The National Historic Preservation Act at 50: Looking Back, Looking Forward

DOCUMENT Citation Only Patricia M. Samford.

Over the last fifty years, a great deal of archaeological research has come about due to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act.  The Society for Historical Archaeology, the Society for American Archaeology, and the Register of Professional Archaeologists– in partnership with the American Cultural Resources Association and the Archaeological Legacy Institute (home of The Archaeology Channel) are supporting a nationwide initiative to highlight some of the important things we have...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Tom McCulloch.

Until the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation revised its regulations implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act in 2000, an undertaking that would destroy all or parts of a National Register listed or eligible archaeological site could be considered to not adversely affect the site if data recovery was carried out beforehand. This in spite of the fact that generally only a small percentage of the site was usually excavated, and the rest subsequently destroyed. This...

DOCUMENT Citation Only John T. Eddins. Virginia Busby.

Reflecting on NHPA 50 years after its passage, it is its public relevance, engagement, and inclusiveness that increasingly enable it to protect the valued heritage of our diverse peoples.  Implemented wisely, with broad stakeholder involvement, and integrated with environmental considerations, NHPA, Section 106 in particular, can directly support future economic, cultural, and environmental sustainability.   From its beginnings NHPA provided flexibility that we have gradually grown more...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ruth Trocolli.

Despite the District of Columbia’s small size (69 sq. miles), the proportion of property in federal ownership, about 25%, results in a large number of projects annually subject to Section 106 review. Every federal agency, quasi-federal agency, and non-federal entity using federal funds enters 106 consultation, even those without in-house preservation professionals to guide them. Agencies without archaeologists rely on the District’s archaeologist for expertise and guidance. Mitigation has...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Meredith Hardy.

Sharing a birth year with the NHPA, the National Park Service’s Southeast Archeological Center has served as steward to the cultural resources and archeological heritage for the national park units across the southeastern United States. For 50 years SEAC has overseen and conducted the majority of NHPA-related activities in these parks, provided training and education to both NPS staff and the public. This paper examines the roles SEAC has played in resource stewardship, protection, and education...

DOCUMENT Citation Only John H. Sprinkle.

First published in 1969, the National Register criteria were based on a thirty year track record of administrative review and historical evaluation by a National Park Service program whose mandate was to deter, deflect, and discourage the acquisition of new parks proposed for addition to a system already burdened with maintenance backlog issues. But the goal of the "new preservation" was never to acquire and interpret a comprehensive panorama of the American experiment; its mission was to ensure...

DOCUMENT Citation Only karen mudar.

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) introduced a fundamental change to Federal agency archeology, promoting systematic and coordinated investigations of archeological resources in anticipation of Federal undertakings and for management purposes. In response to challenges of complying with NHPA Section 106 and 110, the National Park Service implemented the Systemwide Archeological Inventory Program (SAIP) in 1992. Its purpose was support archeological projects designed to locate,...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Matthew R. Virta.

Archeological investigations conducted to identify historic properties as part of compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act often yield additional information to benefit the resources and the undertaking.  Case studies from two National Park Service sites, Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial (ARHO) and Glen Echo Park (GLEC), both under the administration of the George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), provide examples from unexpected situations during...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Paul White.

Mining camps are certainly a minor one of the kinds of historic sites with which we are occasionally concerned. So began Franklin Fenenga’s prospectus for an archaeology of mining that appeared in the inaugural issue of our journal in 1967. Fenenga went on to identify areas where archaeology stood to make notable contributions and topics where archaeological attention promised only limited yields. Investigations of the mining industry had been sporadic at the time of Fenenga’s article, but...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Elizabeth Crowell.

When improvements were proposed for the Whitehurst Freeway in Washington, DC, existing conditions would not have recommended this heavily urbanized project area for a research-oriented archaeological investigation. The area was traversed by elevated freeway ramps and major roadways. As well, it had been the site of a 20th century school and 19th and 20th century industrial use.  Yet, because of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, archaeological investigations led to the...

DOCUMENT Citation Only Ole Varmer.

The law protecting and managing underwater cultural heritage (UCH) is relatively new and has largely been developed over the past 50 years.  This presentation will look back at the threats to UCH from treasure hunting and provide an overview of the laws that have been applied and developed to address that threat as well as from other activities that may inadvertently effect or harm UCH, such as fishing, the laying of submarine cables and energy development.  Special attention will be given to...