Waterford Foundation

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Samuel Gover’s Desk

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C. 1812 desk donated to the Waterford Foundation

c1812 Slant-top Desk made for Samuel Gover

The Waterford Foundation recently became the proud exhibitors of an American walnut slant-top desk, believed to have been made in Leesburg, Virginia, about 1812, for Samuel Gover (born before 1765 in Maryland, died between 1822-26 in Waterford). The donation was made by Gover descendant and Highland, Maryland residents Margaret Rose and her husband Gerald on October 21, 2016 at the Waterford Corner Store. Co-archivists Bronwen Souders and Edith Crockett accepted it on behalf of the Foundation.

A member of Fairfax Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers), Gover headed a household of seven individuals in 1810 in the village (although 14 children in all had been born to hi and his second wife Sarah Harris Janney between 1

785 and 1806). Their home, now called the Griffith-Gover House, is at 40139 Main Street. The desk was handed down through the family to Samuel’s great grandson Henry Taylor Gover (1875-1969), and through Henry’s niece Mary Armstrong Pierdon to her daughter Margaret Rose.

An appraisal report for the piece gives the following details:

The classic form, with few embellishments and no veneers, is in keeping with Quaker tastes, comprising a set of four graduated drawers with toe-molded overlapping edges; the shallowest drawer is on top, flanked by sliding supports for the writing surface; the desk compartment is symmetrically arranged around a central cabinet with crotch-grained prospect door, with a fluted-front document box to either side, then three small drawers show beneath valanced pigeon holes; decorative flued quarter columns are on the front corners. It is supported on bracket feet; overall measurements are 41 inches high; 41 3/4 inches wide, and 21 inches in depth.

The primary wood appears to be walnut; drawers and hidden surfaces in the case constructed of poplar; drawer guides are yellow pine or hemlock; drawers and hidden surfaces in the desk compartment, white pine. Escutcheons and locks appear to be original. Bale pulls are of the period but do not appear to be original with the desk.

Wear, cracks and repairs are consistent with age and use, most notably along the top edge of two drawers and the front left foot. Some pigeonhole valances are detached, but retained. The wood surface has been polished and refinished during years of domestic use.

Interior drawer and pigeonhole detail
“Notes Drawer”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have artifacts from Waterford’s history that you would like to share, please contact our office at oldschool@waterfordfoundation.org.

 

 

Zoning Ordinance Rewrite White Paper

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Dear Waterford Friends and Supporters,

As you may be aware, the County is in the process of revising the zoning ordinance to reflect the new 2019 Comprehensive Plan.    Loudoun’s zoning ordinances have not been updated for 20 years and a re-write is certainly due to reflect current needs and citizen vision as outlined in the new Comprehensive Plan.

We are now in the ‘Public Input’ phase, a three-month period continuing through July 18th, where comments from Loudoun citizens are welcome and encouraged.    It’s important that the Loudoun County Zoning Staff hear from all Waterford’s citizens as the zoning code is what governs land use policy   Staff will send their recommendation to the Planning commission, then forward to the Board of Supervisors for final approval

The Waterford Foundation has read the zoning code, with a focus on Adaptive Reuse (Chapter 5.10), which is important to the viability of our historic structures in the village.   The Waterford Foundation has prepared a summary sheet to shorten your workload, attached below.   We encourage citizens to make their voices heard before the July 18th deadline by following these steps for communicating with Zoning Staff.

If you have questions, feel free to call Jane Covington at 434-960-4678 or jane@janecovington.com

Thank you for your help!

Stephanie C. Thompson, Executive Director

Directions for submitting your comments on Adaptive Reuse to Loudoun’s Zoning Staff

Email your comments to Loudoun’s zoning staff at this address:   ZOrewrite@loudoun.gov     The Waterford Foundation has summarized our recommendations below in blue italics, but it’s best to communicate recommendation in your own words. While writing your comments, please feel free to reference the County’s zoning code on Adaptive Reuse, which can be found here: https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/loudouncounty-va-crosswalk/doc-viewer.aspx?secid=966 – secid-966. You may also wish to include with your email message a photo of your favorite historic Waterford building that you think is appropriate for adaptive reuse.

Chapter 5.10  Adaptive Reuse

Purpose

Discussion The new zoning code encourages adaptive reuse of historic structures but omits including standards of rehabilitation.   We recommend referencing recognized standards to encourage retention of character defining features of historic properties or consulting with the local HDRC.  We also see a natural overlap between adaptive reuse and the Sustainability movement.

Recommendation  Please ask zoning staff to include the following:

“Encourage preservation of historic structures through appropriate renovation,such as the Secretary of Interior Standards and/or ruling by HDRC”

“Encourage sustainability by allowing more older buildings qualify under the Adaptive Reuse zoning regulations.”

Eligibility  / Section B

Discussion  We recommend broadening the scope of eligibility with the intention of allowing more older buildings to qualify under the Adaptive Reuse zoning regulations.  We recommend streamlining the rezoning process to make the process more user-friendly and financially affordable by removing requirements such as market analysis, structural engineers, and verification of obsolescence. Adaptive reuse should not be expensive and burdensome

Recommendation: Please ask zoning staff to include the following:

“All properties over 50 years old should be eligible for adaptive reuse under the new zoning code or as designated locally historic’ by the Heritage Commission.”

“Please remove all the Zoning Administrator’s considerations of obsolescence of an old building, including past and current vacancy rate, existing and previous uses, structural condition, and real estate market information.”

Standards and Requirements / Section C   

Discussion  We recommend allowing more options when making changes as many historic buildings and sites don’t lend themselves to traditional zoning set-backs or rear, off-street parking spaces.   When there are questions, we recommend the Zoning Administrator consult with the HDRC. It is agreed that the setting of an historic property warrants protection, but there needs to be flexibility to accommodate small or non-conforming sites.    We also want to encourage agricultural buildings, such as old barns or mills, to have future uses.

Recommendation: Please ask zoning staff to include the following:

“Allow more exceptions for non-conforming sites for setbacks, on-site parking, and additions to the front of the structure.  Where there are questions, the Zoning Administrator should consult with the HDRC.”

“Please allow industrial /craft uses such as woodworking, metal working and stonework”

 

Extra Credit:

  • If you have the time and energy to submit detailed comments through the online public comment system, see the detailed instructions for posting comments in this pdf: ZOR Public Comment Instructions
  • To learn more about recommendations from the Loudoun Historic Village Alliance, see this document: LHVA Recommendations

 

Stories from the Attic: Just Like Home c1862

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The following letter is in the Local History Collection of the Waterford Foundation. It was written by James Dickinson, a Union soldier of the 9th Division, bivouacked in Waterford, one of thousands of Yankee troops on their way south. James Dickinson’s home state was Michigan. His unit had only recently been mustered. For the most part, the original spelling and grammar of the letter have not been changed. Our thanks to John Souders for providing the history of the letter writer and identifying him..

Waterford Ver Mar the 1 1862

Dear Aunt,

I have a fine chance know[sic] to write you a few lines to let you know how we get along   We are all well know[sic] and in good spirits we are four miles in advance of our forces on picket Guard.   It is a splendid country and we have first rate times. The weather is very pleasant and warm. We are in a beautiful little grove where the walnuts are in abundance, aunt, perhaps that you would like it. Now what we had for Breakfast that perhaps that you know that while we are in the Enemys country that what we can get comes without money or without price. This morning there were twenty-eight very nice chickens came into our camp and only 20 of us to eat them so we fared first rate. We had chickens, pork, peas, sauce and coffee [illegible] hard bread for our breakfast and it relished first rate to [illegible] it is not very often that we are favored with such blessings as these here. We can crack nuts and apples, pears and chickens and thore [there] is a very nice spring of water not but a few feet from our tents. Aunt, this seems most like home of anything that I have had since we left home. You see we are left as a reserve so that if the rest of the pickets are driven(?) in we are to support them, so that we do not have to have but one man out of twenty to stand guard. Well Aunt you may think it strange that I do not write oftener but we are bothered most to. death to get postage stamps here and we have to divide them amongst our friends as equal as we can. Well, Aunt, I don’t know as I can think of anything more to write. At present I have just written home but have not received any letter from there in a long time. I must close. Give my love to all inquiring friends and don’t forget to accept a share for yourself. Good Buy [sic].

From  J D Dickinson

Image of unknown Union soldier courtesy of the Library of Congress.

 

Preservation Committee Community Meeting Held June 22, 2022

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On Wednesday, June 22, 2022, the Waterford Foundation Preservation Committee welcomed the community for an informational meeting about the Phillips Farm and other ongoing preservation work on Foundation properties. Attendees gathered at 5:30 pm for a reception and opportunity to view exhibits, maps, and images of the Phillips Farm and properties under easement within the Waterford National Historic Landmark. At 6pm, WF President Susan Manch welcomed those assembled for a information packed presentation by a panel of speakers, including:

  • Erika Richardson from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, who spoke about VOF’s work throughout the Commonwealth and detailed the particular protections of the easement they hold on the Phillips Farm,
  • James Remuzzi of Sustainable Solutions, LLC, who gave a report of herbicide treatments applied to date to manage the invasive poison hemlock that presents a threat to Phillips Farm visitors,
  • Susan Honig-Rogers of the Phillips Farm Subcommittee, who spoke about the subcommittees current and future efforts to document and manage other invasive plants present on the Phillips Farm,
  • Nick Ratcliffe, who educated the audience on the geology and hydrology of the Phillips Farm and explained the present conditions of the South Fork Catoctin Creek as a result of damming the creek to generate power for Waterford’s mills,
  • Carl Sheider, who introduced the Phillips Farm Western Trail Pilot Project recently approved by the WF Board of Directors to establish a new walking trail on the western side of Catoctin Creek beginning summer 2022, and
  • Stephanie Thompson, Waterford Foundation Executive Director, who provided updates on the status of other preservation work this year including the Mill Stabilization Project, the Bond Street Tanyard easement project, and repair and restoration work throughout WF properties.
    Nick Ratcliffe speaks about the geology and hydrology of the Phillips Farm.
    Samples of invasive plants found on the Phillips Farm.
    Attendees in discussion during the opening reception.

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We look forward to holding more such community meetings in the future, to keep our neighbors, members, and community members informed of our work. See the presentation slides from the evening for more information on the easement overview, poison hemlock treatment, pilot trail project, and preservation updates. Slides are available online here: Preservation Community Meeting Presentation Slides.

 

Stories from the Attic: The Moore Family’s Influence on the Growth of Waterford

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By Debbie Robison, May 27, 2022

When the village of Waterford was founded at the close of the American Revolutionary War, a mercantile store and a number of manufacturing ventures were established that had a significant impact on the success of the village. Almost immediately, a remarkable variety of goods began to be manufactured, including tanned leather, saddles, and cabinets.  Credit for developing these key businesses goes to one industrious Quaker family. Thomas Moore and his three adult sons, James Moore, Thomas Moore Jr, and Asa Moore, began several businesses on lots they bought and leased near Mahlon Janney’s mill. They likely named this new village after their homeland where the elder Thomas Moore was born.[1]

Receipt for payment of a five pound seven shilling four pence debt in wheat

Thomas Moore Jr. opened a store, operated as Thomas Moore & Co, with financial assistance from Alexandria merchant John Sutton.[2] The success of the business was hindered by a post-war depression that began the year the store opened. While it was typical at that time to sell merchandise on credit, the store had to discontinue the practice during the depression and limit providing credit to the purchase of small trifles. During this time, when a new nation was being formed, the United States did not yet have a federal banking system. Virginia had its own currency, a holdover from the colonial period, in denominations of pound, shilling, and pence. On at least one occasion, the company accepted wheat, the predominant cash crop of the time, to pay down debts owed to the store.[3] The store closed about 1790 when Thomas Moore Jr. moved to Maryland.

The tannery, where animal hides were tanned to make them pliable, was established ca. 1785 on a small branch that became known as Tan Yard Run. James Moore leased the 3/4-acre lot from Joseph Janney, who developed the village.[4] Pits were dug in the ground for soaking the animal hides; first to remove the hair and fat from the hide, then to soften the hide into leather. Tanners often sold the hair that was removed from the hides to a local plasterer. Original lime plaster walls in the village may contain animal hair from the tannery. Asa Moore and his son-in-law, Thomas Phillips, took over the business from James Moore. In 1832, following Asa Moore’s death, the tannery had 40 to 50 in-ground vats, a large bark house (to store bark used to tan hides), a currying house (where leather was treated), and a handling house.[5] The Waterford Foundation owns this historic tannery site.

This open space bordered by Main, Liggett, and Bond streets was the site of the Moore family tanning operation from c1785 to 1832.

Asa Moore operated the saddlery where saddles were manufactured using tanned leather.[6] Saddle making required skilled craftsmanship to assemble saddles using glues while stitching together the various components.

Thomas Moore (Sr. or Jr.) was involved in a woodworking trade. It is unknown what type of products were made, though the skills of cabinet makers and joiners were used.[7] They could have been making furniture or had a role in building houses. A cabinet maker constructed furniture, such as cupboards, drawers, doors, and coffins. Joints, such as dovetail joints, were constructed by joiners to connect pieces of wood together.

The significance of the Moore family businesses is due, in part, to the many apprentices who were taught skills as boys while working for the Moores. At least 21 boys were apprenticed to the Moore family to work in these trades. Upon completing their apprenticeships, a number of these young men, along with other men who worked for the Moore family, established businesses in Waterford. For example, Henry Burkett, who lived with Thomas Moore, Jr. from 1789 through 1791, leased two lots on the south side of Main Street in 1792.[8] Evidently, Burkett knew the cabinet making/joiner trade because in 1793 Daniel Lovett (previously apprenticed to Thomas Moore) was bound to him to learn the trade of joiner.[9] In 1794, Jesse James (previously apprenticed to Thomas Moore, Jr to learn the trade of cabinet maker) was living with Burkett in the village.[10] Apparently they were operating a cabinet making shop. Another example is Joseph Talbott who, before becoming a tavern keeper, operated a saddle making business on Main Street.[11] He had previously lived with Asa Moore, who ran the Moore’s saddlery business, from 1792-1795.[12]

So not only was the Moore family vitally important at the formation of the village of Waterford, but they were also influential in its expansion and growth.

 

References

[1] Souders, Bronwyn C., Waterford, Virginia: Named for Waterford, Ireland, or not? (A Moore family history) [manuscript].

[2] Trust agreement between Thomas Moore Jr. and John Sutton, Loudoun County Deed Book O:423, 17 Jun 1785.

[3] George Emery etc. v. John Sutton, etc., Loudoun County Chancery Case 1791_009, pp. 12 and 15, as viewed at https://www.lva.virginia.gov/chancery/.

[4] Joseph Janney’s Will, Loudoun County Will Book D:341, probated October 11, 1793; Loudoun County Land Tax Ledgers: Alterations 1786, 1787-1799.

[5] “Public Sale,” Genius of Liberty, March 3, 1832, as viewed at www.geneologybank.com. Ad describes the tannery business of Moore & Phillips that was for sale.

[6] Loudoun County Order Book I:87, September 12, 1785.

[7] Loudoun County Order Book I:336

[8] Lease from Joseph Janney to Henry Burkett, Lots 7 and 8, Loudoun County Deed Book U:266, June 1, 1792.

[9] Loudoun County Order Book P:321.

[10] Loudoun County Personal Property Tax Ledgers, 1794-1796.

[11] Talbott, Joseph, Alexandria Daily Gazette, 11 Nov 1808.

[12] Loudoun County Personal Property Tax Ledgers, 1792-1795.

 

 

New Waterford Foundation Directors and Officers – 2022

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We were pleased to welcome so many members and guests to our 2022 Annual Meeting on April 19, 2022. The evening included a presentation by Kathryn Smith of the National Park Service about the study to update Waterford’s National Historic Landmark designation. Find more information about the update and links to the documents on our website. President Chris Gleckner, Executive Director Stephanie Thompson, and Treasurer Dave Hunt provided reports on the state of the organization. Much of this information can be found in our Annual Report, available in pdf form here, or hardcopy at our offices in the Old School. Please see the letters below from our Executive Director Stephanie Thompson and new President of the Board, Susan Manch.

Valued Foundation Members,

Thanks to those of you able to attend our annual meeting on April 19.  We were especially pleased to honor our Scout volunteers Niko Kesari, John Case Hall, Evan Smith, Arabella Horton, and Emma Dolega-Jasinski, 2021 Community Partner Hunt Country Sotheby’s International Realty, and 2021 Volunteer of the Year, Liz Hohm.  We also presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Margaret Good for her many years of service to the Foundation. It is because of dedicated community members such as these that the Foundation continues to be able to do its important work.

The Foundation Board added new members Jane Covington, Chris Doxey, and Susan Manch and elected new officers.  The Officers are as follows:

President – Susan Manch            Vice President – Annie Goode

Treasurer – Dave Hunt                 Secretary – Jane Covington

We are committed to continuing to fulfill our mission of preservation and education.

Best regards,

Stephanie Thompson

Executive Director, Waterford Foundation

 

 

A Personal Note From the Incoming Foundation Board President:

I want to thank Christine Gleckner, outgoing President, for her many years of service and for her continuing support of the Board and Foundation.  I am honored to be entrusted with this role.  While I am a more recent resident of Waterford, I have been a long-time Waterford Fair attendee and fan of this National Historic Landmark.  As the Foundation nears its eightieth year in 2023, I look forward to working with the Board to set ambitious goals for furthering our primary mission and preparing for our 300th anniversary in 2033.

As is true with all non-profits, the pandemic created hardships that we will have to work hard to overcome.  The return of the in-person Fair this year was a welcome return to normalcy and our Leaders and Committees will work collaboratively to chart a course that ensures that the Foundation and the National Historic Landmark are on solid footing for many years to come.

My goal is to be available to hear members’ priorities, ideas, and concerns.  To that end, I intend to hold office hours in the Old School every Thursday from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, beginning May 5.

I hope you will visit me there and actively partner with the Board and the Foundation as we embark on the next phase of the Waterford journey.

With gratitude,

Susan Manch

President, Waterford Foundation Board of Directors

 

Stories from the Attic – Edwin R. Gover

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Written by Edith Crockett, with contributions from John and Bronwen Souders, Jonathan Daniel, and Debbie Robison.

More than a few Waterford residents are so fascinated by our village’s history that they always keep a sharp eye out for early artifacts, letters, paintings and more about Waterford. Last year, Edith Crockett learned of a painting of a “vintage” building said to be located in Waterford. Not recognizing the structure, she contacted Bronwen and John Souders about its possible identity. The Souders immediately recognized it as a painting of their own barnyard, done in the 1930s, by a member of the Carr family, prominent in Waterford history. It was quickly acquired by them and now has “come home.”

Not long ago, another Waterford resident, Jonathan Daniel, acquired a letter from Edwin R. Gover written to a Reverend C.H. Nourse concerning a transfer of property, dated July 7, 1854. In an effort to learn more about the circumstances of the letter and to share its contents more broadly, Jonathan was kind enough to share its contents with the Souders, Debbie Robison and Edith, and generously gave us permission to include it in our newsletter:

Waterford, July 7, 1854

Rev. C.H.  Nourse,

                        Dear Sir,

I received your letter on the Fourth, in which you wish to know whether I intend to stand to my proposition or not, in answer I would say that I always try to comply with all engagements that I make, it will not be convenient for me to be in Leesburg before August court Monday if that will suit you. You will let me hear from you or come up to Waterford I have my business to attend to and no one to assist me and I cannot leave it.

            The proposition from your letter coming to me is not altogether correct. Statement in that I could not [have]]? Possession before the first of January instead of the first December and that all the rent up to that time would be coming to me.

Yours with Respect,

Edwin R. Gover

Our own Northern Virginia history sleuth, Debbie Robison, replied:

“This letter suggests that Gover needed to go to the courthouse to record something… I found a deed and trust agreement between Gover and Nourse recorded at the January 1855 court. I suspect this is the [same] transaction since this is the only transaction between the two men at least from 1833-1857.”

Longtime Waterford historians Bronwen and John Souders also went to work immediately, and responded with a stream of remarkable history about Edwin Gover:

“Edwin R. Gover was born on 13 Oct 1818 in Waterford, the illegitimate child of 21-year-old Ann Gover and Andrew S. Anderson (29), a New York transplant. Ann gave birth in the house of Garrett and Elizabeth Gover Hough, her older sister, her mother having died. Edwin was apparently raised by Ann with the help of the extended Gover family (Andrew went on to marry the daughter of a prominent area farmer).

Edwin was living in Leesburg by 1841 as a “mechanic,” probably in the leather-working trade. By 1850 he was identified in the census as a saddler, married and the father of an infant daughter. As of 1859 he was back in Waterford, “gaining in reputation every day, as one of the finest Saddle and Harness Manufacturers in the county.”

In the meantime, he had become active in Democratic Party politics in Loudoun. At the time, the populist Democrats, heirs of the Jacksonian era, were a small minority in Waterford, but gaining strength elsewhere as Virginia slid toward war. By March 1860, Gover was among those endorsing “the candidate best calculated to ensure the triumph of the Democratic Party in the coming contest, and thereby crush out Black Republicanism, preserve the rights of the South, and perpetuate for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of a constitutional Union.”

Nonetheless, when Virginia put secession to the vote the following year, Gover bucked his party and voted with the majority in Waterford against the ordinance. And, in June 1862, he was among the first to enlist in the Loudoun Rangers, Sam Means’s Unionist cavalry company. The following February, “a majority having voted for Gover, he was declared elected [2nd Lt.]. The boys dubbed him ‘Four Eyes.’ He was a kind and pleasant officer, but perhaps a little old [at 43] and slow for the position.”  He was also called “the singing lieutenant” for his vocal talents. By the end of the war, Gover was 1st Lt. and senior officer of Co. A when he and his men were surprised and ignominiously captured on 6 April at Keyes’ Switch on the Shenandoah.

In the fall of 1865 he moved with his family to the farming village of Kansas, Illinois, a hundred miles west of Indianapolis. He died of typhoid in 1882 and was buried north of the village.

 As for the Reverend Charles H. Nourse, he was about the same age as Gover, but cut from different cloth. He was born in Washington, DC, and became a Presbyterian minister. He voted for secession and as of 1860 owned a 40-year-old mulatto slave and her three young children. Nourse was arrested by federal authorities on several occasions, but never wavered in his support for the Confederacy, refusing to sign the oath of allegiance. One Union officer referred to the “reverend gentleman acting as a kind of rebel postbag.” He was able to cross enemy lines with relative freedom as a minister and acted as a rebel courier. 

After the war he moved farther south in Virginia. In 1870 he was in Culpeper County, where he taught school in addition to his ministerial duties—and employed two Black domestics.”

 What an amazing amount of history has surfaced – vividly – all from a short letter written in July, 1854. And there is more: thanks to generous donations from the Gover family a few years ago, the Foundation has in its collections an early sampler by Ann T. Gover dated 1829, and a desk, made in Leesburg, once owned by the Gover family.

Thank you to all the contributors to this glimpse into Waterford history of more than 140 years ago!

Waterford National Historic Landmark – Nomination Update

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In 2018, the National Park Service began a study to update the National Historic Landmark nomination for the Waterford Historic District. Researchers from the University of Delaware Center for Historic Architecture and Design conducted an extensive inventory of the properties and structures within the 1420 acre Landmark District, identified historically significant features, and developed a more comprehensive description of the period of nationally historic significance of Waterford. The study was augmented in a second phase with oral histories of key participants in Waterford’s 20th century preservation story.

The completed study is appearing before the National Park System Advisory Board National Historic Landmarks Committee in May 2022 for review on its path to approval by the Secretary of the Interior. The final draft of the NHL nomination is now available for public review and comment at the following links:

Waterford Historic District, Loudoun County, Virginia
Executive Summary
Nomination
Figures
Photos 01
Photos 02

Please check the webpage link below for information on the May 11-12 NHL Committee meeting. The agenda is being finalized and will appear at the bottom of the page when it is ready, along with links for how to register to attend the virtual meeting.

Comments on the update may be sent to Sherry A. Frear, Manager, National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop 7228, Washington, DC 20240, email: nhl_info@nps.gov