What is it Wednesday

I sometimes look down when I walk outside.  It’s not because I don’t want to make eye contact with people or have to watch where I walk out of fear of falling down.  I just don’t want to miss anything neat that’s on the ground.

This is one of the things I’ve found.  I have no idea what it is, so that’s why it’s just a “thing”.  I found it by some trees, partially in the dirt at Goddard Park, home to a few buildings that I’ve previously blogged about.

From first glance it looks like a cap of something.

Something metallic and grooved, see the rust at the top of this thing?

Also, it’s made of sand, or something very sand-like.  The sand part doesn’t surprise me, Goddard Park’s northern border is a beach and the dirt itself is very sandy.

I have no idea what this is, do you?  Any idea on what it could have fit on or been used for?

Shouldn’t Miss News of the Week

This is actually a roundup of the last two weeks of interesting preservation/cemetery/architecture/archaeology/etc news articles.

Hangers Help Archives Director Identify Graves: Who knew a pair of metal clothes hangers could help locate graves and determine gender?  Read the article for more info on this dowsing technique, and do let me know if you’ve ever tried it.

Builders Bulldoze Big Mayan Pyramid In Belize: Sadly, you read that right.  SERIOUSLY?!?  There are so many things wrong with this, and there is no way that ignorance on the builder’s part can be claimed-it was one of the largest pyramids in Belize. It’s difficult to look at this loss in any way but shock, but some researchers are trying to find a silver lining.  Head to the end of the article to see what it is.

Has Lost City of Gold Been Uncovered?: Using Lidar (a 3D mapping technique) researchers have found what looks to be foundations and roads, ruins of an old city, in an area of Honduras rainforest.  Airplane flyovers helped capture the imaging, and later this year an archaeological team will make the trek to determine if it is truly the remains of a large metropolis.  Here is a second article on this possible discovery.

Stunning Byzantine Mosaic Uncovered in Israel: The mosaic was a floor of a public building, a building that has no religious affiliation where nearby buildings displayed elements of Christianity.  Archaeologists are still unsure what the purpose of this building was.  They also found pools and piping in front of the building; their purpose is also unknown.

Jensen-Byrd building will be renovated by WSU Spokane: Originally the building was going to be torn down and a new one built to house students.  Opponents to that plan successfully challenged the decision saying it ignored the area’s historic preservation guidelines, and that renovating the building would have greater economic benefits for the area.  WSU listened (yay!) and now the building will be renovated instead.

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For more, check out Bricks + Mortar’s This Week post.  Here is last week’s too.

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I have updated the conference calendar, adding 2 new ones, and pushing ones that have already happened to the end of the list.

Place Bucket List (Mountain Plains Edition)

This post is the eighth and final in my Place Bucket List series inspired by Adventures in Preservation, which asked readers what buildings were on our bucket lists.

*Note: The regions I have given these states in this and upcoming posts are how I have come to rationalize them for this purpose (and to prevent any one post from being too long), not necessarily how these regions are defined by any government entity.

North Dakota:

• Geographical Center of North America, Rugby, ND
• International Peace Garden
• Little Missouri National Grasslands
• Theodore Roosevelt National Park

South Dakota:

• Mt. Rushmore
• Badlands National Park
• Corn Palace
• Crazy Horse Memorial
• Custer State Park

Montana:

• Pictograph Cave State Park
• Granite Ghost Town State Park
• Helena
• Missoula
• Glacier National Park
• Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
• Gallatin National Forest

Kansas:

• Topeka
• Nicodemus National Historic Site
• 4-State Lookout
• Abilene
• Dodge City
• Garden of Eden
• Geographic Center of 48 Contiguous States
• World’s Largest Ball of Twine
• Yellow Brick Road

Nebraska:

• Carhenge
• Lincoln
• Omaha
• Pony Express Station
• Chimney Rock National Historic Site

Oklahoma:

• 426 Miles of Route 66
• Tulsa
• Mount Olivet Cemetery
• Oklahoma City
• Sequoyah’s Cabin

Wyoming:

• Jackson Hole
• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Devils Tower National Monument
• Fort Laramie National Historic Site
• Cody
• Ten Sleep

Colorado:

• Denver
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Rimrock Drive
• Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour
• Crested Butte

Idaho:

• Boise
• Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
• Old Mission State Park
• Idaho Falls

Think I missed something?  It’s definitely possible, so let me know.  As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

Shouldn’t Miss News of the Week

Here’s some news that I think you shouldn’t miss, enjoy!

Long Hidden, Vatican Painting Linked to Native Americans: This is a case of what happens when a painting completed in 1494 gets cleaned as part of the restoration process.  Very few people ever saw this aspect of the painting before as the area it was located in was closed off, unused, from 1503 to 1899.

The Renaissance of a 1920s Abandoned Parisian Cinema: A great article on the restoration of a small theater.  Wonderful to see a group of people come together to save this building and get it back up and running.  There are pictures in the article too, so go check them out, they’re awesome.

Full moon gets partial blame for Civil War general’s death: Astronomers are looking at the moon to see how it may have played into the death of Stonewall Jackson by obscuring the enemy but making him very visible to his own troops…just not identifiable.

What a ‘Modernized’ Wrigley Field Might Look Like: If you aren’t a baseball person, you might not know that Wrigley Field is home to the Chicago Cubs, who haven’t won a World Series since 1908.  They haven’t been to the World Series since 1945.  Their last winning season was 2009, when they went 83 and 78.  That was the year that the team came under new ownership, and recently the owner has been calling for some upgrades around the ballpark, which has been home to the team since 1916.  He’s even said that if he doesn’t get some upgrades he will consider moving the team, which has always been based in Chicago.  This article shows what some of the changes could look like, and I don’t think they’re all that bad.  Much of the stadium will retain its charm, and it is certainly preferable over leaving Wrigley entirely, which would definitely leave the structure in danger of meeting its destruction.

How Historic Architecture Can Anchor Economic Development: Sometimes I bookmark an article with an interesting title early on in the week because it seems like it would be a good fit for Shouldn’t Miss News.  It’s also a reminder to me to actually read the article that I didn’t have time for when I found it.  This is one of those articles and I was so happy to see that it was about Providence, RI, which I live about 20 minutes away from.  Providence is such a good example to use and it has changed radically over the last decade or so.  It’s a happening place (with wonderful food trucks and a good historic preservation scene too).  Sadly, right now RI doesn’t have Historic Tax Credits, which is also addressed in the article.

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For more, check out Bricks + Mortar’s This Week feature.

Place Bucket List (Pacific Edition)

This post is the seventh in my Place Bucket List series inspired by Adventures in Preservation, which asked readers what buildings were on our bucket lists.

*Note: The regions I have given these states in this and upcoming posts are how I have come to rationalize them for this purpose (and to prevent any one post from being too long), not necessarily how these regions are defined by any government entity.

Washington:

• Spokane
• Mount Rainier National Park
• Seattle

Oregon:

• Crater Lake National Park
• A prune ranch
• National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
• Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
• Portland

California:

• Hollywood
• Cannery Row
• Alcatraz
• San Diego
• Yosemite National Park
• Sacramento

Hawaii:

• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
• Pearl Harbor
• National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl
• Kaunolu Village
• Hawaii overall (after all, it is Hawaii)

Alaska:

• Mt. McKinley
• Crow Creek Mine
• Sitka National Historical Park

Think I missed something?  Let me know.  I feel like Washington and Alaska are lacking, but I don’t know enough about them to add more.

Shouldn’t Miss News of the Week

Here’s some news that I think you shouldn’t miss, enjoy!

MoMA: Expanding at all costs?: I recently included an article about the social media campaign to find other ways for MoMA to expand without demolishing the neighboring former American Folk Art Museum building.  This article looks at the philosophy behind MoMA’s previous and future expansions and what that means for preservation.  Well worth the read.

Ancient Europeans mysteriously vanished 4,500 years ago: DNA research suggests that there was a dramatic shift in the DNA makeup of Europeans at this time, thus one group of people suddenly replaced the other.  The cause of this radical shift is unknown, but you can read the article for a couple of theories that could be the explanation.

Agritourism: Where the farm and vacationers meet: A look at the tourism industry that involves going to working farms, ranches, and wineries.  Some of these opportunities have been around for years, but it’s really catching on now.  You can find some statistics about it in this article.

Dismantling History: A Reflection on Salvage: A wonderful blog post from the National Trust for Historic Preservation on architectural salvage written by someone who does the salvage work as well as restoration projects using those materials.

“Hear My Voice”: Smithsonian Identifies 130-Year-Old Recording as Alexander Graham Bell’s Voice: You likely have heard about this by now from one of the many news pieces written about this awesome discovery this week.  This particular article comes from the Smithsonian itself where the disc that contained Bell’s voice is held and finally heard thanks to a collaborative project with partners Lawrence Berkeley National Library and the Library of Congress.  So neat that we now have the technology to make hearing these recordings possible again.

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For more stories, check out Bricks + Mortar’s This Week post.

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After some contemplation, I’ve changed the tagline of this blog from “Preserving places and the communities that love them” to “Presenting preservation-related issues in an approachable way” to better reflect what this blog is about.

Thoughts for Thursday (on Friday): Cemetery Image Problems

This is the followup to my previous Thoughts for Thursday in which I asked you about how a particular cemetery near me can improve its image in the public sphere after a spat of illegal dumping, attempted thievery, and vandalism.

Thank you to those who commented on the post or Facebook and left great suggestions.  Many suggested to create a Friends Group, which I think would help especially if this group had 501c3 status as it would open the cemetery to a world of grants that it does not currently qualify for as a 501c13.  The cemetery board currently hosts at least one cleanup a year, and hopefully a Friends Group could add to that.  Also, many cemetery boards (for those cemeteries that do have boards) require that those on the board have a plot for themselves in the cemetery.  I do not know if that is a requirement for this cemetery board, but overall, I find that a limit to a board’s potential.  I’m not in a position to buy a plot for myself anywhere, why should that prevent me from lending aid where it is needed?  Why should that prevent a descendent of someone buried in the cemetery from doing the same?

Here are some of my suggestions.

The cemetery is currently active amongst the dog-walking community as there are many paved and dirt roads to walk on, but I think it could definitely be more dog-walker-friendly.  There are no posts with poop-scoop bags or waste receptacles.  Installing these would definitely be a sign to dog walkers that they are welcome with their pets (with some rules, of course, to protect the stones and dogs too).  I think taking a page from the Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation in Philadelphia would be beneficial.  The Woodlands has previously advertised dog-walking meetups on different mornings so that community members can get to know one another, dogs can socialize, and all involved can maybe find a dog-walking partner.  It also shows that the cemetery is a nice and welcome environment.

There are many old trees on the property, and while some could and do pose a problem for stones (and I don’t see that changing), why not make the best of them.  Get a tree-loving volunteer to lead a tour about the different tree species in the cemetery.  With trees come birds, why not a tour or event for bird watchers?  Both will attract a different group of people into the cemetery’s borders.  I also think that local scouting troops could get involved with the creation of bird houses for some of these cemetery trees, and it would definitely associate the cemetery with something positive.

Also, I think it would be good to get someone to volunteer their time to give a tour focused on the stones’ iconography.  This particular cemetery has quite a range, and if the cemetery partnered with a local historical society or two, the event could be quite popular.

Finally, I think it would be good to have an actual class on resetting stones, rather than having stones reset only at the yearly cleanup by those who know how to do it.  In this way not only do more stones get reset over the course of the day but class participants can take what they learned and apply it to their local cemeteries.

Now not all of these are meant to be money makers, although I do think that some of these event could have a fee associated with them to participate.  Any bit helps.  I do think that all of these will help improve the image of the cemetery in the surrounding public’s eye, and hope that by becoming an appreciated place, negative events that have been happening at and to it in recent months will subside.

These suggestions are not limited to just this cemetery alone.  I hope that you will be able to apply something I have suggested to a cemetery near you.

Have an idea that I may have missed? Let me know, and as always I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for reading!

Shouldn’t Miss News of the Week

Here’s some news that I think you shouldn’t miss, hope you enjoy!

Tale of Richard III’s skeleton is filled with drama-and it’s not over yet: I’ve discussed the discovery of King Richard III’s skeleton under a parking lot on Shouldn’t Miss News before, now there is going to be a documentary on the project as well as Y-chromosome testing to definitively prove it’s him (although they don’t doubt it given the results of the mitochondrial testing done prior to their announcement that it was in fact him).

Anthropologist aims to uncover inscriptions on historic headstones: Okay, so this one is not from this week, but I just found it and absolutely love the possibility of using this new program to read very old and worn stones.  I would also love to see this expand to other geographical areas as it develops.

Help wanted: Stonehenge general manager: Need a job? How about working at Stonehenge? Knowledge of Druidic rituals a plus, but you will also be leading the staff of the new visitor center and its volunteers.

Paris cultural center welcomes lawn-mowing sheep: Not only will it cut down on gasoline usage and noise pollution, those at the center hope that the sheep will be viewed as an added attraction by potential visitors.

Preservation Week: Pass It On: April 21-27 is Preservation Week. Click on the link for more info about activities pertaining to the preservation of museum and library collections.

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For more stories, head on over to Bricks + Mortar’s blog for the This Week post.

A Photograph Revealed: Origins

Reblogged from Three Months By Car:

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In A Photograph Revealed, you saw the following picture of Dotty, Edie, and Ev, ready for their three-month road trip.

I also told you that this photo made its way to me via email from all the way in Sweden.

So just how did this photo end up in Sweden and then find its way back to me?

For that you can (and I definitely do) thank a number of people. 

Read more… 355 more words

This is the companion and conclusion to the post I reblogged from Three Months By Car on Wednesday. Hope you have enjoyed a peak into my public history project!

A Photograph Revealed

Reblogged from Three Months By Car, a blog I run pertaining to public history project I’m working on.  Even if you don’t follow me there (although I’d love it if you did), I thought you’d might be interested in its most recent development.

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Three Months By Car has been a part of my life for three years now.  If you’ve been with me from the beginning of this blog (or have caught up since discovering me), you know that I began my research on the 1929 road trip taken by Dotty Guyott, Edith Stohl, and Evelyn Stohl back in 2010 as a part of my master’s thesis.

Up until last week, the only pictures of the trip that I had ever seen were those included in a news article written about them after they returned from the trip.  That paper, as you can imagine, has yellowed and turned brittle.  It is going on 84 years old now.

Last week I received an email that began…

Isn´t it very, very strange that we, who live many thousand miles away from you, in an old album has a picture of three young women who are just about to start a very long roadtrip. Evelyn Stohl at the steeringwheel, at her side Edith Stohl and Dorothy Guyott!

Needless to say, I was extremely excited about this email and the picture.  I know that I have been dragging the picture’s reveal for about a week via Facebook and Twitter, and thank you so much for participating in the Mystery Pictures feature.  Without further ado, here is the photo.

So if you caught the opening line of the email you may now be asking…what do you mean by “thousands of miles away?”  Roughly 3,650 miles away, in an old photo album was this photo.  So what is that far away?

Sweden.

So how did this photo end up in Sweden, and how did it make its way to my inbox?  Be sure to check back in on Thursday for the conclusion to this post and also the reverse side of the photo, which I think is pretty neat too.

For a direct link to this post: A Photograph Revealed