The Medallion, Volume 51, Number 3, Summer 2013 Page: 11
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THC OUTREACH
materials. Camp CHC members
Vernon Holcomb and Stan Wiley wrote
a historic context, including a narrative
of the broader historical features-
highlighting geography, settlement,
transportation, industry, culture, and
building patterns-that influenced
the development and character of
the survey area. Over the following
months, THC staff transformed the
information into a National Register
Historic District nomination. The
National Park Service awarded the
designation in April 2013.
"A National Register listing is
an excellent heritage tourism and
preservation tool," Wolfenden explains.
"It provides national recognition of a
property's historical or architectural
significance, and a federal rehabilita-
tion tax credit is available to qualifying
building projects."With the National
Register designation in place, Pittsburg's
survey database and images are
accessible, allowing city staff to update
the information as needed. According
to Wolfenden, the completed inventory
can also be coupled with Pittsburg's
economic restructuring efforts to
provide a complete database of
downtown buildings, including historic
and current information.
Pittsburg's Commercial Historic
District contains modest 19th- and
20th-century brick commercialbuildings with
storefronts
composed of
cast iron, brick,
wood, and glass,
as well as superior
examples of civic
and religious
architecture.
Founded in the
1850s, Pittsburg
steadily grew
into a thriving
agricultural Leslie Wolfenden, at right,
Street training related to th
service hub,
boasting many
businesses related to transporting,
processing, or manufacturing of
agricultural products and goods.
According to the Handbook of
Texas, Pittsburg's early manufacturing
endeavors included sawmills, wagon
makers, and builders. By 1896, the
town also had a foundry, tannery, ice
factory, and bottling works. The most
active growth took place from the 1880s
through the 1930s, and the bulk of
the Pittsburg Commercial Historic
District properties were built during
this time period.
Debra Farst, coordinator of
the Texas Main Street Program, says
53 cities in the current Main Street
network do not have National Register
commercial districts, and 75 cities
do not have local commercial
downtown districts.
"There are tremendous opportuni-
ties to expand this program," she adds.
"We're always looking for ways to
help our cities strengthen the historic
preservation umbrella that encompasses
our Four Point approach: Organization,
Promotion, Design, and Economic
Restructuring. The THC doesn't have
the ability to complete this for all
Main Streets, but even this limited
fashion has helped cities realize the
importance of documenting their
historic resources and has spurred
surveys by the private sector."speaks with community members in Llano during Main
e Pittsburg survey project.
Wolfenden adds that a historic
resources survey is a critical starting
point for future preservation projects
since "it's difficult to preserve what
you have if you don't know what you
have." As part of a broader preservation
planning effort, she says a historical
survey will accomplish the following:
* Stimulate public awareness of a
community's historic resources
* Produce information useful to local
government or planning agencies
* Provide essential documentation
if a community plans to pursue
historical designations or
historic districts
* Help identify historic resources in
anticipation of projects that may
involve building demolition and
land disturbance
* Document properties representing a
style, period, construction type, or
historic theme
* Allow participation by community
members
To learn more about initiating
a historic resources survey in your
community, contact Wolfenden
at 512.463.3386 or leslie.wolfenden@
thc.state.tx.us. *TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
SUMMER 2013
m
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Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 51, Number 3, Summer 2013, periodical, Summer 2013; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth342078/m1/11/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.