The National Register of Historic Places and cultural landscape documentation each provide a set of tools and frameworks for evaluating significance and integrity in NPS cultural landscapes. They consider research, data, and context, all with the understanding that these can change over time. These examples demonstrate relationships between National Register documentation and landscape preservation, and how significance and integrity inform stewardship, interpretation, and understanding.
-
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
Article 1: A Sense of Landscape History at Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site
When the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, there was limited documentation of the landscape features and the overall site design prior to the Sandburgs' ownership. The National Register listing was updated in 1995, incorporating descriptions from the 1993 Cultural Landscape Report. This fuller understanding of the landscape over time helps the NPS to maintain the site as the Sandburgs knew it. Read more
-
Mammoth Cave National Park
Article 2: Cultural Landscape Significance at Mammoth Cave Historic District
A recent Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) for the Mammoth Cave Historic District proposes expanding both the property boundary and areas of significance in the National Register listing. The CLR documents landscape features that contribute to this significance, playing a vital role in evaluation, interpretation, and preservation planning. Read more
-
Catoctin Mountain Park
Article 3: Exploring the Landscape of the Recent Past at Catoctin Mountain Park
In 2021, the NPS began to compile research as part of an effort to update the National Register nomination and Cultural Landscape Inventory for Catoctin Mountain Park. These projects will incorporate features associated with more recent periods of development and use, which are associated with the diversification of the labor force in public work programs. While these tools are connected, they also offer unique characteristics for documentation and preservation. Read more
-
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park
Article 4: Advancing Landscape Preservation and Interpretation at Chatham Manor
When Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park was listed to the National Register in 1966, Chatham Manor was identified as one of the park's resources. A 2016 National Register update was followed by a Cultural Landscape Report in 2019. Together, these documentation tools are part of how the NPS advances stewardship and interpretation in landscapes with layered history, remaining committed to the preservation mission while considering new research and study. Read more
-
Redwood National and State Parks
Article 5: Documenting the Howland Hill Road Cultural Landscape
The Howland Hill Road Cultural Landscape Inventory was completed in 2018, documenting the significance and integrity of the landscape's features. At the same time, the property was reviewed for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. This national listing documents historic properties that are worthy of preservation and includes a physical history of the place and information about its history and significance. Read more
-
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Article 6: Documenting a Layered Landscape in Alaska
The Bartlett Cove ethnographic landscape represents a Traditional Cultural Place (TCP) eligible for nomination to the National Register. As a traditional homeland, it is important to the past and present Huna Tlingit. Other features represent industry, homesteading, and NPS development. The multiple layers of the landscape have been documented in several Cultural Landscape Inventories, which can inform National Register Determinations of Eligibility. Read more