Historic Preservation Division (Georgia Department of Natural Resources)

Historic Preservation Division (Georgia Department of Natural Resources)
Name	Historic Preservation Division
Formed	1952
Jurisdiction	State of Georgia
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Parent agency	Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Historic Preservation Division (Georgia Department of Natural Resources) is the state agency unit responsible for identifying, documenting, and protecting historic resources in Georgia (U.S. state), including archaeological sites, historic districts, and historic structures. The Division operates within the Georgia Department of Natural Resources framework and collaborates with federal entities such as the National Park Service, state entities such as the Georgia General Assembly, and local entities like the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and municipal preservation commissions. Its work intersects with landmark programs including the National Register of Historic Places, Historic American Buildings Survey, and compliance processes under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

History

The Division traces its origins to post‑World War II preservation trends influenced by the Historic Sites Act of 1935, the creation of the National Register of Historic Places, and state legislation enacted by the Georgia General Assembly during the mid‑20th century. Early initiatives engaged figures and institutions such as the Georgia Historical Society, Charlie Brown (Georgia politician), and preservation advocates active in Savannah, Georgia and Macon, Georgia. The Division's role expanded following the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the growth of programs like the Historic American Engineering Record and the Preservation Tax Incentives administered in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service. Over decades the Division navigated preservation controversies tied to projects involving sites associated with Cherokee removal, the Civil War, Reconstruction era, and industrial heritage in places such as Augusta, Georgia and Brunswick, Georgia.

Organization and Responsibilities

The Division is organized into sections that mirror federal preservation frameworks including survey, registration, archaeological services, tax credit review, and compliance review for projects under laws like the National Environmental Policy Act when intersecting with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Staff collaborate with entities such as the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and state agencies including the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Ports Authority. Responsibilities include maintaining the state historic preservation plan, stewarding archaeological collections from sites like Etowah Indian Mounds, coordinating nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, and administering tax credit applications under programs modeled on the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit.

Programs and Services

Major programs include architectural and archaeological surveys, nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, review of federal undertakings under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, administration of the state historic preservation tax credit program, and stewardship of conservation easement projects with partners like the Nature Conservancy and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Services extend to technical preservation guidance for owners of properties in Savannah Historic District, the preparation of cultural resource assessments for energy projects involving entities such as Southern Company and Georgia Power, and oversight of archaeological investigations at locations related to the Mississippian culture and colonial era settlements like St. Simons Island. The Division also provides review and compliance for federally funded transportation improvements coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration and local metropolitan planning organizations such as the Atlanta Regional Commission.

National Register and State Historic Sites

The Division coordinates nominations to the National Register of Historic Places for properties across Georgia, including districts in Athens, Georgia, plantations associated with figures like James Oglethorpe, and industrial complexes tied to the New South Wales‑era rail expansion (note: railroad history involving actors like the Western and Atlantic Railroad). It assists in listing of properties related to the Civil Rights Movement such as sites in Albany, Georgia and locations linked to figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis (politician). The Division also administers state historic site designations and collaborates with the Department of Natural Resources' State Parks Division and local museums like the Georgia Museum of Art and the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences to manage interpretive programming and conservation action for sites including Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park and other state‑level historic properties.

Preservation Planning and Grants

Planning initiatives include the state historic preservation plan developed in coordination with the National Park Service and stakeholders such as the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, county governments, and tribal nations including the Cherokee Nation and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation for consultation on archaeological resources. Grant programs administered or coordinated by the Division provide funding for survey and planning, stewardship of archaeological collections, and rehabilitation projects using resources modeled on the Historic Preservation Fund and state tax credit mechanisms similar to programs used in Texas and North Carolina. The Division partners with federal grant sources such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to finance preservation research, documentation, and capacity building.

Outreach, Education, and Partnerships

Outreach includes workshops for local preservation commissions, training tied to standards such as the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, public seminars at institutions like the Atlanta History Center and the Georgia State University archives, and collaborative exhibits with the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress. Partnerships extend to nonprofit organizations including the Historic Savannah Foundation, professional associations like the Society of Architectural Historians, and tribal governments for culturally sensitive interpretation of sites related to the Mississippian culture and the Trail of Tears. Educational programming targets K–12 through collaborations with the Georgia Department of Education and supports academic research with universities including the University of Georgia, Emory University, and Georgia Southern University.

Category:Historic preservation in the United States Category:State agencies of Georgia (U.S. state)