The physical attributes of historic cultural assets are, with few exceptions, nonrenewable. Once the historic fabric of a monument is gone, nothing can bring back its authenticity; once the objects in an archaeological site are disturbed, nothing can recover the information that might have been gained through analysis of their relationships to each other.

The primary concern of historic cultural asset management is to minimize the loss or degradation of culturally significant material. Closely related issues include compatibility between cultural assets and new development; consideration of visitor needs; incorporation of sustainable design principles in asset protection strategies; and support for interpretation of park assets, both natural and cultural.

Management of historic cultural assets at Fort Sumter National Monument has been undertaken to preserve and protect the values for which the park was established and to address larger National Park Service issues and mandates. Projects include identifying archaeological assets, documenting historic structures through the List of Classified Structures (LCS) and Historic Structure Assessment Reports (HSARs), preserving historic structures, conserving artifacts in the park’s museum collection, and protecting park assets from fire, theft, and vandalism.