Carter G. Woodson Home

Special Resource Study

The purpose of this study is to provide the United States Congress with a professional analysis of whether the Carter G. Woodson Home is suitable and feasible for designation as a unit of the National Park System. A Special Resource Study is used by the National Park Service (NPS) to evaluate a resource for national significance and to assess its suitability and feasibility for inclusion into the National Park System.

In addition, a special resource study presents alternatives for the future protection, interpretation, and management of a site, including a "no action alternative" in order to provide a basis of comparison with the other identified alternatives.

The Carter G. Woodson Home is located at 1538 Ninth Street, NW in Washington, D.C. Dr. Carter G. Woodson who lived and worked there between 1915 and 1950 is known as the "father of African-American history." The home, which was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976 for it national significance in African-American cultural heritage, is part of the historic district know as the Shaw neighborhood. Currently, the home is owned by the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. The Association used the home as it's headquarters up until the early 1970s. Their current headquarters is in Silver Spring, Maryland and operates as local, state, and international branches promoting greater knowledge of African-American history.

The NPS has developed the following criteria to evaluate the national significance of a site:

- It is an outstanding example of a particular type of resource.
- It possesses exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the cultural themes of our nation's heritage.
- It retains a high degree of integrity as a true, accurate, and relatively unspoiled example of resources.

The guidelines further state: "Nationally significant cultural resources include districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects that possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting our heritage and that possess a high degree of integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association."

The study will also evaluate varying degrees of management alternatives. They are based on the dual goals of ensuring continued protection of a nationally significant resource and providing a quality experience to the visiting public. Two management alternatives as well as doing nothing will be examined. They are as follows:

1. New Unit
Units of the National Park System are defined by the General Authorities Act as "an area of land or water administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the NPS. Establishment of the site as a National Park System unit would be feasible only if the owners are willing to sell or donate the home to the NPS. Also, to be feasible as a new unit of the National Park System, an area's historic setting must be of sufficient size and appropriate configuration to ensure long-term protection of the home and to accommodate use by the public. It must also have potential for efficient administration at a reasonable cost. Other important feasibility factors include acquisition costs, access, threats to the resource, and staff or development requirements.

2. Affiliated Area
Areas are defined as affiliated with the National Park System if the resources can be most efficiently and effectively managed by a cooperative agreement between the owner and the NPS instead of direct operation as a unit of the National Park System. The NPS would have responsibility for technical or financial assistance to the manager and oversight of the area's management. To be suitable and feasible as an affiliated area, the site must need some special recognition or technical assistance beyond what is available through existing NPS programs. Furthermore, we must document that a cooperative arrangement with NPS and contributions from other sources will be adequate to assure long-term protection of the resources, and be able to establish and continue a standard of maintenance operations, public service and financial accountability consistent with requirements applicable to NPS units.

With this definition, the role of NPS would be to provide financial assistance for the initial acquisition and development, but the property would remain in private ownership. NPS also would provide continuing assistance with interpretation.