Once and a while, Preservation Ohio learns of and reports on a national preservation issue which truly transcends state lines -- one which, while occurring in another state, nevertheless has an Ohio impact.

Such a situation has been occurring over the last several months in Orange County, Virginia. There, Wal-Mart Corporation has announced their intention to construct a 138,000 square-foot Supercenter immediately adjacent to the Wilderness and Chancelorsville Battlefields. And, with the ancillary development that typically accompanies such a store, the grounds of the battle itself are seriously threatened with loss.

According to Wikipedia, The Battle of the Wilderness took place from May 5 through May 7, 1864, and involved some 162,000 soldiers. While estimates vary as to the number of casualties, most place losses in the range of 15,000 to 18,000 for the Union troops, with approximately 10,000 losses for the Confederacy. It was a bloody battle that represented the first between Generals Grant and Lee during the former’s Virginia Overland Campaign. Ohio was certainly there at this battle, as it was in almost all of the war, including the valiant 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a unit raised from the cities and fields of Seneca County.

The fight to save the battlefield’s historic integrity has been ongoing, with an initial planning decision going in favor of the Wal-Mart developers. Without question, the primary resource for this situation has been provided by the Civil War Preservation Trust, the country’s leading non-profit advocate for preserving the land of the Civil War. On their “Save the Wilderness Battlefield” page visitors can get up-to-the-minute details on the struggle. The goal has been to encourage the company to choose an alternative location for their store more removed from the battlefield, not to stop it from building in the area.

Preservation Ohio strongly recommends becoming informed about this issue, and doing what you can to make a difference.

Photo: Painting, Battle of The Wilderness - Public Domain

2009 has seen an amazing explosion in the area of social media. The phenomenon that is Twitter, for instance, has recently had an impact in everything from national politics to international relations. Far from a static tool, social media is constantly evolving, changing and adapting to meet new opportunities and new technologies - particularly in the area of the mobile web (cell phones, etc.).

In many ways, America’s non-profit organizations are leading the charge into the creative use of social media. Here is a recent conference presentation on the use of social media in the non-profit world. Note, however, that as these statistics are already 7 months old, that today’s numbers have risen exponentially.


Preservation and revitalization are, perhaps not surprisingly, lagging behind this trend. Pacesetting organizations such as the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training are attempting to identify and promote the use of social media by preservation organizations through their excellent Voices from the Past website and Preservation Today web casts, however many local, statewide and even national preservation and revitalization organizations seem to be stuck in Web 2.0 - if they have any online presence at all.

Preservation Ohio has been at the forefront of this change since MyHometownOhio, the country’s first self-authored blog on statewide preservation, was launched in July of 2006. We currently have the most followed organizational page on Twitter of any statewide or national preservation organization, and have companion sites on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr and YouTube. This Summer we launched the country’s first self-contained social networking site for statewide preservation, The Ohio Preservation Network, and have forayed into the realm of live blogging for the recent announcement of the 2009 List of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites.

One thing about social media - the scene can change in just a few months. That’s why we are always looking a year down the road - to identify the social networking and media opportunities of the future that will better enable us to perform our mission.

This article was originally posted on MyHometownOhio in 2007. The tragedy herein described continues to this day, making this post even more poignant to all Ohioans.

There has been much written about the loss of older school buildings across Ohio in the last few years. “Ohio’s Historic Schools” have had a secure place on the list of Ohio’s Most Endangered Historic Sites since 2002, and rightfully so – the listing represents the greatest systematic loss of historic resources in Ohio since the days of urban renewal. And, in many ways, the loss of school buildings is more insidious, as it takes place in urban settings and rural crossroads alike. Schools are falling victim to a massive building program that wastes money by discounting opportunities for renovation, and which then subsidizes demolition. Outside of Ohio’s largest cities, few historic school buildings are being renovated, and most are succumbing to the wrecking ball.

Actually, in conveying the size and pervasiveness of the loss of Ohio’s historic schools, we believe that pictures can say more than words. So, rather than try and describe the situation, or the quality of architecture that is at issue, we invite you to visit a new website we have discovered. The folks at www.oldohioschools.com have collected an outstanding collection of photographs of Ohio’s school buildings – those that are endangered, those that have already been lost, and also a collection of former schools that have found new life through adaptive re-use.

A warning, though – these pictures "tell it as it is." A box of tissues might be in order.

The Ohio Preservation News reader located on the left side of this blog provides an excellent way to learn what is happening in the word of preservation, downtown and neighborhood revitalization, heritage tourism, smart growth, archeology and local history not only here in Ohio, but across the country.

The site provides short descriptions and links to a wide range of media stories - many of which come from Ohio newspapers, online magazines and blogs. Because it uses RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication,” the reader is updated continuously throughout the day..and night...each time that a local newspaper or media source updates its own site.

To give a glimpse of what can be found - here is a small sampling of stories available just this afternoon from the Ohio Preservation News reader.

Rescue of a historic grandstand at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds

An effort to “save angled parking” in downtowns statewide

The third installment in a series about “Revitalizing Over-the-Rhine”

Efforts to create a quilt tour in Greene County

The unfolding and interesting situation concerning the auction of a historic house in Avondale

How an environmental assessment can aid in the renovation of a 300,000 former factory building in Cincinnati

Coverage of the Restoring Prosperity Conference in Cleveland

An upcoming lecture concerning the 1913 flood in Ohio

A Lincoln exhibit coming to the Auglaize County Public District Library

The summer schedule for the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

A look at a long-lost element of early Cleveland city planning

Video from a living history presentation in Mansfield

A look at what American cities are attracting the GenY generation

A critique of current urban “downsizing” by Richard Florida

The challenges of reaching consensus in local historic preservation legislation

The new website of the Civil War Preservation Trust includes a variety of features that engage visitors in the effort to save historic battlefields nationwide. Materials for educators and students, a battlefield search tool, and detailed information about efforts to save Civil War history are included, as is an outstanding collection of online battlefield maps. Its well worth a visit.

The Columbus Landmarks Foundation has a newly-updated site designed to acquaint visitors with local preservation issues and efforts. The site was an excellent tool during the recently-concluded City Hop, and includes reference to the Foundation’s other online sites. Links allow visitors to combine learning about sponsored events - including their well-known walking tours - with actual ticket purchasing.

Downtown revitalization websites launched or updated in the last several months include the sites for The Downtown Bellfontaine Partnership, Main Street Medina, and Downtown Fremont.

The website of the University District of The Ohio State University has information on just about everything you would need to enjoy living, working and playing in the area of OSU… from a map of local wi-fi hotspots to the latest on area investment and rental opportunities -- and home preservation efforts.

And - as profiled in a previous post - the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Resource Center has been updated with information and links to the latest on this important financial incentive for older property rehabilitation. Click here to access.

Photo: Screenshot, CivilWar.org

Cyberspace has been buzzing over the last week as Ohioans react online to the Ohio Senate’s passage of a version of the biennial budget that calls for dramatic cuts in funding for the Ohio Historical Society.

Everyone knows that the dire economic times call for dramatic action. What is proposed for the Society, however, is nothing short of a gutting of vital programming that will have far-reaching impact over multiple years. The list of lost programs is staggering, and includes the following, according to the Society’s website:

• Elimination of teacher training and educational programs that leverage federal funding
  
• Elimination of National History Day in Ohio, a national program which originated in Ohio
  
• Elimination of the Local History Office that serves 800 local history organizations
  
• Elimination of the Civil War Sesquicentennial (2011-2015) initiative
  
• Elimination of the Ohio Historical Markers program
  
• Severe restrictions for OHS services throughout the state
  
• Reduced ability to generate non-state revenues (i.e., federal grants, private revenue)
  Reduced access to historic sites and museums
  
• Reduced ability to recruit local organizations to manage sites
  
• Reduced assistance and resources to sites management organizations

Your help is needed as we collectively respond to the potential of these cuts. Here are links to additional information:

• Special Notice from the Ohio Historical Society concerning the proposed cuts
  
• Legislative Action Center, with specific information on how to contact your local representative and senator
  
• Special “Save Ohio History” site
  

Please join OHS and friends of history from across Ohio at noon this Thursday as they RALLY FOR HISTORY! on the grounds of the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus (I-71 at 17th Avenue). Participants will also be able to board busses after the event for meetings with legislators at the Ohio Statehouse. For more information on the rally, please click here.

Photo: crazyanman.history/Creative Commons License

On June 4, the Ohio Department of Development issued a press release announcing two new application periods for the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit (OHPTC).

The first submission window begins on July 1 and extends through September 30.  In addition to the new application itself, the Department has also provided a short OHPTC overview, as well as a summary/self-scoring document for use in application preparation. Links to all of these can be found on the primary tax credit page, which be accessed here.  It should be noted that new criteria have been added to the application and review process, which take into account various aspects of a project’s geographic diversity and its economic potential.

Preservation Ohio has updated the online Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Resource Center to reflect this new information, and which also provides information about combining the OHPTC with other tax credits and deductions. The Resource Center can be found here.

Photo: Fort Piqua Hotel, Piqua - OZinOH/Creative Commons License

It’s time again for the annual showcase of urban living in downtown Columbus - City Hop - and this year, as in years past, offerings include both renovated and new infill living spaces.

The event is a reminder of the power of historic architecture to provide incredible places in which to live and work. Some of this year’s stops, such as the newly-renovated “8 on the Square,” are housed in period office structures (this one from 1906; see photo) that have been updated to provide the kind of living space that is financially difficult to replicate. Others, such as CityView, are located in buildings which had dramatically different original purposes - this one constructed as a factory building for a shoe manufacturer.

Of course, the infill projects that have recently sprung up like very welcome weeds in downtown Columbus promote the idea of a walkable, dynamic and dense urban environment. Projects such as Neighborhood Launch and The Annex at River South take their cue from their surroundings and from the history of the area, while adding a 21st century flair.

There’s a lot to see at City Hop, presented by the Columbus Landmarks Foundation. Here are links to relevant resources:

• Main City Hop 2009 page on the website of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation - includes a look at each tour stop, tour details, etc..
  
• The new City Hop online magazine
  
• City Hop on Twitter
  
• Podcast about City Hop from Columbus Underground

Photo: 8 on the Square - gorkon280/Creative Commons License