Preserve America is a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Historic Preservation Caucus Sponsors Preserve America Community Designation Event

The Historic Preservation Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives joined with Preserve America to announce the designations of 20 new Preserve America Communities March 18, 2004.

The event was held on Capitol Hill at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Historic Preservation Caucus co-chairs Representative Brad Miller, North Carolina, and Representative Michael Turner, Ohio, hosted the event with Lynn Scarlett, Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget, and John Nau, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation chairman.

Numerous officials from the 20 designated communities were on hand to accept certificates. These new Preserve America Communities are:

• Biloxi, Hattiesburg, Pascagoula, and Port Gibson, Mississippi
• Bristol, Cranston, and Warren, Rhode Island
• Burlington, Vermont
• Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Douglas, Grand Rapids, and Saugatuck, Michigan
• Fort Myers, Florida
• Franklin, Tennessee
• Fresno, California
• Rock Island, Illinois
• Smithfield and Williamsburg, Virginia
• Virginia City, Montana
• White Mountain Apache Tribe, Arizona

On March 20, 2004, another Preserve America Community designation ceremony was held in Augusta, Georgia, at the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area Interpretive Center. The event, which honored six Georgia communities, was hosted by Augusta mayor and ACHP member Bob Young, with DOI Secretary Gale Norton presenting the designations. A new Preserve America sign was unveiled at the event.

The new Georgia Preserve America Communities are:

• Kennesaw, Georgia
• Macon, Georgia
• Madison, Georgia
• Monticello, Georgia
• Rome, Georgia
• Whitfield County, Georgia

The Preserve America Community program recognizes and designates communities that protect and celebrate their heritage, use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization, and encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs.

Preserve America, a White House initiative, encourages and supports community efforts for the preservation and enjoyment of our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the initiative include: a greater shared knowledge about the Nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Updated October 12, 2004

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Designated Preserve America Communities