Vestiges of the cultural landscape: the fate of Delaware’s threatened resources

Sheppard, RebeccaAt the beginning of the twenty-first century Delaware stands at a junction. Its historic resources have survived the many alterations made to the landscape over time, yet without statewide planning and local concern for these resources, external and internal pressures threaten to consume what remains of Delaware‘s historic environment. In 1989 the Center for Historic Architecture and Design (CHAD) received matching grants from the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office to create a program known as the Threatened Building Survey (TBS). Created in 1989 and continuing into 2003, the program serves to combat the loss of the state‘s irreplaceable architectural heritage by documenting its historic resources.1 Through its TBS program, CHAD has documented 127 endangered resources over a period of 15 years. These 127 resources were revisited in 2003 to determine their current status, collect information on their characteristics, and identify what factors (if any) endanger their survival. This thesis revisits the 127 TBS threatened resources to accomplish three goals: first, to create a context for understanding the historic landscape and therefore the significance of the TBS resources. Second, to generate an understanding of the current demographic and development of Delaware‘s three counties; third, to identify trends in the ways external factors such as a resources location, condition, and threat as well as the current preservation protections in an area influence the current status of the TBS resources within each county. Combined, these goals create a context for understanding the individual concerns within each county, in regards to their threatened historic resources, and can be used to plan for future documentation and protection of threatened resources. 1 Lanier, Gabrielle M, et.al, Threatened Building Survey 1989-1990, (Newark, DE: Center for Historic Architecture and Engineering, 1990) 1.University of Delaware, Department of Urban Affairs and Public PolicyM.A