PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The National Park Service (NPS) and ASALH are working cooperatively to restore the circa 1870's home of Dr. Woodson. The completed site will provide a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the very place where Woodson lived and worked as he and ASALH brought African American history to life.
Completion of the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site will include a restoration and renovation of historic buildings; development, fabrication, and installation of interpretative exhibits; production and distribution of educational and interpretative materials and other site improvement such as parking, way-finding signs, wayside exhibits and much more.
A Historic Structures Stabilization (HSS) project was completed in July, 2006-This project secured and stabilized the property for future usage, work completed included but was not limited to the reinforcement of floors, cleaning and removal of debris, replacement of broken window glass and securing areas with penetrative potential.
The development of a Historic Resource Study (HRS) is underway. The HRS is the primary document used to identify and manage the historic resources in a park. It is the basis for understanding their significance and interrelationships, a point of departure for development of interpretive plans, and the framework within which additional research should be initiated. With respect to historic structures, a HRS is adequate when three conditions-required for National Register nomination-are met. First, the thematic context must be sufficient to evaluate historical, aesthetic, technical, or scientific associations of structures within the study area. Second, the HRS must contain enough information about the developmental history or evolution of each structure to evaluate its integrity. Third, the study must contain enough information about the contributing environment of each structure to enable National Register boundaries to be defined and possible overlaps with cultural landscapes and archeological or ethnographic resources to be identified.
A Foundation Document Workshop was recently completed with the NPS and ASALH and the information generated from this workshop is under review for distribution-This meeting was a preliminary management planning tool to identify the purpose, significance, interpretative themes and fundamental resources and values of the site prior to the formation of a comprehensive General Management Plan (GMP).
As parks begin planning for their future, it is imperative that everyone has a shared understanding of what is most important about the park, as identified in its purpose, significance, primary interpretive themes, and fundamental resources and values. It is also important to identify the constraints of special mandates that provide sideboards to planning and management. The foundation is the first step of National Park Service general management planning which helps ensure that planning and management stay focused on what is most important. All alternatives to be considered in planning process needed for a new park must be consistent with and contribute to fulfilling the park's purpose, significance, and mandates
