County officials dedicate May to historic preservation

County Judge Rick Davis and Mountain Pine Mayor Rick Petty were among 114 officials in 63 counties who declared May as Historic Preservation Month and Arkansas Heritage Month.

“As we enjoy these monthlong celebrations of our Arkansas heritage, we hope all of the people of Arkansas will take time to reflect on the importance of their local historic sites, especially those listed on the National Register of Historic Places,” Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst said in a news release.

A list of Garland County’s National Register properties can be found at https://goo.gl/1m5ybO.

The list includes recent additions, such as the Aristocrat Motor Inn at 240 Central Ave. and the First Methodist Church Christian Education building at 1100 Central Ave., to venerable Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

The release said the proclamations from Davis and Petty noted that historic preservation is an effective tool for managing growth, revitalizing neighborhoods, fostering local pride and maintaining community character

while enhancing livability. The proclamations also note that historic preservation is relevant for communities across the nation, both urban and rural, and for Americans of all ages, walks of life and ethnic backgrounds.

Officials statewide have declared that it is important to “celebrate the role of history in our lives and the contributions made by dedicated individuals in helping preserve the tangible aspects of the heritage that shaped us as a people,” the release said.

“This Place Matters!” is the theme for National Preservation Month 2017, and “A State of War: Arkansas Remembers World War I” is the theme for Arkansas Heritage Month, co-sponsored by Garland County, Mountain Pine, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

A full list of Arkansas Heritage Month events is available at http://www.arkansasheritage.com/News-Events/Heritage_Month/heritage-month-events.

The AHPP is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving the state’s cultural resources.