Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

A little one-room country schoolhouse in Waubeka, Wisconsin is on the National Register of Historic Places for its connection to the origins of Flag Day. It was there that a 19-year-old teacher and his students held the first known observance of Flag Birth Day on June 14, 1885, using a 10-inch 38-star flag propped up in a glass bottle. Teacher Bernard Cigrand had his students, mostly descendants of Luxembourger immigrants, honor Old Glory by “reading essays they had written and discussing the flag’s history and meaning,” according to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month is celebrated each June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. However, a full three years prior to Stonewall, a “sip-in” was staged at another New York City establishment, Julius’ Bar. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, Julius’ Bar, located at the corner of West 10th Street and Waverly Place in Greenwich Village, was built in 1826. After serving as a grocery store, the structure has been a bar since 1864.

In May, we celebrate the rich cultures and heritage that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have contributed to the history of the United States.

An essay by Robert Stanton, Expert Member of the Advisory Council on History Preservation and former Director of the National Park Service.

The ACHP celebrates Women’s History Month this March by recognizing the important contributions women have made to our nation. Learn about the history of these women by exploring their stories through research and by visiting the historic sites where they spent their lives.

By Katherine Slick, historic preservation consultant, ACHP Foundation President

April is National Volunteer Month, celebrating those who give of themselves by volunteering their time, energy, and skills to serving our communities and helping others. During this month and all year long, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation salutes the people and organizations who volunteer to support the cause of historic preservation.

A volunteer effort in Colorado has brought into focus the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. Granada High School principal John Hopper was a social studies teacher in 1993 when he and his students embarked on a mission to preserve and interpret the remains of the Granada Relocation Center, better known as Amache. The National Historic Landmark is the most intact of the 10 camps for the incarceration of Japanese Americans. More than 7,000 Japanese, mostly American citizens, were imprisoned there from 1942 to 1945.

World Heritage Day, the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is being celebrated today--April 18. This year’s theme is Heritage for Generations to encourage intergenerational transfer of knowledge and celebrate youth leadership in cultural heritage.

Additionally, April is National Volunteer Month and the ACHP is honoring those who volunteer their time for historic preservation.

The ACHP continues to honor those who volunteer their time for historic preservation during April, National Volunteer Month. The Museum at Eldridge Street is a Preserve America Steward for demonstrating a successful use of volunteer time and commitment in order to help care for our nation’s historic heritage.

Roberta Berken has spent the last 18 years as a docent at the Museum at Eldridge Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and she says it has been a great gift to her.