Forsyth boasts an array of historic homes from the mid-19th and early-20th centuries, when the city experienced its commercial boom. Learn more and register..
-
June 7 & 27, 2019 – 2019/2020 Fox Theatre Institute Grant Workshops
The 2019/2020 FTI Grant cycle begins with two workshops in Georgia. The first workshop will be in Athens on June 5, 2019 with the remaining one at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on June 27, 2019. All application materials for the new grant cycle will be available June 1, 2019 on FTI's website and the deadline for all grant applications will be a postmarked deadline of August 15, 2019. Register here.
-
June 8, 2019 – Uncovering Ossabaw Island: Hands-On Archeology Day
Led by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources' Archaeology Division, participants in this one-day workshop will assist graduate students and will likely encounter historic period artifacts as well from the site being farmed in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Learn more and register.
- June 25, 2019 – Preserving Georgia's African American Resources
The Georgia Trust will hold a class on Preserving Georgia's African American Resources with speakers from the National Park Service and the Historic Preservation Division. Class will be held from 10am-3pm on June 25th at Rhodes Hall (1516 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30309). Tickets required.
- August 28-30, 2019 – Georgia Downtown Conference
Registration for the 2019 Georgia Downtown Conference is now open! The conference is scheduled for at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Online registration is now open for attendees and exhibitors. For registration information and sponsorship opportunities, click here or contact jeidson@georgiadowntownassociation.org.
Would you like to see an event listed? Email sarah.rogers@dnr.ga.gov.
Submit a Guest Article
Preservation Posts is published to inform the public about historic preservation issues and developments from the perspective of the SHPO. In keeping with that purpose, HPD occasionally solicits guest articles that are directly related to our statutorily mandated programs. Please note that we do not publish opinion pieces. We also retain editorial control as well as the right to reject any submission.
To pitch or submit a piece, or ask questions concerning an idea, email HPD's Certified Local Government Coordinator, Sarah Rogers at sarah.rogers@dnr.ga.gov.
|
