Celebrate Preservation Month with Oscar

By Christine Bush

Greetings everyone, Oscar the Grotesque here, joining you for another week to look more closely at Adirondack architecture, historic buildings, and preservation opportunities.

My friends and I at AARCH think every month is preservation month, but did you know?

May is National Preservation Month!!

Also known as Historic Preservation Month, the month celebrates the nation’s heritage through historic places. Whether you’re interested in touring historical places or rolling up your sleeves and helping to preserve the history in your own back yard, there’s something for everyone, even during the current pandemic.

Not only are historic places worth preserving, but the stories behind them are, too. Everywhere we go, there’s more to discover. Whether the story is found in archives or attics, peeling back the layers of time helps us to understand the past with each passing generation. Recording stories help to provide a rich and lively history of the people who lived and worked there.

How can you celebrate National Historic Preservation Month this May? Tours, special programs, and events celebrating all things preservation are temporarily on hold, but you can still celebrate!

• Join the AARCH, Mapping your Backyard project!
• Take an AARCH self-guided walking tour.
• Get to know your house with Oscar.
• Get out and EXPLORE!
• Share your favorite historic place. This Place Matters!
• Plan your next preservation project.
• Check your attic, basement, garage, or other outbuildings. Do you have historical documents or photos that may contribute to your community’s history?
• Investigate a story you heard a grandparent tell or better yet, record it!
• Take a virtual tour of some of our local, national, and world heritage sites and museums.

From neighborhoods, homes, landscapes, cemeteries, , bridges and more Historic Preservation is not just about buildings!  Share and celebrate the places that are most important to you. Be safe and stay optimistic.