[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2009-11-04

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Saturdays at center to feature Portland landmarks
2.  Grants Pass luncheon slated for cemetery advocates
3.  New study shows heritage tourism impact
4.  Historic Salem bridge to close for several months
5.  Assessment programs' deadline nears
6.  New history group seeks teaching opportunities


SATURDAYS AT CENTER TO FEATURE PORTLAND LANDMARKS

The Architectural Heritage Center will host programs on Portland's fire
stations, roadside architecture and classic houses during November.

Don Porth and Brian Johnson will address the changing architectural
features and uses of Portland fire stations at 10 a.m. Nov. 7. Following
the presentation, there will be optional tours of Portland Fire Station
#7 which is being rehabilitated and the Historic Belmont Firehouse that
now houses the city's Fire Museum.

Architect John Perkins and architectural historians Jack Bookwalter and
Barbara Grimala explore Portland's roadside history, from some of the
designs of the past through to the possibilities for the future. They
will talk at 10 a.m. Nov. 14.

Bill Hawkins, architect and co-author of "Classic Houses of Portland,
Oregon 1850-1950", shares images of some of the residences that help
define Portland's irreplaceable architectural heritage at 10 a.m. Nov.
21.

For information and registration, go to www.visitahc.org or phone (503)
231-7264.


GRANTS PASS LUNCHEON SLATED FOR CEMETERY ADVOCATES

Historic cemetery advocates can share ideas, concerns and achievements
over a brown bag lunch Nov. 6 in Grants Pass as the Oregon Commission on
Historic Cemeteries continues its outreach effort.

Cemeteries commissioner Kendell Phillips of Cave Junction will
represent the seven-member commission at the Grants Pass event, which
will begin at 1 p.m. at the Josephine County Historical Society, 512 SW
5th St.

"People are passionate about their local cemeteries, but sometimes feel
alone in their efforts," said commission coordinator Kuri Gill. "These
lunches present less intimidating ways for local people to meet the
volunteer commissioners, and for the commissioners to better understand
the needs of those they are trying to serve.”

Discussion will include recent legislative changes for historic
cemeteries and the Oregon Historic Cemeteries Grant program. For more
information about the event contact Kendell Phillips at
ivhistory at cavenet.com or (541) 592-4478.

The state historic cemeteries program maintains a list of Oregon’s
historic cemeteries and offers a variety of educational, financial and
technical resources for those working to preserve them. Details are
available at www.oregonheritage.org or by contacting Gill at
Kuri.Gill at state.or.us, or by phone at 503-986-0685. 


NEW STUDY SHOWS HERITAGE TOURISM IMPACT

A recent research study reveals that 78 percent of all U.S. leisure
travelers participate in cultural and/or heritage activities while
traveling, translating to 118.3 million adults each year. With cultural
and heritage travelers spending an average of $994 per trip, they
contribute more than $192 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

"We discovered that an impressive number of U.S. travelers seek out
cultural and heritage experiences," said Helen Marano, director, Office
of Travel and Tourism Industries, U.S. Department of Commerce. "...Their
expenditures confirm that this is a strong market, and they are
contributing significantly to our communities during these challenging
economic times."

The study is the first to segment cultural and/or heritage travelers,
showing the diverse groups that exist within this broader category of
traveler.  The segmentation analysis uncovered five different types of
cultural and heritage travelers: Passionate, Well-rounded, Aspirational,
Self-Guided, and Keeping it Light. Three segments - Passionate,
Well-rounded, and Self-guided - were more serious about their travels
and said that cultural and heritage activities had a greater impact on
their destination choice. Together, these three segments represent 40%
of all leisure travelers and contribute nearly $124 billion to the U.S.
economy.

Cultural and heritage travelers as a whole are more frequent travelers,
reporting an average of 5.01 leisure trips in the past 12 months. They
are more frequent business travelers and more likely to have taken an
international trip in the past 12 months than their
non-cultural/heritage counterparts. They are also likely to travel
farther to get the experiences they seek: about half of most recent
overnight leisure trips were 500 miles or more from home. More than a
third say they traveled between 100 and 300 miles for a day trip.

The study found that cultural and heritage travelers are more likely to
participate in culinary activities, such as sampling artisan food and
wines, attending food and wine festivals, visiting farmers' markets,
shopping for gourmet foods, and enjoying unique dining experiences as
well as fine dining.

Other cultural and heritage activities identified by travelers include
visiting historic sites (66 percent); attending historical re-enactments
(64 percent); visiting art museums/galleries (54 percent); attending an
art/craft fair or festival (45 percent); attending a professional dance
performance (44 percent); visiting state/national parks (41 percent);
shopping in museum stores (32 percent); and exploring urban
neighborhoods (30 percent).  The vast majority of these travelers (65
percent) say that they seek travel experiences where the "destination,
its buildings and surroundings have retained their historic character."

The study was conducted by Mandala Research for the U.S. Cultural &
Heritage Tourism Marketing Council, in conjunction with the U.S.
Department of Commerce.  Heritage Travel, Inc., a subsidiary of The
National Trust for Historic Preservation, and its website www.gozaic.com
was lead sponsor of the study.


HISTORIC SALEM BRIDGE TO CLOSE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS

The City of Salem has been awarded $3.5 million in stimulus funds from
the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Transportation Enhancement
Program for the second phase restoration of the Union Street Railroad
Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge.  To permit the work on the bridge, which
is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge will
be closed from Nov. 9 until May. 

The Union Street Railroad Bridge was built across the Willamette River
in 1912-13 by Southern Pacific Railway to connect Salem to the West
Willamette Valley.  The bridge was acquired by Union Pacific Railroad in
1996 and was purchased by the City of Salem for one dollar in 2004.  For
further information on the bridge and the restoration efforts, contact
Todd Klocke at 503-588-6178 or tklocke at cityofsalem.net. Construction
updates will be available online at
www.cityofsalem.net/unionbridge.
 

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS' DEADLINES NEARS

The application deadlines for the Museum Assessment Program and the
Conservation Assessment Programs are at the end of this month. 

Tthe Museum Assessment Program has helped organizations improve their
institutional, collections management, public dimension, or governance
efforts. Combining self-study and peer review, participants have
reported a clearer vision of their mission, motivated staff, closer ties
with their boards, and enhanced communication with internal and external
constituencies.  The program takes less than a year to complete.
Applications can be found at www.aam-us.org/map
<http://www.mmsend9.com/ls.cfm?r=44247874&sid=7548898&m=830181&u=Museum&s=http://www.aam-us.org/map>
. MAP staff are available to answer questions at map at aam-us.org or
202-289-9118.

The Conservation Assessment Program provides small to mid-sized museums
of all types, from art museums to zoos, with a general conservation
assessment of their collections, environmental conditions, and
facilities. Forms for applying to CAP are available at
www.heritagepreservation.org. The postmark deadline for submitting
applications is Dec. 1.


NEW HISTORY GROUP SEEKS TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

The Historical Outreach Foundation is continuing the educational
outreach programs that were previously funded by the Oregon National
Guard. According to founder Alisha Hamel, the foundation will teach
Lewis and Clark and World War II with an Oregon-focused history to
schools and organizations throughout the state of Oregon  without regard
to location, size of audience or age of audience.

These  presentations will include an interactive power point
presentation, a  "Discovery Box" with many different actual and replica
artifacts for the  audience to touch and experience and either a
specially designed map or CD or book to be given to all participants  
The non-profit will be funded by grants and donations and will be 
offered free to the various venues.   The Historical Outreach
Foundation will also offer on a limited basis  presentations on War of
1812, Civil War and World War I.  To schedule a  presentation e-mail
_Historicoutreach at aol.com_ or call  503-361-8875
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission,
which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us