C O N T E X T 9 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 31 are associated with major historical themes, such as agriculture, transportation, community development, and exploration and settlement history. These themes shaped the landscapes of innumerable communities and provided the economic bases for their development. Understanding these historical forces helps residents and visitors appreciate the histories of communities beyond architectural forms and styles. The role of immigrant and minority cultures is an important historical theme that shaped the United States, often referred to as a nation of nations. Places associated with the earliest Americans – the American Indian tribes that settled the Americas – are part of this theme. The many waves of immigrant groups brought new institutions, house forms and ways of life physically imprinting on the American landscape – in cities, towns and rural areas. The federal, state and local criteria that focus on historical themes encourage preservationists to identify and categorise these places, nominate them for official recognition and interpret significance to the public. These places range from Norwegian churches in North Dakota to clubs in Brooklyn, NewYork established by eastern Europeans, and to the rural communities in California, such as Locke, that housed agricultural workers from China. The preservation of ethnic imprints on the nation also extends to difficult chapters in the nation’s history, such as legal enslavement of millions of Antoinette J Lee has worked for the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and as a historic preservation consultant. She can be contacted at leetoni@ comcast.net. Washington’s Tomb, Mount Vernon,Virginia. George Washington died in 1799. In his will, he directed that he be buried on his beloved MountVernon estate. He selected a site for a new brick tomb to replace the original burial vault, which was deteriorating.The tomb was completed in 1831 and Washington’s body was moved there along with the remains of his wife, Martha, and other family members. involuntarily imported Africans; racial segregation; and Japanese relocation camps. The efforts to overcome these injustices are addressed in the preservation field through the recognition and interpretation of places associated with the Underground Railroad (the network of people helping slaves escape to freedom), Supreme Court decisions that dismantled barriers to racial equality and the modern civil rights movement. The development of Chinatowns, Japantowns and Koreatowns, where Asian immigrants found safety and familiarity within an often hostile society, is also of increasing interest to preservationists. The inclusion of ethnic and diverse cultural heritage in the preservation field not only expands the stories told through historic places, but also promises to diversify the professional ranks of preservation in a field that traditionally has been dominated by white professionals. This trend is important as the political figures who make decisions about governmental support for preservation activities become more diverse. The changes to the nation’s immigration laws starting in the 1970s brought about great changes to the demographics of the nation by increasing the numbers of newcomers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. No doubt the focus on diversity in historic preservation will incorporate their interests as well. The United States’ historic preservation field has evolved into a truly unique system.While it incorporates a strong appreciation for the work of great architects and designers, architectural styles and construction methods, it reflects a nation with a history that extends back to the earliest settlers in the Americas and forward to the most recent arrivals in a nation of immigrants. The preservation field recognises historical trends and events that shaped the nation, its regions and localities. Preservationists rely to a great extent on tax incentives to encourage historic preservation. The immense size of the nation is best served through the devolved system of preservation, where the federal government provides tools and incentives, and the states and localities apply these as best suits their needs. One of the most recognisable results of this system is the development of heritage tourism associated with historic places. These places range from the world heritage-designated properties of Monticello and the University of Virginia to historic districts in small communities and urban neighbourhoods. Americans are a highly mobile people whose leisure time is invested in automobile trips to locales near and far. Heritage tourism serves as an economic engine on which many states and localities depend for tax revenue and job creation. Many preservationists from foreign countries who study the United States preservation system may not consider any or all of its components to be transferable to their own situations. However, they can not help but admire the effectiveness of the system in addressing the many cultural expressions that can be found throughout the nation.
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