Two NHAs Honored by Partnership Council

Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition was awarded the Midwest Region (MWR)Outstanding Trail / Heritage Area Partnership Merit Award for completion of 41-miles of the multi-use recreational Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. Summit County is the first in the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area to complete the entire length of the Towpath Trail in their county. 

President and CEO Dan Rice noted, "We are very grateful to the outstanding vision and leadership of The City of Akron, Summit County Government, Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, Akron Metropolitan Area Planning Agency, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, City of Barberton, Summit County Engineer and Cuyahoga Valley National Park for their incredible dedication and hard work on this legacy project." 

Working in partnership with over 30 private, local, state and federal agencies and organizations, the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail is used by over 2.5 million people through Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and urban and rural areas.

Arabia Mountain Launches Interactive Trail Map

What is this site? Take the PATH trail and find out!

 "What is that abandoned stone ruin?" This and many other landmarks along more than 20 miles of hike-bike trails called the PATH are a mystery for visitors to the Arabia Mountain NHA (AMNHA). In fact, many didn't know how far the PATH trail extended or why they should explore it beyond their usual route or even start to explore at all.  It was clear that a comprehensive map was needed to show the entire PATH system and highlight the area's intriguing vistas. 
 

Developing clear goals for the map early on was critical to the successes of the project. The map needed to: show the entire PATH system, fit on one page, look good in black and white or color, and include parking and restroom locations. Since this project needed to be completed quickly to serve summer biker and hikers, the AMNHA team decided to create an interactive PDF rather than a more time consuming app. The interactive feature allows guests who open the map on a smart phone or computer to click on links for more information. Users do not have to wade through pages of information; instead they can easily select points of interest they wish to learn more about. 
 

The map is the first step in a comprehensive interpretive design program that will be completed by the end of the summer of 2013.  This interpretive program includes a visitors' guide for the whole NHA as well as panel and wayfinding design along the PATH.

See the PATH map: http://arabiaalliance.org/uncategorized/self-guided-bike-tour/. Check out interest point number 5 to discover the history of the stone ruin mentioned at the beginning of the article.

Middle School Students Premiere Vodcasts

Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student® 
 

Comcast Newsmakers: JTHG's Of, By, For at Gettysburg (2013)

Over 260 seventh-grade students at Gettysburg Area Middle School took a different approach this year to learn about history of their community.  They are part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership's nationally award-winning Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student® service-learning project. 

 

Students use primary source documents, music, dance, dramatic readings, role-playing and digital technology to create vodcasts, or mini-movies, for Gettysburg National Military Park. The students serve as writers, actors, directors, choreographers, set designers, costume creators, videographers, and editors to connect with our national history.

 

Six vodcasts were made relating to the Battle of Gettysburg; its legacy, civilian life, and the African-American experience, including: Signal Corps, Barlow and Gordon, Gutzon Borgium, Markers in Time, Shriver Family and the Black Ducks. They premiered at the Partnership's annual conference, with filmmaker Ric Burns providing keynote remarks and addressing the students' directly. They debuted in time for the 150th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg and will become official interpretative material for the National Park Service.   

 

They can be viewed on YouTube, SchoolTube, Comcast on Demand, Teachinghistory.org, and www.hallowedground.org/education.

Champlain Valley NHA Assists with Traveler's Guide to War of 1812

The National Geographic Society published a new travelers' guide to the War of 1812 in May. The pocket-sized publication, 1812: A Traveler's Guide to the War That Defined a Continent, features prominent historic sites associated with the conflict in the U.S. and Canada.  Museums, monuments and wayside exhibits in the Champlain Valley and Richelieu River are described in their own chapter.

The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) was instrumental in developing the publication in cooperation with the Lake Champlain Basin Program, National Geographic, the National Park Service (NPS) and Parks Canada through an agreement between the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission and National Geographic using NPS funding.

The guides are available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Erie Canal Events Boost Heritage Tourism

Cycling the Erie Canal is among the events sponsored by the Erie Canalway NHC

Events are a significant contributor to the $380 million in economic impact generated annually by canal-related tourism. Erie Canalway's investment of $18,750 in event sponsorships is expected to be matched nearly 15:1 by local sponsors and attract a half million people. More than 600 events take place each year along NY's canals.

"From large festivals to more intimate events and specialty programs, there are plenty of reasons to head to the waterfront again and again," said Beth Sciumeca, Executive Director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.

The Corridor spans 524 miles across New York, encompassing the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain canals and their historic alignments, and more than 230 canal communities.  For more information: http://www.eriecanalway.org/explore_things-to-do_festivals.htm  

New Passport Stamps Available

Stamps are available at the W.C. Handy Home, Museum and Library; Ivy Green, birthplace of Helen Keller; Red Bay Museum, which features exhibits on county music star Tammy Wynette; Pond Spring, home of Confederate Gen. Joe Wheeler; Mooresville, the first town incorporated by the Alabama Territorial Legislature in 1818; and Old State Bank. In addition, the MSNHA office offers a stamp at the University of North Alabama campus.

"Collecting the passport stamps is a perfect summer-time family activity," said MSNHA executive director Judy Sizemore. "It's a great way to travel throughout our part of the state and learn about history in our own backyard."

Passports are available at www.easternnational.org and at many NPS park gift shops.

People on the Move
 

Beth Sciumeca Moving On - Erie Canalway welcomes Bob Radliff.

After eight years with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, Executive Director Beth Sciumeca has announced that she will be transitioning out of her position to pursue other opportunities. Beth led the organization from the early stages of implementing its Preservation and Management Plan to developing programs and technical assistance. She has been instrumental in raising the stature of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor both nationally and statewide.

Heather Wickens will be joining the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area in September. Heather has been the Project Coordinator at Canal Corridor Association for the Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.  Heather has also been leading the NHA monthly "best practices" call. These "best practices" conference calls originated in the Midwest Region in 2011. The purpose of the calls is to share ideas, successful projects, and new initiatives, learn "best practices" from other NHAs and to foster connections with NHA staff and NPS partners nationwide.

Wright Company factory

 Demolition of 1.2 million square feet of former Delphi manufacturing buildings in Dayton is paving the way for commercial redevelopment and historic preservation. Two century-old buildings originally constructed by the Wright Company, the aircraft manufacturing enterprise established by Dayton's Wright brothers, are still on the site.

Home Avenue Redevelopment, LLC, is working closely with the City of Dayton, the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park and the National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA) to redevelop the site for commercial and industrial use while preserving the historic Wright Company buildings for eventual public use as national park unit.

Built in 1910 and 1911, the two Wright Company buildings were the first in the United States to be built for the purpose of manufacturing aircraft. Together with three buildings added later, they turned out military aircraft parts during World War I. General Motors acquired the buildings in 1919, and they were used for automotive parts manufacturing until 2008, when Delphi closed the plant. A federal law signed in 2009 added the buildings to the national park's boundary.

"While the buildings will be dedicated to National Park use, the remaining three offer opportunities for other institutions or companies to operate educational, research or commercial activities that complement the site's aviation heritage," said Tony Sculimbrene, NAHA's executive director.

Visit www.hullinc.com to read more.

Youth Alternatives in Oil Region NHA 

Volunteers clean exterior of Downs Building in Oil City.

Kip Vitka, Skill Builders Coordinator and Stacey Maxwell, Justus Fellow Program Coordinator, of Youth Alternatives, Inc have pledged to provide the Oil Region Alliance with volunteers to assist with ongoing projects as needed by the Oil Region Alliance.

 Youth Alternatives provides support, and encourages and empowers youth in the private, social, academic, economic and other dimensions of their lives. The volunteers from ages 8-18 provided assistance at project sites for the Alliance.

Contact: Mary Cochran, Project Manager

Meetings gathered local historians, town administrators and librarians.

Freedom's Way launched an outreach project called Patriot Paths that uncovers the rich and varied stories of how the American Revolution was lived in each of the 45 Freedom's Way communities. Funded by a grant from the Society of Cincinnati, this effort is fueled by volunteers.

Faith Ferguson from the Arlington Historical Society said  "By combining forces and working together, we can effectively mine the rich vein of Revolutionary history to be found in the 45 communities within the Freedom's Way National Heritage Area. Together we can give life to dormant local tales, and using tours and technology, make it widely available."

"Patriot Paths offers us not only a remarkable chance to cultivate our town heritage together, ... Freedoms' Way is creating the chance to work toward a common goal and one that will really move us all forward. It was no accident that Benjamin Franklin said, "We must all hang together, or assuredly we will hang separately." In this one typically pithy phrase, he captured the spirit of this emerging project."

The colonial militias and their families were tightly connected. These connections not only allowed the local and regional action in the spring of 1775, but propelled it forward. The Patriot Paths project is recreating networks by drawing on the unique resources of each town to give visitors, scholars, and students a holistic view of the region.

Wasatch Block restoration

Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area's (MPNHA) support of two historic restoration projects in Mt. Pleasant shows that appreciation and preservation of heritage is for everyone.

MPNHA contributed $5,000 and helped acquire funds to begin the restoration of Liberal Hall, one of the city's first non-Mormon settlement-era buildings. This seed money prompted a private donation of $500,000 to restore the building, including the rebuilding of a steeple.

"In the early days of pioneer settlement, Presbyterian Duncan McMillan came to Mt. Pleasant to convert the Mormons," explains MPNHA Executive Director Monte Bona.

McMillan built Liberal Hall for Wasatch Academy; a school which still exists. MPNHA's support of the Liberal Hall restoration recognizes the contributions of non-Mormons to the area's heritage and culture.   

MPNHA is also helping to fund restoration and renovation of the Wasatch Block Building, originally built to house a Mormon pioneer-era co-op, which will include several apartments. 

The project will not only preserve a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Bona said, "But by providing affordable housing will also indirectly allow low-income people to participate in historic preservation."

The 2013 Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) celebrated its 37th year with 93,0000 attendees - the largest in its history. Each attendee saw the Ohio & Erie Canalway logo across the screen prior to films, because of the Canalway's role as a Community Partner for the documentary - Rebels with A Cause.

Rebels With a Cause Trailer

"The film tells the story of the citizen rebels who grew Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area from 12 acres to over 80,000," noted Tim Donovan, Canalway Co-Executive Director. "We took this moment to celebrate similar citizen 'rebel' actions in our own backyard."

Prior to festival, the Canalway created a website section to celebrate the film and area partnerships, including fellow Community Partner The Trust For Public Land (TTPL), and film sponsor the Sierra Club. The Ohio & Erie Canalway logo was printed in programs distributed citywide. Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) hosted a tour of the trail and Park for filmmakers.

A Film Forum panel - an honor bestowed upon 12 of the 180 films - highlighted local "Canalway" rebels. The Canalway's Tim Donovan, former CVNP Superintendent John Debo, and TTPL's Executive Director Pam Carson joined film Director Nancy Kelly for a chat before a full house.

"It was a great moment to celebrate the power of individual citizens and groups working together for a greater cause - something we're also quite proud of here in the National Heritage Area," concluded Donovan.

Muscle Shoals Hosts ANHA Spring Meeting  

From Wilson Pickett to Helen Keller, from barbecue-stuffed potatoes to fried green tomatoes, National Heritage Area directors sampled the best of northwest Alabama during recent meetings hosted by the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area. MSNHA director Judy Sizemore invited members of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas for their spring meeting. 

 

As part of the meeting, Sizemore led the group on a field study day to historic and cultural sites in the MSNHA: The main lock at Wilson Dam, on the Tennessee River, Florence; FAME Recording Studios, Muscle Shoals; Tuscumbia Landing, an American Indian site on the Tennessee River, Sheffield; Ivy Green, Helen Keller's birthplace, Tuscumbia; GAS Design Studio and downtown Tuscumbia;Pond Spring, the home of Gen. Joe Wheeler and his daughter Annie, Courtland; Old State Bank, Decatur; and music and dinner on the paddlewheel boat the Pickwick Belle, Ingalls Harbor, Decatur. University of North Alabama president William Cale hosted a reception in historic Rogers Hall on the UNA campus.

 

Also in April, MSNHA helped sponsor "Lincoln at the Library" at the Florence-Lauderdale Public Library. This month-long free series included "Lincoln: The Civil War and the Constitution," an exhibit from the National Constitution Center; "Meet Mr. Lincoln," a presentation by Lincoln reenactor Dennis Boggs on the anniversary of the President's assassination; "Lincoln: Slave Narratives and the Abolitionist Movement," a discussion led by Dr. Lisa Minor on the writings of Frederick Douglass; "Out of the Margins: Common Whites and their Families in Civil War Alabama," a discussion by Dr. Victoria E. Ott focusing on women; and other readings, discussions and screenings of Lincoln-related films.

 

The MSNHA promotes the themes of American Indians, the Tennessee River and local music in Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties. 

Hot Topics - Historic is the New Green

Check out Green Info

Technical Preservation Services (TPS) also launched an interactive web version of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings . Published in 2011, they are the first set of official guidelines on how to make changes to improve energy efficiency and preserve the character of historic buildings. The Guidelines are an important addition to discussions about sustainability and achieving greater energy efficiency, which have focused primarily on new buildings.

Articles written and submitted by National Heritage Area staff

Edited by Katie Durcan

National Heritage Area Program, National Park Service