Generating interest in local history and historic buildings can be a challenge at times for archivists and historic preservationists. When the two groups collaborate, however, it can lead to greater interest and investment in preservation across the board. This session will explore how partnerships between historic preservationists and archivists can increase community relationships, foster greater interest in local histories, and further work to preserve a community’s documentary and architectural heritage. Tricia Gilson will discuss a multi-partner effort to document a 19th-century historic downtown and some of the women-owned and Jewish-owned businesses once found there. Sara DeCaro will describe her experience writing a successful nomination for her state’s register of historic places and how that effort led to stronger community relationships. Hayley Jackson will discuss how tracking down records of a local Iowa architect led to a multi-year collaboration that built community relationships, gathered important architectural records for preservation, and increased community interest in his architectural legacy. Tyson Koenig and Hannah Houston will discuss supporting student work and building connections with archives in the context of preservation education at a university with one of the nation’s only undergraduate historic preservation programs, where the ties between archival and historic preservation work are strong and mutually beneficial.
