Research and Document the Agricultural Land Use and Early Settlement Economy of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park and Evaluate the Cultural Landscape of the Bowman-Hite Farm.

Description

This research will provide a historical overview and develop historic contexts for the natural and cultural resources of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Specifically, this research is intended to address a gap in the documentation and knowledge of the evolution of the park’s landscapes within the contexts of the settlement, early land use, and agricultural history of the lower Shenandoah Valley. The study will synthesize all available cultural resource information from multiple disciplines in narrative designed to serve managers, planners, interpreters, cultural resource specialists, and interested public as a reference for the history of the region and the resources within the park. This study will build on thematic work accomplished to date. The study will provide the necessary historical contexts for evaluating the landscape’s significance in relation to the settlement, early land use, and agricultural history of the lower Shenandoah Valley. This research will also provide a historical foundation for understanding how the park’s landscapes have changed over time, those activities that have contributed to that change, and the potential for the present-day landscape to convey that historical narrative to the general public and park visitors. The study should be written for a broad popular audience as well as for NPS management. This research will provide documentation to update the National Register documentation and cultural resource inventories for the park, enhance resource preservation, provide park management with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about future changes to the park landscapes, protect the park landscape’s character-defining features from alteration or loss, and provide guidance for enhanced interpretation of the park’s landscape history to the general public. The project study area encompasses all of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park including the Bowman-Hite Farm, the Hite family’s land holdings in the lower Shenandoah Valley, and the relevant associated extended landscape as determined by the research. The Virginia Tech project team will work in close partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) Olmsted Center and park staff throughout this project.

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