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WVC&P Railroad Public History Events

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Friends of Blackwater and Aurora Research Associates are hosting 6 public history events this summer in communities along the former West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad (aka Western Maryland Railway).  These programs are funded by a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council. The events are free of charge, open to everyone, and will include: …

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Top 10 Historic Preservation Related Movies

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A while ago I spent a few days on a research retreat and my friend Chad and I got to talking about the movie Cars and its preservation message. My first experience with the movie was at the 2008 Historic Roads Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Michael Wallis, an author and historian who has written …

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How Not to Meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties

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The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are a set of guidelines for bricks-and-mortar work on historic buildings. Many of our clients who are undertaking a preservation project for the first time worry that the standards are restrictive, difficult to meet, and expensive. In truth, the SOI standards have room …

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Buxton and Landstreet Company Store Draft National Register Nomination

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ARA has been working with the Vandalia Heritage Foundation to nominate the Buxton and Landstreet Company Store to the National Register of Historic Places. The draft nomination is currently in review with the WV State Historic Preservation Office. Check out our overview of the project at https://youtu.be/XLdWrFYIuTk Click the following link to access a copy …

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Architectural Term Challenge

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After almost 20 years in the historic preservation field, I like to think I have a pretty good architectural vocabulary, but every once in awhile, I get stumped. This terra cotta ornamentation is on the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, West Virginia. I worked on this project in 2012 yet the term for these continues to …

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