Historic property and document surveys seek to preserve local heritage

Wednesday Sep 02 2009 2:18 PM

For the first time in some 20 years, preservation experts are heading into the field to compile a comprehensive list of historic properties and documents in Pierce County.

Led by the Pierce County Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission, the dual projects are designed to raise awareness of cultural heritage and highlight the financial incentives associated with preservation efforts.

The commission selected Artifacts Consulting, Inc. of Tacoma to undertake the historic property survey. Historical Research Associates, Inc. was selected to conduct the survey of historic documents. Both surveys should be completed by next summer.

"This is our best opportunity to take note of the historic resources that are left in Pierce County," said County Executive Pat McCarthy. "I hope that individuals, cities, institutions and tribes will work with us to identify potentially historic properties and documents. The owners can benefit from our technical assistance and a number of tax breaks."

Both projects are funded by a $1 recording fee surcharge passed by the Washington Legislature for filing such documents as deeds, deeds of trust, and powers of attorney. The Pierce County Council authorized from the document revenues $110,000 to pay for the Historic Property Survey and $60,000 for the Historic Document Survey. The County Council authorized an additional $70,000 for five cities with historic preservation programs to do their own historic property surveys.

The Historic Property Survey is focused on unincorporated Pierce County and cities that do not have preservation programs. The Historic Document Survey has a countywide focus.

"Heritage is becoming a quality-of-life characteristic for many of our communities," said John Hopkins, chairman of the Landmarks and Historic Preservation Commission. "This region is known for its devotion to natural resources. It's also important to maintain the resources and heritage that we have built over time."

HISTORIC PROPERTY SURVEY

Artifacts Consulting, Inc. is collaborating with local archaeology, graphic design and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) specialists, as well as local cities and tribes.

The scope of work includes updating previous property survey efforts, identifying additional resources, and developing an illustrated report that chronicles land-use history in Pierce County.

Among other things, the researchers are working from maps of historic trails and roads and flowing that data into GIS systems, creating what consultants describe as "treasure maps for us."

The final product will include a comprehensive and illustrated narrative history of Pierce County, GIS maps and an inventory of historically significant resources, which will be accessible online through the Pierce County Library System.

HISTORIC DOCUMENT SURVEY

This project's primary goal is to catalogue significant historic documents and records in a variety of media that are relevant to Pierce County's history.

The project team at Historical Research Associates, Inc. is especially interested in documents and records kept in private and institutional repositories. Documents of interest include but are not limited to photographs; commercial, public, government and institutional records; maps, surveys and plats; birth and death records; scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, notebooks, diaries, correspondence, family reminiscences, oral history, recordings; architectural drawings; and more.

The consultants are gathering information from local organizations such as historical societies. Owners of significant historical documents will have the opportunity to self-nominate the records by filling out the Repository and Collection Information Form.

The results will be compiled in a database that will be available online via the Pierce County Library System by next summer. It is anticipated that this catalogue will be readily used by historians, educators, researchers and the general public.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Public outreach is an important component of both projects.