Missouri Preservation in 2023
It was another busy year at Missouri Preservation, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our generous members and partners! Aside from our three primary programs, Missouri Preservation was busy advocating for, educating about, and assisting with preservation issues around the state.
In February, Executive Director Riley Price joined other preservation professionals in Jefferson City to testify before the Missouri House of Representatives in support of House Bill 316. Missouri Preservation’s Public Policy Committee (chaired by Maureen McMillan) has been heavily involved with the legislative and regulatory efforts to improve the Historic Tax Credit program in Missouri, including attending multiple feedback/listening sessions with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and State Historic Preservation Office, as well as speaking with various legislators on the topic. We are excited to announce a closer partnership with Historic Revitalization for Missouri (the 501c6 organization dedicated to lobbying for the tax credit) in 2024!
In April, Riley visited Cape Girardeau to speak to Southeast Missouri State University’s Historic Preservation program students about historic tax credits. Information on funding for historic preservation efforts is one of the primary inquiries we receive at Missouri Preservation. We frequently direct individuals to information and resources on the HTC program (both state and federal) and have spent time updating our website to make this information more accessible to the public.
In April we also hosted the 2023 Honor Awards at the Capitol in Jefferson City. Fourteen awards were presented this year. More about the 2023 Honor Awards can be found here. Things are gearing up for the 2024 awards — if you know of a person or project deserving of an Honor Award, nominate it today!
Our annual conference was held this year in Joplin, Missouri. We welcomed over 150 individuals from all across the state and spent three days learning, networking and having a good time! Read our 2023 Conference recap here. We are excited to announce that the 2024 Conference, our 25th conference, will be held September 25-27th at Echo Bluff State Park in Eminence, Missouri. More information about this special, rural retreat conference will be coming soon!
In October we attended the Missouri Community Betterment Conference in Columbia. Missouri Preservation Board member, Jacob Stotler, spoke to attendees about our organization, what we do, and the various resources available for historic preservation in their communities. Jacob and Riley also attended a board meeting of Columbia Historic Preservation, a newly established local preservation non-profit, to help them narrow down their goals as an organization.
The Places in Peril list for 2023 was announced on October 31st. Seven locations were added. We encourage everyone to watch the announcement and visit the individual listings to learn more about how you can help these endangered places.
On October 31st Missouri Preservation also attended the Trunk-or-Treat at Uranus Fudge Factory near Waynesville, Missouri. Along with candy, we handed out coloring sheets that identified the “Anatomy of a Haunted House.” You can download your own copy of the coloring sheet here. Interested adults were given info cards on cleaning headstones, including do’s and don’ts as well as links to information on the topic from the National Park Service.
In November, Riley was invited to join LNB Studio Architects to lead a session on “Bringing Historic Preservation to Life in Your Main Street District” for directors and staff of Main Street organizations across Missouri. This presentation focused on how to effectively advocate for a community’s history. First, through understanding and communicating the correct terminology (Preservation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation) in order to dispel myths. We then reviewed the partners and resources available for these efforts, such as local historical societies and student groups. Lastly, we grouped communities together based on similar local history (railroad, rivers, Civil War — whatever link we could find) and walked them through the early steps of creating an interpretive plan — a document that will help them connect their community, developers, visitors, etc. to their historic resources. After this presentation, we started a page on our website about interpretation, related resources, and how interpretation is relevant to saving our historic resources.
Throughout the year we have been working diligently to make our website the best resource for all things preservation in Missouri! If you have any recommendations on resources or information we should add, please let us know! In 2024 we will be sharing more updates from the State Historic Preservation Office and Historic Revitalization for Missouri to our blog, as well as RFPs, job postings and more.
As a non-profit organization, we rely almost solely on the support of our members and donors to complete our mission of advocating for, educating about, and assisting with the preservation of Missouri’s unique architectural heritage. We would like to thank our existing corporate partners, members and donors for their support and invite those who are not yet members to join us.
…And that’s a wrap on 2023!