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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Placing your property on history map

Jeri Mccroskey Correspondent

Not all properties on the National Register of Historic Places are as old or as grand as the Cataldo Mission, but they are no less historically significant.

According to National Park Service standards, a property must be 50 years old to be considered for listing, but in exceptional cases, because of importance, some properties of less than 50 years old are listed. If you think your North Idaho property should be on the national register, here’s what to do.

The best place to begin is with the Idaho State Historical Society and the Office of Historic Preservation in Boise which has managed the state’s National Register programs since 1971. The office is housed in one of Idaho’s best historic buildings, the former U.S. Assay Office at 210 Main St., Boise.

The preservation office can provide a form that assists in answering the most basic questions to help you decide whether or not you should proceed.

After you establish that a property qualifies on the basis of age, you may have doubts whether or not it is “grand” enough to find a place in the register.

Architectural historians I have talked with, particularly in regard to the West, say that even the most humble structures do qualify because historic properties in the West are much more recent than those in the East and, many times, are not as elegant since they were built quickly to serve an immediate need. These buildings have stories to tell that are worth preserving and can shed light about the times and the people who used them.

An example of such a building is the Indian Springs School which stands on the northeast corner of Harrison Flats.

Small and simple in construction, it qualifies because it was so much a part of the development of the region and community life. Also, its appearance has not been altered significantly since its construction. Such buildings are fast disappearing from the American landscape.

Here are some other questions owners contemplating seeking historic status for their property should answer:

“Is this property associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of history – education, transportation, recreation, commerce, industry?

“Is the property associated with the lives of people who have been instrumental in the region’s past – government, transportation, agricultural, tribal?

“Is the architecture distinctive or representative because of its type, period or method of construction? Is it the work of a distinguished architect such as Cutter, Whitehouse or others? Is the property of simple construction but important because it is typical of homes of early day miners or lumber mill workers.

Finally, all properties eligible for the national register are not buildings. Some properties – such as cultural and archaeological sites – are significant because they signify traditional values and life ways or can yield information about our history and pre-history.

Contact the Idaho State Preservation Office if you wish to begin the nomination process. The phone number is (208) 334-3861 or www.idahohistory.net/shpo.html. The office can provide you with pamphlets and necessary forms.

A listing in the register does not prevent the owner from making changes or even tearing down a structure. The only consequence would be that, in the case of extensive changes, the property could be removed from the register. The only time established preservation guidelines must be followed and maintained is when an owner is rehabilitating a building and wishes to apply for federal preservation tax credits. To apply or not is entirely the choice of the property owner.

Even though changes are made or a building is lost, history still benefits, because the information that placed it in the register is preserved. Often, prior to planned demolition of a historic property, the state architectural historian will do an inventory of the property so pertinent historical information is not lost. For example, the Bunker Hills Smelter was inventoried before its demolition.

The last question in undertaking historic preservation is: “Why is preservation important – worth doing?” There are two answers.

The first is economic. Retaining historic sites financially benefits communities. Put simply, they attract tourists and tourist dollars. Also, rehabilitating older properties honors a community’s past investments and returns derelict building to the tax rolls.

The second reason was discussed recently on the Opinion page of The Spokesman-Review. In “Don’t know much about history,” syndicated columnist David Broder writes about testimony given before a Senate subcommittee by historian David McCullogh, author of bestselling “1776” and comments made by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Ted Kennedy, who label “U.S. History: Our Worst Subject.”

Both senators are concerned about test information gleaned from a national test, which revealed that in 2001, 57 percent of 12th-graders scored “below basic” in the subject of history, not knowing such facts as, in World War II, Russia was U.S. ally.

McCullough says the problem begins with the training of teachers who are not taught history themselves. It’s treated as dead and dull. He felt that to correct this, teachers needed more hands-on training with primary resources to become enthusiastic themselves and transfer that enthusiasm to their students.

According to Broder, McCullough gave “enthusiastic support” to Alexander and Kennedy’s suggestion that “…the hundreds of national historic sites scattered around the country be used for seminars where teachers could visit the places where signal events occurred and fill themselves with the stories the well-informed guides can provide.”

And why are these stories important? McCullough’s answer: “Amnesia of society is just as detrimental as amnesia for the individual. We are running a terrible risk. Our very freedom depends on education, and we are failing our children by not providing that education.”

Perhaps not only teachers but parents should accompany children to visit historic sites right in our own back yard.

Visit the Mission of the Sacred Heart at Cataldo, wonder at the floors, worn by the feet of those who came before us and learn about life and the world at the time the church was built.

We can make a little effort for great rewards - and have fun doing it by physically touching the past and opening its doors. Whether what we find reveals successes or failures we can learn and be better for it.