Historic Gerrardstown is unveiling its new town signs on December 7, 2014 at each entrance to its National Register community placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The brief ceremony on Dominion Road and Destiny Lane, will start at 1:00 with a reception and presentation of donor plaques, to follow at the Gerrardstown Presbyterian Church.

The signs honor America’s heritage by placing one of its remaining small towns in the ranks of historic places elsewhere that have learned to boast and announce their worth.

The design, voted on by over 200 residents, is new shiny metallic, not antiquarian, and is in keeping with the town’s historic character. The signs were manufactured by Vital Signs in Charles Town. Funds for the three signs were raised from two weekends in 2012 that celebrated Gerrardstown’s 225th Anniversary, private donors, and the sale of T-Shirts at Tracy’s Corner Grocery.

The signs are sympathetic to the two cast iron State Highway Markers erected during the American Bicentennial in 1976.

The project was supported by the Berkeley County Historical Society; and the Berkeley County Commissioners, who individually voted their support and encouragement. Significant donations came from the National Fruit Company, Jefferson Security Bank, South Berkeley Pharmacy, Berkeley County Historic Landmarks Commission, and the Martinsburg and Berkeley County Visitors Bureau.

David Gerrard laid out the village of Gerrardstown in 1784 although a small community already existed there. It was known as Middletown when it was officially established in 1787. Site of the first Baptist church and cemetery west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, today’s unincorporated village has numerous historic structures of log or stone construction.

Marshy Dell at the eastern entrance to the village is an 18th century two-story log home, one of the largest log homes in the county. The stone Gerrard House built by John Hayes is one of the oldest houses in West Virginia. Ward “Hill” Lamon, Abraham Lincoln’s Law Partner and personal body guard is buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery.

Travelers are able to appreciate the rare setting they are in—a traditional town preserving its past while eyeing the future.

Mark your calendars to attend the unveiling on 12/7/14 at 1:00 on Dominion Road and Destiny Lane with parking and reception at the Gerrardstown Presbyterian Church.

‘Snookie’s efforts haven’t been limited to houses. She also worked tirelessly with (the late) Beverly Fluty and others to have the Wheeling Suspension Bridge restored, and she took part in a long-running newspaper series, ‘Operation Look-Up,” which highlighted the unaltered upper stories of historic facades. In the midst of this work, she found time to serve on numerous historic preservation boards.’ Nutting has been  the West Virginia adviser to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for nine years, a member of the West Virginia Archives and History Commission for many years, the first president of Preservation Action from 1994-95 and a founding member of Friends of Wheeling in 1970. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Vandalia Heritage Foundation since 1990.

She has served as president of the Victorian Landmarks Foundation since 1990 and has been the driving force behind its Victorian Show-Off! tours in Wheeling.

Congratulations, Snookie.

​Preservation Alliance of West Virginia would like to share about our 2014 Historic Preservation Award winners. Next, we recognize Monica Miller for the Preservation Achievement Award.

Monica is the Manager of Local Capacity Development for the West Virginia Development Office where she provides funding and technical assistance to local organizations and units of government to enhance their capacity to serve their constituents and improve West Virginia communities.

In addition to the Main Street West Virginia Program which she has managed since 1994, she secured funding for and led the creation of the West Virginia ON TRAC Program. She also provides management to the following community development programs:  Neighborhood Investment Program, Growing Healthy Communities, Appalachian Regional Commission and Flex E Grant.

She has provided Main Street consulting services to the states of Delaware, Arkansas, Maryland and New Hampshire.  Prior to her work in the Development Office she served as the Administrator of Programming Services and Sales for West Virginia State Parks.

Monica has served in many capacities with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, most recently as Chair of the Board of Advisors, member of the Board of Trustees and vice chair of the Community Revitalization Committee.  She served as the first Chair of the National Main Street Coordinating programs.  She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board of the WV SBDC, is a volunteer with the WV Land Trust, and served multiple terms on the Vestry of St Mark’s Episcopal Church.  A graduate of West Virginia University and the Economic Development Institute through the University of Oklahoma, Monica has been certified by the National Development Council as an Economic Development Finance Professional.

Congratulations, Monica.

Stephen and Kim McBride have given so much of themselves to the Archaeology of West Virginia. The Fort Project has inspired an entire generation – if you ponder this in the context of all the school children they have reached, it is a true statement of fact.  While much of their work has been grant-funded, but it does not come close to covering all project costs.  They also frequently contribute their services to the cause.  This deserves a statewide public recognition. The dynamic duo husband and wife team from West Virginia, have done so much promote archaeology in West Virginia – through both research and public outreach.  Entire schools have been exposed to archaeology as a result of their efforts.
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​From hands-on history at Fort Warwick to student digs at Fort McCoy to publishing “Frontier Forts in West Virginia,” they are active in their field. They have conducted the only long range research project in WV, have published on their results, and have supported PAWV.

Preservation Alliance of WV is seeking applications for sites to sponsor Preserve WV AmeriCorps members for the 2015-2016 program year.  Here is a Word .docx file of instructions and the Site Sponsor Application.

​AmeriCorps is a national service program founded in the same spirit as the Peace Corps, VISTA, and the Armed Forces, and other forms of national service.  The AmeriCorps program provides members with a full- or part-time service experience in exchange for a modest living allowance and an educational award.  The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is administered by Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV), the statewide grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation in the Mountain State through education and outreach.  Other PAWV programs include preservation workshops, field services, heritage tourism development, and the West Virginia Endangered Properties List.

The purpose of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is to promote historic preservation and heritage tourism in West Virginia through historic resource re-use, improvement, and development.  Members’ service will focus on historic resource improvement and capacity building by utilizing heritage tourism for economic development, historic preservation for economic development and environmental stewardship, and volunteer management for community engagement.  Site historic resources are expected to include at least one historic building and may include museum collection, landscape, structures, and historic districts.  Preserve WV AmeriCorps is funded in part by Volunteer West Virginia, the state’s Commission for National and Community Service, and by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

For questions, email [email protected].

​Preservation Alliance of West Virginia would like to share about our 2014 Historic Preservation Award winners. The winner of the 2014 “West Virginia Media Award” was WBOY Channel 12.

The popularity of historic preservation continues to grow in West Virginia.  Not only do we have dedicated preservationists to thank for this development, but we recognize the positive influence the media has in celebrating historic preservation and in bringing tourists to historical sites.

WBOY Channel 12 made thirteen episodes featuring PAWV’s projects and events across the state and giving PAWV and many historic properties the excellent publicity while educating the viewers. Our field representative, Lynn Stasick was featured in many of them as well as various other staff, board members, and AmeriCorps members.

See one of many clips here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5ToGkSOAZI

Preservation Alliance of West Virginia would like to share about our 2014 Historic Preservation Award winners. Next we recognize “Heritage Tourism Award,” The Heritage Farm Museum & Village in Huntington, West Virginia.

Heritage tourism has proven to be a valuable and major industry for West Virginia and is centered on the preservation of historic traditions, sites, music, stories, and more.  Each year, we recognize a project, site, and organization that is making a significant contribution to the heritage tourism industry in West Virginia.

The rehabilitation has been a phased project. Firstly, all the public safety issues where addressed including a new fire escape and miles of fire suppression pipes throughout the huge facility. The Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau secured a loan to purchase and bring the theatre up to code. Thanks to the support from other non-profit agencies funding was made available to bring the theatre into ADA compliance. Thanks to the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation an elevator was installed to reach the theatre’s ballroom on the second story allowing many people to access this space for the first time in the theatre’s 86 year history. The same agency was instrumental in securing a Save our Treasures grant from the federal government to restore the façade of this striking building. WNHAC also serves as an advocate and offers hands on guidance in preservation. The success of this partnership between the Wheeling CVB and WNHAC has also stimulated significant private investment into the Capitol Theatre rehabilitation project. More than a million dollars was raised to install new seats, carpeting and stage curtains inside the beautiful theatre returning it to its grandeur of the day it opened in 1928. This ongoing multi-year project has brought forth results that not only persevere an important historical structure but has demonstrated the power of partnerships for the common good of the community.

Congratulations again to this outstanding example of historic preservation.

By Danielle

It seems like almost every day, PAWV is debunking myths related to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).  There is so much misinformation floating surrounding this listing, and this post is going to highlight the top three myths.

But first, what is the National Register of Historic Places?  .

The NRHP is an honorary listing recognizing our nation’s most historic places.  According to the National Park Service’s website, the NRHP “is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”   There are 90,540 listings in the NRHP.

Myth 1: Placing a building on the NRHP restricts use or sale of a property.

FACT: NRHP Listing does not place any property restrictions on the owner.  Many NRHP properties, such as historic schools or commercial buildings, have changed ownership and maintained the historic listing.

Historic homes change ownership over the years, but the properties are still recognized for their historic significance.

Myth 2: NRHP listing requires the owner to give tours of the property or open it to the public.

FACT: Public property listed in the NRHP often is open to the public for tours and other educational initiatives, but there are no requirements to do this.  Many residences and commercial buildings are listed in the NRHP, and the owner can do what he/she wants with the property.
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Myth 3: When a building is listed on the NRHP, the owner cannot change the look of the building or demolish it – or must follow certain guidelines for rehabilitation.

FACT: There are no special protections or government regulations to stop demolition or preserve NRHP-listed properties.  A property owner can change the windows, paint the building any color, or demolish it. The property owner can also choose not to have the property listed in the NRHP.

However, if a property owner is awarded grant funds or historic rehabilitation tax credits to preserve her building, then she has to follow the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation.

There are several benefits to having a property listed in the NRHP.  Listing opens up funding opportunities for historic preservation grant funds and historic rehabilitation tax credits.  The listing also recognizes that you own a special place that had an impact on the development of our state and country.  It’s a listing that invokes pride and should be valued not avoided.

Have more questions about the NRHP?  PAWV gives workshops on the listing and how to nominate a property or historic district to the list.  Contact PAWV at info@pawv.org or by calling 304-345-6005.

Applications are now being accepted for a second round of historic preservation development grants through the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. Approximately $200,000 will be available for grant awards, contingent upon appropriation of funds from the West Virginia Legislature or the U.S. Congress. Applications must be postmarked by Dec. 10, 2014.

Eligible projects include the restoration, rehabilitation or archaeological development of historic sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Properties owned by church organizations or used exclusively for religious purposes are not eligible for funding. Governmental properties that are not accessible to the public are not eligible.

A complete application package, including funding priorities, allowable activities and selection criteria, is available from the SHPO grants staff or from the division’s website athttp://www.wvculture.org/shpo/GrantManual/development.html. For more information about historic preservation grant programs, contact Pamela Brooks, grants coordinator, at (304) 558-0240, ext. 720.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.