Hubbell Trading Post Cultural Landscape Report

PRESERVATION APPROACH

Following discussions with the park and regional staff and an evaluation and assessment of field and research findings, four primary issues were identified with regard to the use and management of the cultural landscape resources associated with Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.

These issues are outlined below, and specific treatments discussed in detail along with a range of development alternatives. The development alternatives include design guidelines that are consistent with existing National Park Service resource management policies.

Both the treatment recommendations and development alternatives are focused on the long term stabilization, preservation, and rehabilitation of the significant historic features and patterns that comprise the Hubbell Trading Post cultural landscape. Documented, past treatments are detailed in Appendix 6.

The selection of a preservation approach with regard to the Hubbell landscape was made after full consideration of the four approaches identified in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties (1992) and the guidelines for their application as described in Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Landscapes (1996). Each of the four approaches must be based upon thorough historical documentation and analysis of the landscape's significant components and character-defining features. The approaches include:

Preservation — the act or process of applying measures necessary to sustain the existing form, integrity, and materials of an historic property;

Rehabilitation — the act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values;

Restoration — the act or process of accurately depicting the form, features, and character of a property as it appeared at a particular period of time by means of the removal of features from other periods in history and reconstruction of missing features from the restoration period; or

Reconstruction — the act or process of depicting, by means of new construction, the form, features, and detailing of a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object for the purpose of replicating its appearance at a specific period of time and in its historic location.

Following a thorough review of the park's enabling legislation and management objectives, a detailed assessment of the park's cultural resources, and consultation with the park manager and staff it was agreed that the approach of choice would be preservation of subsurface (archeological) resources and rehabilitation of above-ground (landscape) resources.

The Hubbell landscape is a complex resource with an identified period of significance that covers a continuum of use from 1874 through 1967 with the primary period ranging from 1874 to 1930. However, it should be noted that in addition to the buildings, structures, vegetation, and archeological resources directly associated with the Hubbell landscape the park lands also contain prehistoric archeological resources that are significant resources in and of themselves. The selection of two treatment approaches was made to insure that significant subsurface resources continue to be preserved intact yet allow for the rehabilitation of significant components of the historic landscape. The rehabilitation of the Hubbell landscape will provide some flexibility in addressing several of the development and treatment issues identified by the author and the park staff yet allow for the retention of the overall integrity and historic character of this significant landscape resource.