Title:  New Hampshire's State Historic Preservation Plan

New Hampshire Preservation Plan

 

Number of Pages:  70
Approval Date:  January 5, 2001
Planning Cycle:  5 years

Contact Information:
     James McConaha
     SHPO and Director
     NH Division of Historic Resources
     P.O. Box 2043
     Concord, New Hampshire 03302-2043
     (603) 271-6435; fax (603) 271-3433
     E-mail: jmcconaha@nhdhr.state.nh.us

Mission/Vision Statement:
The legislature of New Hampshire has determined that the historical, archeological, architectural and cultural heritage of New Hampshire is among the most important environmental assets of the state and that the rapid social and economic development of contemporary society threatens the remaining vestiges of this heritage; therefore, it is hereby declared to be public policy and in the public interest of this state to engage in a comprehensive program of historic preservation to promote the use and conservation of such property for the education, inspiration, pleasure, and enrichment of the citizens of New Hampshire. (Chapter 32, Laws of 1974, RSA 227-C:1, 1974-1981; Chapter 363, Laws of 1998, RSA 227-C:1-a, 1998).

Table of Contents:

How Will Our Past Be Present in the Future?
A Progress Report
State of the Survey and Inventory Program
Attitudes, Threats & Trends Affecting New Hampshire's Historic Places
Goals and Objectives
Public Participation
Keeping the State Historic Preservation Plan Up To Date
Appendices
Bibliography

• Announcements in the press;
• Annual questionnaires;
• Regional meetings held by nine Regional Planning Commissions to identify important local preservation priorities for cultural and natural resources;
• Targeted sessions held in towns or multi-town areas to solicit input from communities, including planning boards, historic district commissions, conservation commissions, etc.;
• Three regional meetings held by the Land and Community Heritage Commission to identify resources to be protected;
• Two day-long, statewide conferences held by Citizens for Land and Community Heritage;
• Monthly meetings with state and federal agencies.

• Informal public and professional input through SHPO participation at workshops and festivals, service on various preservation-related committees, and daily contact with preservation partners.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES
Historical and archaeological resources; Native American sites; historic stone walls, cellar holes, mill ruins; village and cityscapes; archaeological and historical collections; resources associated with textile manufacturing; Native American archaeological sites of the Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Protohistoric periods; archaeological sites of the European historic period, including the remains of the 18th-century town of Monson, mills and mill complexes; prehistoric and historic archaeological evidence of coastal and maritime heritage, such as Strawberry Banke; architectural heritage; written and oral records of the past; prehistoric and historic burials and cemeteries; buildings, sites, structures, districts, and objects; off-system highway and railway bridges; railroads; lighthouses; public sculpture; churches; post offices; libraries; plank houses; agricultural properties; ethnic properties; summer camps and cottages; parks and designed landscapes; historic outdoor recreational structures; early industrial sites and dams; barns and other agricultural structures.

ISSUES, THREATS, & OPPORTUNITIES

• Rapid growth and development pressures are escalating, increasing the loss of open space;
• Mind-set that old buildings should be replaced with something bigger and more lavish;
• Growth-related expansion of transportation infrastructure;
• Increasing recognition that special places need protection;
• Preservation movement has taken on new strength and momentum;
• Two new state laws, Conservation License Plate fund and Land and Community Heritage Investment program and fund;
• New programs for agricultural easements, New State Register of Historic Places, and for barns and other agricultural structures;
• Archaeological site files and historic properties inventory have not yet been fully computerized;
• Development, sprawl, pipeline construction, logging, and erosion threaten archaeological sites;
• Incomplete archaeological inventory data and scholarly knowledge;
• Availability of new technologies such as GIS;
• Misunderstanding of the costs and benefits of preservation;
• Growing interest in preservation and heritage tourism;
• Weather, acid-rain, vegetation, arson, vandalism, and looting threaten resources;
• Lack of preservation information, education and training for public and decision-makers;
• Lack of a shared statewide vision for the future;
• Preservation is not a central element of public policy;
• Preference for "bottom-up," community-centered initiatives;
• Insufficient integration of preservation into local planning;
• Neglect, insufficient maintenance, and inappropriate remodeling of historic resources;
• Impact of tax structure, and property taxes in particular, on historic properties;
• Lack of adequate funding for preservation;
• Telecommunication revolution and "big box" retailing.

1. Survey and Recognition: New Hampshire has a diverse and rich variety of historical and archaeological resources. Survey, evaluation, and recognition efforts must accelerate so that a fuller understanding of New Hampshire's past, as documented by these resources, can be shared with our citizens and visitors.
2. Education and Outreach: To provide the public with a greater appreciation of and responsibility for the state's cultural resources, more educational initiatives relating to historic preservation must be initiated.
3. Planning and Protection: Preservation planning and a preservation ethic need to be integrated into decision-making on a state, regional, and local level.
4. Funding/Incentives: For any initiatives to be effective, additional sources of funding and/or incentives must be initiatives must be initiated to support historic preservation efforts.

1. Survey and Recognition.
   • Conduct survey of the state's resources;
   • Develop database and make it widely accessible;
   • Integrate information into GRANIT GIS;
   • Encourage National Register nominations;
   • Establish State Register;
   • Publicize specific resources and their stewards through awards and recognition programs.
2. Education and Outreach.
   • Develop school programs and/or special materials;
   • Provide training, conferences, workshops to life-long learners on above-ground and archaeological resources;
   • Expand web site;
   • Produce new publications, videos, and other materials;
   • Erect new historical markers and signs;
   • Promote proper treatment of historic places.
3. Planning and Protection.
   • Establish and strengthen local preservation mechanisms;
   • Offer training and workshops for local planners, elected officials, and decision-makers;
   • Encourage sustainable land use;
   • Promote reinvestment in existing infrastructure;
   • Identify key properties for protection;
   • Strengthen ties with other organizations;
   • Provide best examples of proper treatment and curation.
4. Funding/Incentives.
   • Encourage use of federal tax incentives;
   • Develop new preservation fund grants;
   • Develop criteria for conservation license plate grants and publicize programs;
   • Assist applicants for Land and Community Heritage Incentive grants;
   • Promote development of consultant service program for historic properties.

Cooperating/Partnering Organizations:
New Hampshire Preservation Alliance; Citizens for New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage; local Heritage Commissions and Historic District Commissions; NH Office of State Planning; UNH Cooperative Extension; NH Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture; US Forest Service; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; US Department of Defense; US Fish and Wildlife Service; US Army Corps of Engineers; The Archaeological Conservancy; Plymouth State College; Certified Local Governments; professional CRM firms; NH Department of Transportation; Federal Highway Administration; Historic Bridge Inventory Committee; local and state planning agencies; Regional Planning Commissions; Historic Agricultural Structures Preservation Committee; NH Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture; Scenic Byway Committee; Transportation Enhancement Advisory Committee; Tourism Advisory Committee; Cultural Tourism Committee; River Restoration Committee; state parks friends' groups; NH Archaeological Alliance; NH Archaeological Society; NH Main Street Program; local historic preservation advocates.

FEATURES OF NOTE

• "A Progress Report" highlights accomplishments achieved under previous Plan.
• Thorough, updated assessment of the historic and cultural resource database.
• A number of appendices with a wide variety of useful preservation information.