Preservation as Cultural Resource Management

     This week, the readings are concerned with creating and regulating “history” in public places.  Glassberg’s chapters on “Rethinking New England Town Character,” and “Making Places in California” both rely on evaluating the public’s conception of history and how to represent authenticity.  Waldbauer’s discussion of the 1906 Antiquities Act’s centennial gives a concise overview of the progression in protecting both historical and natural land/resources in America and how these laws have shaped our understanding of preservation.

     Glassberg’s comment on how modern efforts contribute more to the New England sense of historicity than the age of the homes themselves really speaks to this rise in preservation.  Echoing the trend of Williamsburg, the Deerfield example shows how community involvement determines historical value, and the extent to which a town will be rehabilitated.  Although public historians do assist in preservation projects, most of the responsibility is in the hands of private citizens and the larger community.

     The tourist value of preservation is clearly in use for Glassberg’s discussion of Californians reviving the history of the Gold Rush.  One thing I really enjoyed about Glassberg’s chapters were the pictures, posters, and maps.  These different types of media provides an interesting view of preservation and how certain pictures were taken to raise money for preservation.  These appeals to local history lovers, and tourists alike, invested communities in their nearby historic resources.

     Waldbauer is less based in narrative, but is incredibly informative about the development of laws that created the National Park Service and regulated natural and historical sites around America, such as Devil’s Tower and monuments.  Included in these legal transactions of natural resources were tangles with American Indian interests and tribal lands.  The complications of setting aside land for public consumption or protection (or both) dealt with tribal sovereignty, which also overlaps with some of the issues in Glassberg’s chapter on California where interests differed on presentation.

     Overall, these selections provide the reader with information on how Americans have understood preservation, and how to regulate historical and natural resources for the public.  Senses of historic community, or tourist-minded publicity are two expressions of public history.  Since the Antiquities Act of 1906 the government has taken steps to protect and regulate our nation’s history.  All three of these readings speak to this private preservation for public enjoyment under the control of the government, but ultimately the impetus for preservation lies with the people.