SUBJECT:   Historic buildings survey of Dundy County.

The Nebraska State Historical Society's State Historic Preservation Office is conducting an historic buildings survey of Dundy County. The historic buildings survey will attempt to comprehensively identify historic buildings and cultural resources throughout the county. The survey is intended to assist citizens and elected officials of Dundy County with historic preservation planning, tourism promotion, and economic and community development. The survey will also serve as a new source of information about the history and development of Dundy County and, it is hoped, provide support to and information for Dundy County historical societies.

The State Historic Preservation Office is planning to participate in several public forums to explain the nature and purpose of the survey, answer questions and solicit information from the citizens of Dundy County. A "kickoff" public meeting will be held:

Wednesday
September 28, 2005
Rainbow Fountain Park meeting room
100 Rainbow Fountain Park
Benkelman, NE
7:00pm

The meeting will consist of a presentation followed by an opportunity for questions and public input. Additionally, other programs administered by the Preservation Office will be briefly discussed, including the National Register of Historic Places, income tax credits, and the Certified Local Government program. Please join me at the meeting, along with Stacy Stupka-Burda, National Register Coordinator. The consultants hired to complete the survey, Chad Moffett and Andrea Kemperton of Mead and Hunt, Incorporated, will be present and available for questions.

The State Historic Preservation Office is requesting the assistance of Dundy County residents for the historic buildings survey. Generally, the survey team will only examine properties visible from the public right-of-way. However, many historic rural properties are not accessible or visible from the public right-of-way. Additionally, many properties are not immediately identifiable as historically significant. In order to fully understand and identify historic resources, the survey team needs help from the local community. Bill Callahan, Preservation Office staff member, stated: "It's very important for our office to have as much public input into the survey process as possible. The survey is intended as a resource for the citizens of Dundy County, and it's important that we hear from them in order to discover and study historic resources we would otherwise be unable to find or recognize." Callahan urges people to attend the public meeting and to tell friends and neighbors about the survey and the meeting.

The project is administered by the Nebraska State Historical Society's historic preservation office. Funding, in part, is provided by a federal grant from the U. S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Questions about the Dundy County Historic Buildings Survey should be directed to:

Jill Dolberg, Historic Buildings Survey Coordinator, or Bill Callahan, Program Associate,
by phoning toll-free 1-800-833-6747.
e-mail jdolberg@nebraskahistory.org