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Houston County

Houston County. Historic Resources Survey July 14-August 14, 2009. Houston County Historical Commission.

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Houston County

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  1. Houston County Historic Resources Survey July 14-August 14, 2009 Houston County Historical Commission Stephen F. Austin State University (Center for Regional Heritage Research, Department of History, the Columbia Regional Geospatial Center, and the College of Liberal and Applied Arts Dean’s Office)

  2. Survey Goal • Identify historic sites, buildings, structures, and objects associated with events or people significant at the local and/or state levels and resources that embody distinctive characteristics in order to assist in future planning, to renew local pride, to answer historical questions, and to develop heritage tourism.

  3. The Survey – Phase I • In 2008-2009 the HCHC • Began a commission listing of county cemeteries and THC markers • Contacted county residents to identify cemeteries (any site with one or more burial) and THC not included in the Texas Historical Commission’s Atlas Database • Began to review aerial photographs, old maps, and deed records to locate known cemeteries and identify new ones • Visited at least 80% of the county’s known cemeteries and THC markers to confirm their location • By hand, added cemetery locations to the USGS quadrangle maps of Houston County

  4. The Survey – Phase II • In July and August 2009 the SFA students • Traveled to 90% of the county’s known cemeteries and 60% of the county’s known THC markers • At each cemetery the students • used GPS units to map each cemetery’s perimeter, internal structures, and notable objects • used the Texas Historical Commission’s Historic Texas Cemetery Designation Form to record data about the cemetery’s physical location, condition, markers, and the individuals buried in the site • used the Texas Historical Commission’s Individual Marker Form to record detailed information about each marker in every cemetery with twenty or fewer marked burials • photographed the cemetery as a whole, its entrance, internal structures and objects, and notable burial markers • For each THC marker, historic structure, or other resource the students completed a departmental survey form, GPS the location, and photographed the resource

  5. The Survey – Phase III (Fall 2009) • In Fall 2009 • The SFA History Dept. and the Columbia Regional Geospatial Center will work together to develop a series of maps for the HCHC including but not limited to • Houston County cemeteries • Houston County markers (THC, DRT, etc.) • Houston County churches • The Center for Regional Heritage Research and the Department of History are producing a “How to Photograph a Burial Marker” PowerPoint, and two videos - “2009 Summer Survey Adventure” and “How to Document a Cemetery” • The Department of History will develop a series of suggested heritage tourism themes based on the students’ work in the field and subsequent analysis of the data and maps

  6. The Survey – Phase IV • Continue to identify historic resources • Conduct detailed archival and community research to locate historic maps, documents, and photographs relating to the county’s cemeteries, markers, churches, and other structures and objects • Develop heritage tourism initiatives including brochures, online exhibits, and GPS linked tours • Record notable historical resources in the Texas Historical Commission and National Register of Historic Places programs

  7. Houston County Resources per THC’s Atlas • 889 total entries • National Register Listed – 4 • National Register Survey 1979 – 3 • National Register Survey 1982 – 248 • National Register Survey 4 (2004?) – 28 • National Register Ratcliff SP – 7 • Sawmills – 151 • Museum – 2 • Courthouse – 6 • Military – 2 • Markers – 234 (of which 44 are cemeteries) • Cemeteries - 204

  8. The Crew… • Houston County Historical Commission: Alton Moore, Maxine Moore, and Marty Cash • Blue Team: Chris Elzen, Pam Ringle, and Lisa Bentley (History Graduate Students) • Green Team : Cassie Bennett, Joyce Preston, Brenna Kelly, and Dr. Perky Beisel (Undergraduate Students & Faculty)

  9. Funded by • Houston County citizens (housing and meals) • The Center for Regional Heritage Research (undergraduate student worker salaries) • The Department of History (driver certification, office staff, supplies, and graduate assistant salary) • The Dean’s Office, College of Liberal and Applied Arts (graduate assistant salary) • Mini-grant, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (transportation costs, undergraduate student worker salaries, and supplies)

  10. Selected Bibliography • African-American Cemeteries Online. http://africanamericancemeteries.com • Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. Survey Manual (AHPP, 2001) • Gordon, Stephen C. How to Complete the Ohio Historic Inventory (OHS, 1992) • Hidden Messages: Discovering History in the Land: Archeological Sites, Historic Landscapes, Burial Grounds. (Historic Massachusetts, 1993) • Jordan, Terry G. Texas Graveyards: A Cultural Legacy. (University of Texas Press, 1982) • Markers, the Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies. http://www.gravestonestudies.org • Mytum, Harold. Recording and Analysing Graveyards. Practical Handbook in Archaeology 15. (Council for British Archaeology, 2000) • O’Donnell, Eleanor. National Register Bulletin #39: Researching a Historic Property (NPS, 1998)

  11. Selected Bibliography, cont. • Parker, Patricia. National Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning (NPS, 1985) • Potter & Boland. National Register Bulletin 41: Guidelines for Evaluating and Registering Cemeteries and Burial Places (NPS, 1992) • Sloane, David Charles. The Last Great Necessity: Cemeteries in American History. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991) • Strangstad, Lynette. A Graveyard Preservation Primer. (AltaMira, 1995) • Strangstad, Lynette. Preservation of Historic Burial Grounds. (National Trust for Historic Preservation) • Texas Historical Commission. Historic Texas Cemetery Request for Designation. http://www.thc.state.tx.us/cemeteries/cemhtc.shtml • Texas Historical Commission. Preserving Historic Cemeteries Texas Preservation Guidelines. http://www.thc.state.tx.us/publications/guidelines/Preservecem.pdf • Texas Historical Commission. Technical Leaflet #242. (AASLH, 2008).

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