Historic Preservation Helps Share America's Story

Historic Preservation Helps Share America's Story
July 15, 2005

Recently, I was honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation at its 2005 Restore America: A Salute to Preservation Gala. At that time, I was presented with the Restore America Hero award which honors individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to preserving the historic and cultural legacy of American history.

My career in public service began serving on the boards of local Community Development Corporations in historic Dayton neighborhoods. As Mayor of the City of Dayton, I continued to focus on historic preservation as an economic development and revitalization tool.

Upon being elected to Congress, I founded and co-chair the Congressional Historic Preservation Caucus, which currently includes over 80 Members of Congress. The Caucus focuses on issues such as rehabilitating historic buildings and districts, promoting heritage tourism, preserving community landmarks, restoring downtown areas, historic towns, and underused historic housing stock.

Historic preservation is about protecting our history, architectural accomplishments and the fabric of our communities. Historic preservation also creates opportunities for personal connections between the past and the present.
There are many historic preservation programs in Ohio's Third District. The Main Street Wilmington program is dedicated to the revitalization, promotion, and beautification of Downtown Wilmington. Main Street Wilmington is part of the National Main Street Network, begun by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1983. The City of Wilmington's web site explains the benefits of the program as follows: "When a community participates in the revitalization effort, the Downtown area experiences renewed vitality and enhanced economic performance."
In Highland County, the Lynchburg Covered Bridge is one of the few remaining covered bridges in Ohio. A group of concerned citizens formed the Save the Bridge Committee and have raised significant private funds to repair and restore the bridge.

When I accepted the National Trust for Historic Preservation award, I told a story about something personal that makes history very real for me. Dayton, Ohio, was, of course, the home of two bicycle makers, the Wright Brothers, and the place where they built and designed the first airplane that allowed mankind to fly at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Upon returning to Dayton, the Wright Brothers had the important task of designing and building an airplane capable of sustaining flight, and of learning how to become pilots. Another Dayton bicycle-making family, the Huffman Family, founders of Huffy, loaned the Wright Brothers the area around their farm to accomplish their important work. The Huffman Farm is today known as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, a center for Aerospace Research and Development that spans from the Wright Brothers to stealth technology. Wright-Patterson Air Force base is where the science and technology programs that ensure our continued military superiority and our success on the battlefields of tomorrow are being developed. I enjoy bringing first time visitors to the region to the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Park, where they tour their bicycle shop and see the first plane that was capable of sustaining flight.

When I served as Mayor of Dayton, Ohio, I lived in the Huffman historic district, a neighborhood developed by the Huffman family. In their neighborhood design, they provided locations for schools, churches, and parks. The Huffman elementary school, the oldest existing school in Dayton, stood abandoned for over two decades when I asked St. Mary's Neighborhood Development Corporation to undertake the restoration and conversion of the school into senior housing using historic and low-income housing tax credits. After more than 7 million dollars of investment, the Huffman School opened as a new home to almost 80 apartments, one of which became the new home of my grandmother. The Huffman School was attended by my uncle, her son, and upon his first visit he related that his mother was living in his elementary school art classroom.

A story like this is what makes history both great and personal. I began a story telling you about the Wright Brothers and ended it telling you about my grandmother and my uncle's elementary school and art classroom. Our personal connection to significant events brings to life the history of our country and our communities.

It is an honor to be part of the work to preserve our nation's rich history. Historic preservation is a personal priority and it was a privilege to receive the Restore America Hero award. Historic preservation is essential to preserving America's culture and identity. We must preserve our nation's historic treasures for our children and to continue to share America's story for generations to come.

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/columns/7.15.05.shtml