Black Historic Resources Narrative points to Future National Register Nominations

Things are a little slow, and here's an interesting item from June.

Last month the State Advisory Commission on Historic Preservation met in Salem — during Make Music Day, and just two days after Juneteenth — to consider a prelude to what could be an omnibus nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, "Black Historic Resources in Oregon Outside of Portland, 1788-2002."

Prelude to new National Register Nomination(s)

The portion published to the Commission website is a narrative only, mainly the "historic context" statement with six chapters. The document is nearly 200 pages.

About this particular form, the National Parks Service, which manages the National Register of Historic Places, says

The Multiple Property Documentation Form is a cover document and not a nomination in its own right, but serves as a basis for evaluating the National Register eligibility of related properties. It may be used to nominate and register thematically-related historic properties simultaneously or to establish the registration requirements for properties that may be nominated in the future. [italics added]

Even without any list of properties or places, it's a fascinating document and worth reading as it contains an interpretation of and narrative for Black history throughout Oregon, including Salem. It starts to synthesize a lot of bits that had been published and discussed separately.

Here are the summary notes on Salem for the period in which we have the greatest interest here, 1843-1941, eras 2, 3, and 4 in the periodization of six eras. There are individual vignettes and additional materials, of course. There's much more. (Footnotes and some page breaks have been removed for clarity. If the images here are too small, read the whole thing!)

Era 2, 1843-1867

Era 3, 1868-1919

Era 3, continued

Era 3, concluded

Era 4, 1920-1941

Era 4, continued

Again, the whole is very much worth reading and we'll be returning to it as an essential resource.