Muhlenberg County Public Libraries will be hosting two workshops in August for those interested in preserving local and personal history.
Dr. William H. Mulligan, a professor in the history department at Murray State University, will present a workshop on the National Register process on Saturday, August 1, 2015 and another workshop on caring for family heirlooms on the following Saturday, August 8.
Each workshop will last approximately three hours, from 1 to 4 p.m., and will take place at Muhlenberg County Public Libraries’ Thistle Cottage at 122 S. Cherry St. in Greenville.
The National Register workshop will include an overview of the register, its purpose, what it does and does not do and will clarify any misconceptions about the register. Mulligan will also explain how to go about nominating a property or site for the register and what happens after a nomination is submitted. The process has both bureaucratic and historic components, requiring historical research and writing as well as the government paperwork that must be completed and approved, he said. At the August 1 workshop, he will discuss both aspects and how to properly complete both parts of the process, as well as where to go for help with the process.
“The National Register is a planning tool for government at all levels to identify historic properties to protect them,” Mulligan explained. “It recognizes properties can be significant at the local and state level as well as the national level.” Properties can be recognized on the register for a variety of reasons, he said, not just properties that were influential to the nation as a whole. In additional to national landmarks, the National Register includes properties that were nominated for their local significance, archaeological significance or even just because they serve as a good example of a particular architectural style.
The second workshop will focus on family heirlooms and antiques. Mulligan will review the basics of owning and properly caring for antique items, including temperature and lighting requirements. He will also give a more in-depth explanation of how to properly store and preserve various types of items, including paper items (books, documents, news clippings, etc.); photographs (including antique formats, slides and digital images as well as black and white and color prints); furniture; ceramics and glass; and metal items (including gold, silver and many other types of metal).
These workshops will include information crucial to anyone who wishes to preserve historical sites and artifacts. Each workshop will also include time for questions after the presentation. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in preserving locally and personally significant sites and artifacts to get tips on how to do so properly as well as to make contact with a professional in the field of historic preservation.
Dr. Mulligan is widely known and respected in his field. He has been at Murray State University since 1993, during which time he has taught multiple classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels on history and historic preservation topics. He has also served on the Kentucky State Historic Preservation Review Board for 20 years after being appointed by Governor Paul Patton in 1996. He has served as author or editor of numerous historical books, articles, essays and encyclopedia entries and has successfully nominated four properties for the National Register, including the Cliffs Shaft Mine in Michigan (considered to be significant on a national level rather than just a local or state level) and the Sacramento, Ky. battlefield.
Space is limited for these workshops. For more information or to register for either workshop, call the library at 270-338-4760.
