Indiana Preservation Plan

Number of Pages:  39
Approval Date:  May 27, 2005
Planning Cycle:  7 years

Contact Information:

Steve Kennedy
Chief of Grants and Administration
Division of Historic Preservation and
    Archeology
Indiana Department of Natural Resources
402 W. Washington Street, Room W274
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 232-1646; fax (317) 232-0693
E-mail:skennedy@dnr.state.in.us
Website: www.in.gov/dnr/historic/bin/dnrmgmtplan.pdf

Mission/Vision Statement:
Mission Statement: The Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology promotes the conservation of Indiana's cultural resources through public education efforts, financial incentives including several grant and tax credit programs, and the administration of state and federally mandated legislation.

Table of Contents:

A Letter from the State Historic Preservation Officer
The State Historic Preservation Office
The Preservation Plan Advisory Committee
Introduction
Indiana's Cultural Resources
The Planning Process
A Plan for Cultural Resource Management in Indiana
A Call to Action
Bibliography

PLAN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
Public Participation Strategies:

• Established Preservation Plan Advisory Committee comprised of 39 members from the broadest possible cultural, ethnic, geographic, and organizational interests;
• Five regional public input meetings;
• Other public input sessions were held as part of the regular meetings of major constituent organizations.

• DHPA staff reviewed preservation plans from other states;
• DHPA staff assessed Indiana's 1998-2003 Preservation Plan accomplishments;
• DHPA staff assessed emerging issues and current preservation needs.

ISSUES, THREATS, & OPPORTUNITIES

• A majority of the state has yet to be surveyed for prehistoric and historic archaeological resources;
• Historic schools are threatened by declining enrollment in rural areas, redistricting, abandonment and demolition by neglect, or perceived obsolescence and technological incompatibility of older buildings;
• Historic train depots are dwindling in number;
• Historic bridges are victims of neglect, damage, or replacement under improvement projects;
• Massive industrial complexes, lacking in aesthetic qualities, situated in remote locations, and plagued by environmental hazards pose challenges for preservation;
• Resources of the recent past are quickly becoming among the most endangered sites because they are not immediately recognized or valued as "historic" places and are threatened by newer development;
• Linking historic places through roads, rivers, and railroads is a significant new trend in how we view and manage our past;
• Sprawl development, leapfrog development, and the need for planned growth;
• The need to harness new technology, including GIS applications;
• State and federal highway expansions and extensions;
• Agri-business threats to traditional farmsteads and rural resources;
• The need to increase diversity in the preservation movement;
• Recognition of traditional rural landscapes and formally designed urban landscapes;
• The decline of historic commercial areas;
• The increasing demand for financial assistance for preservation projects;
• The continuing need to reach and educate non-traditional audiences;
• Primary challenge to preservation is the lack of general understanding of what historic and cultural resources are and why it is important to protect and preserve them;
• Suburbanization, unchecked sprawl, and ineffective or lack of zoning continues to threaten the sustainability of downtown commercial centers;
• Misconception about the cost of rehabilitation continues to be pervasive, discouraging potential development;
• Preservation and archaeology encompass many "non-traditional" types of resources that face various threats and challenges to protection due to lack of understanding about the resources;
• Need for the preservation community to reach out beyond traditional allies to other partners that can help broaden the preservation constituency;
• Resources related to the state's diverse cultural heritage have not been thoroughly surveyed and documented.

1. Increase public understanding and support for historic preservation and archaeology.
2. Reverse the decline of main streets and downtown commercial areas.
3. Strengthen preservation efforts for non-traditional resource types.
4. Increase DHPA interaction with other entities that have similar missions.
5. Increase cultural and ethnic diversity in the preservation movement.

1. Public understanding and support.
   • Raise public awareness and understanding of cultural resources.
   • Foster preservation and archaeology education experiences for school-aged children and the general public.
   • Create a favorable environment for preservation.
2. Reverse the decline of main streets.
   • Communicate the advantages of preservation in economic terms.
   • Promote preservation activity as a means of sustaining downtowns and historic areas.
   • Combat the tendency to subsidize sprawl instead of investing in existing resources.
3. Preserve non-traditional resources.
   • Raise awareness of the importance of rural resources and landscapes.
   • Seize opportunities for new protection efforts for non-traditional resource types.
4. Increase DHPA interaction with others.
   • Maintain and strengthen connections among current preservation partners.
   • Identify and recruit new and non-traditional partners.
   • Increase the effectiveness of various preservation efforts.
5. Increase cultural and ethnic diversity in preservation.
   • Raise public awareness of Indiana's rich cultural and ethnic heritage.
   • Support efforts to preserve the vestiges of Indiana's cultural and ethnic heritage.

Cooperating/Partnering Organizations:
National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Midwest Regional Office, and National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program; Indiana Freedom Trails; Affiliate Council of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana; Ball State University's Graduate Preservation Program, Department of Anthropology, Department of Architecture, and College of Architecture and Planning Indianapolis Center; Southern VI Corporation and Homestead Development Corporation; Indiana Main Street Council; Lawrence County Convention and Visitors Bureau; Indiana Jewish Historical Society; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis' Public History Program and Department of Anthropology; Indiana Historical Bureau; Historic New Harmony; Huntington County GIS; Office of the Governor; Indiana Humanities Council; Indiana Historical Society; Indiana House of Representatives; City of Bloomington, Housing and Neighborhood Development; Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal, Inc.; Indiana University Northwest, Calumet Regional Archives; Indiana Senate; City of Fort Wayne, Department of Community Development; Indiana Department of Natural Resources, State Museum and Historic Sites; Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation; University of Notre Dame, Department of Anthropology; Historic Madison, Inc.; Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana; Indianapolis Downtown, Inc.; Office of the First Lady Judy O'Bannon; International Council on Monuments and Sites; Indiana Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism; Martin University's Indiana College Preparatory Program: Next Step Education Through Archaeology Project; Fort Harrison State Park; Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department; Mounds State Park; Angel Mounds; Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department; Indiana Department of Transportation; U.S. Federal Highway Administration's National Scenic Byway program; Glen A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology; Indiana Heritage and Culture Council; Indiana's Underground Railroad Initiative; Lincoln Hills Development Corporation.

FEATURES OF NOTE